Henry Cole (presenter)

Henry Cole (born 16 February 1965) is an English TV presenter, producer and director. On television he is best known for World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, The Motorbike Show, Shed and Buried, and Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Many of these feature Allen Millyard and in the main are produced by his own production company, HCA Entertainment. Cole is also the founder and CEO of bespoke motorcycle manufacturer Gladstone Motorcycles, named after his great uncle Dick "Red Beard" Gladstone.

Early life
Cole was born in February 1965. His great-great-great-great uncle was William Ewart Gladstone, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was educated at Eton College, where he was a contemporary of Boris Johnson. He was a heroin addict for five years, but has been clean since 1988.

Career
He started as a news cameraman for channels including ITV and TF1 and progressed to making rockumentaries, primarily with heavy rock bands, then directing TV commercials, and finally directing films, such as the semi-autobiographical Mad Dogs and Englishmen with Elizabeth Hurley.

HCA Entertainment
Founded by Cole in 1995, HCA Entertainment is an independent television production company, specialising in factual entertainment programmes that have appeared on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery and Quest in the UK.

World Records
In 2013 Henry Cole set a world land speed record for a pre-1955 750cc motorcycle, riding a Brough Superior at 99.78mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

On 25 May 2023 Cole rode pillion with Allen Millyard on his Viper V10 home-built motorcycle at Elvington airfield in North Yorkshire, to set a new Guinness World Record for the “fastest tandem motorcycle”. Their top speed of 183.5 mph gave them a clear margin over American couple Erin Hunter and Andy Sills, who reached 181.42 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2011.

Books
Henry Cole has written two books: A Biker's Life (2018) and The Life-Changing Magic of Sheds (2020).