Jason Blades (born 21 February 1970) is a British
furniture restorer and
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...
.
He grew up in
Hackney, which in his childhood was a working class area of
Inner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. With its origins in the bills of mortality, it became fixed as an area for statistics in 1847 and was use ...
, and now lives in
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a large village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. Located on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, it lies in the civil parish of The Gorge. Ironbridge developed beside, an ...
in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
.
Early life
Blades was born in
Brent, North London and raised in
Hackney, East London with his mother and maternal half-brother.
As an adult he learned that his father had 25 other children, from different mothers, in a number of different countries.
He has
dyslexia
Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
, which was not diagnosed at school.
He experienced
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
at school and from the police.
As a young man he worked as a labourer and in factories.
He enrolled in
Buckinghamshire New University
, mottoeng = By Art and Industry
, established = 2007 – gained university status 1891 – Science and Art School
, type = Public
, staff =
, chancellor = Jay Blades
, vice_chancellor = Nick Braisby
, st ...
as a mature student to study
Criminology
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
.
It was only then, aged 31, that he was diagnosed with the reading ability of an 11-year old.
[Report by Dominic Robertson.]
Career
Blades and his wife Jade set up a charity based in
High Wycombe
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Ayl ...
, Out of the Dark, to train disadvantaged young people in furniture restoration.
The charity lost funding, their marriage broke down, and he became homeless.
He was supported by friends and by the Caribbean community.
Around the same time, television producers saw a short film about the charity which led to his work as a presenter.
He moved to
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
and established Jay & Co, a social enterprise to support disadvantaged and disengaged groups.
In 2021 Blades became trustee of a charity founded by singer
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, The Black Fund. They had met years previously when Blades ran a youth club and choir which Pinnock, then 14 years old, joined.
[
Also in that year he released a memoir, ''Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life'', published by Pan Macmillan UK.
Blades was appointed Co-Chair of the ]Heritage Crafts Association
The Heritage Crafts Association is a registered United Kingdom charity set up to support and promote traditional crafts. Since October 2021 it has been operating under the name Heritage Crafts.
The charity was launched at the Victoria & Albert Mus ...
in August 2022.
Television and radio
He is best known for presenting '' The Repair Shop'', '' Money for Nothing'', ''Jay Blades Home Fix'' and co-presenting ''Jay and Dom's Home Fix''.
He has also appeared on '' Would I Lie to You?'', ''Celebrity Masterchef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 20 ...
'', '' Richard Osman's House of Games'', and ''Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
''The Wheel'' is a British television game show hosted by Michael McIntyre, mainly broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One.
Production
McIntyre explained that he first thought of ideas for ''The Wheel'' while taking a bath, envisioning the ...
''.
In August 2021, Blades filmed a documentary programme for BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
, ''Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51'', depicting his recent attempts, with the support of the charity Read Easy UK, to improve his literacy.[ He danced with ]Luba Mushtuk
Luba Mushtuk (Russian: Люба Муштук; born 14 November 1989) is a Russian dancer and choreographer.
Early life
Mushtuk was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Career
Mushtuk was four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and is al ...
in the 2021 ''Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special''. In May 2022 he appeared in a three-part series on Channel 5 revisiting the area he grew up in, and interviewing childhood friends, experts, and witnesses to history. ''Jay Blades: No Place Like Home'' featured locations such as Ridley Road Market
Ridley Road Market (known locally as Ridley Road) but often referred to as "Dalston Market" is the central marketplace in Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney. It is opposite Dalston Kingsland railway station, just off the Kingsland High ...
(the history of anti-fascist action in the 1940s), Newington Green Unitarian Church (slavery and abolitionism), the Pellici cafe (the Kray twins
Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...
and gangsterism), and the site of the First World War bombing by airship.
In September 2022 Blades appeared on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's '' Desert Island Discs'' and said that his childhood had been "blighted by racism and violence". In October 2022 Blades was the lead presenter for the edition of ''The Repair Shop'' which featured king Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
.
Personal life
Blades lives in Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a large village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. Located on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, it lies in the civil parish of The Gorge. Ironbridge developed beside, an ...
in Shropshire. He has three children. His youngest, a daughter, is from his first marriage and he has two sons from previous relationships. Blades married his second wife Lisa Zbozen in Barbados in November 2022.
Honours
Blades was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
, for services to craft. He was appointed the first Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University
, mottoeng = By Art and Industry
, established = 2007 – gained university status 1891 – Science and Art School
, type = Public
, staff =
, chancellor = Jay Blades
, vice_chancellor = Nick Braisby
, st ...
in May 2022.
References
External links
BBC News article, April 2020
*
Jay & Co.
Living people
People from Hackney Central
People from Ironbridge
British people of Barbadian descent
British people of Jamaican descent
Alumni of Buckinghamshire New University
People with dyslexia
1970 births
Members of the Order of the British Empire
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