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Having presented primetime speech-based radio shows on nearly all of the UK's biggest commercial radio stations for the last 17 years, and winning more than 14 global comedy and speech radio awards, Tim turned to television seven years ago. Hosting Channel 4's primetime series, 'Extreme Male Beauty' and three series of Ch 5's motoring show 'Fifth Gear' as well as numerous Freeview series, he has now decided to share a well kept secret with the TV industry.
Tim is a closet ENGINEER! (As can be seen on his latest series 'CarSos' on Nat Geo currently airing).
In fact, nearly all of his wages have been used to facilitate the building of huge personal engineering projects. As you read this he is most probably welding old coat hangers or stuck under a homemade contraption or car.
At the age of 12 he was certified "A creative genius" in problem solving by the British Dyslexia Association, and by the age of 16 he was designing products that are still on sale in high street shops. From folding walking aids, fast flashing break lights that illuminate when cars break heavily and rubberised ice cube trays, plus many other items.
He went on to get a scholarship awarded by Oxford Uni in engineering (then called 'A Year in Enterprise). Tim soon became one of the Young Engineers of the Year in 1992 and 1994, both times for innovative inventions. He is still the only person in the UK to get 100% in A-level and GCSE Design and Technology. Before turning to radio, he studied Mechanical Engineering and Product Design at Uni.
Tim still spends ALL of his spare time rebuilding written-off cars, welding, carving wood, making jewellery, sewing, or just building huge bizarre mechanical inventions.
TV-wise, other key TV series for Tim include Channel 4's 'Balls of Steel', where he featured as character Mr Inappropriate and Virgin 1's 'Britain's Worst Learners where clueless people behind the wheel are taught to drive by their long-suffering loved ones. He also has presented on More 4's 'The Last Word' and ITV1's 'Pulling Power'.
Radio-wise, Tim now hosts the UK's largest content-based radio show on commercial radio. Called 'The Wrong Show' it is networked across 9 of Bauer Radio's biggest stations and covers half of the UK.
He still continues to pick up awards. Last year he won two more New York Radio Awards for his show on Birmingham's BRMB. The year before Tim won a Sony Award in the most prestigious category, 'The Entertainment Award'. This was for his TFI Friday style show on Absolute radio (previously Virgin radio). Branded as A TV show on the radio, with usually an audience of 50 people every night, he has also picked up 9 of the prestigious New York Radio awards (notably 6 golds).
Tim was also awarded two of EMAP's most distinguished awards 'Speech Broadcaster of the Year" and of course another 'Entertainment Award'. In May 2008 he was awarded 'Presenter of the Year' by the British Radio Industry. Tim now presents the LOL show on Bauer's Rock FM. Previous radio shows have included Kiss 100 breakfast, Kerrang! Radio breakfast, Magic breakfast, Absolute Radio Weekends, Hallam FM, BBC local stations and Century Radio.
Tim has earned the title of "The Most Internationally awarded Radio Presenter in the UK to date.
He was also brought in to replace Jeremy Kyle on BRMB radio in Birmingham. The show was called Jezza's Confessions and was radio's version of ITV1's The Jeremy Kyle Show. Tim increased Kyle's audience figures significantly over its years of broadcast. He was the first in the UK to take live suicide calls straight to air.
More recently Tim devised and completed a project 'Man In Box'. It saw him locked in a wardrobe-sized metal box for 30 days somewhere in the UK. Neither he or anyone he knows (bar two people) knew where he was. Being told that his location was meaningful to him and that he had been there before, more than 8.5 million people tuned in to watch the 24hr a day live stream. Viewers had to try and locate him with a prize of £30,000 to the first correct coordinates. To date it is the second biggest live streamed event in history.
Other than Engineering, Tim has a first class degree in Professional Broadcasting. He spends a chunk of his spare time writing treatments for TV shows, one of which was recently commissioned for a ten part series on Current TV and a pilot for Sky 1.
He admits that his biggest fascination is with everyday people. Tim is that bloke that starts talking to you on the tube and before you know it you're exchanging numbers! He believes that everyone is interesting (having carried out over 8000 interviews) and his personal goal is to travel the world, meet everybody and learn as much as possible.
What a geek. What a weirdo.
CONTACT TIM SHAW