Jonathan David Bentley (born 30 October 1961) is a British
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...
. He was educated at
Millfield in
Street, Somerset
Street is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, with a population of 11,805 in 2011. On a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, it is south-west of Glastonbury. There is evidence of Roman occupatio ...
from 1972 to 1978 and at
Oriel College
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
from 1979 to 1982, where he studied
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
.
Bentley specialises in television production and journalism in the field of motoring. Between 1987 and 1999, he was
producer and
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
of
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
's ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'', and was series producer of ''
Fifth Gear
''Fifth Gear'' is a British motoring television magazine series on Discovery+. It is a continuation of the ''Fifth Gear'' format originally broadcast on Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011, afterwards moving to Discovery Channel in 2012, and then in ...
'' from 2002 to 2004.
[Jon Bentley]
IMDB.com
As a producer of ''Top Gear'', Bentley helped launch the television careers of Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes ''Top Gear'' and ''The Grand Tour'' alongside Rich ...
[I was there – Jezza's TV debut]
Top Gear. 1 June 2005 and hired Quentin Willson
Quentin Willson (born 23 July 1957) is an English TV presenter, motoring journalist, author, TV producer and former car dealer, perhaps most widely known as a presenter of the motoring programmes '' Britain's Worst Driver'', ''Fifth Gear'', and ...
[A history of motoring on TV]
theguardian.com (24 November 2004). Retrieved on 30 November 2013. and Vicki Butler-Henderson
Victoria Jemma Butler-Henderson (born 16 February 1972) is a British racing driver, former presenter of ''Top Gear'' and current presenter of ''Fifth Gear''.
Biography
Butler-Henderson was born into a racing family. Her grandfather used to race ...
. He also has a corner named after him on the ''Top Gear'' test track. Bentley presented ''The Gadget Show
''The Gadget Show'' (currently known as ''The Gadget Show: Better Tech, Better Life'') is a British television series which focuses on consumer technology. The show, which is broadcast on Channel 5, is currently presented by Ortis Deley, Ge ...
'' on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, alongside Ortis Deley
Ortis Deley ( ) (born 2 June 1973) is a British television presenter, comedian, singer, radio DJ and actor of Ghanaian and Nigerian descent, best known for presenting the Children's BBC Saturday morning flagship series '' Live & Kicking''. As of ...
, Suzi Perry
Suzi Perry (born 3 May 1970) is a British television presenter, currently covering MotoGP for BT Sport. She is best known for covering MotoGP for the BBC for 13 years, ''The Gadget Show'' on Channel 5 for 8 years and the BBC's Formula One covera ...
, Pollyanna Woodward and Jason Bradbury
Jason Alan Bradbury (born 10 April 1969) is a British television presenter and children's author, best known for presenting shows such as the Channel 5 technology programme ''The Gadget Show'' and the BBC One game show '' Don't Scare the Ha ...
.
In February 2012, it was announced that the show's format was changing, it was then known as '' The Gadget Show: World Tour'', and featured two of the previous presenting team Jason Bradbury
Jason Alan Bradbury (born 10 April 1969) is a British television presenter and children's author, best known for presenting shows such as the Channel 5 technology programme ''The Gadget Show'' and the BBC One game show '' Don't Scare the Ha ...
and Pollyanna Woodward. Occasionally, he also presented on ''Fifth Gear
''Fifth Gear'' is a British motoring television magazine series on Discovery+. It is a continuation of the ''Fifth Gear'' format originally broadcast on Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011, afterwards moving to Discovery Channel in 2012, and then in ...
''.[
In April 2013, it was announced on ]Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, an ...
that ''The Gadget Show
''The Gadget Show'' (currently known as ''The Gadget Show: Better Tech, Better Life'') is a British television series which focuses on consumer technology. The show, which is broadcast on Channel 5, is currently presented by Ortis Deley, Ge ...
'' was returning to its old format, and Jon would be rejoining the line up alongside new co-host Rachel Riley
Rachel Annabelle Riley (born 11 January 1986) is a British television presenter. She co-presents the Channel 4 daytime puzzle show ''Countdown'' and its comedy spin-off ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown''. She is a mathematics graduate.
Her t ...
, who also attended Oriel College.
He is married with two daughters.
References
External links
Bentley's website
Bentley's voice over talent profile
Wise Buddah Creative Ltd.
*
English television presenters
Top Gear people
Living people
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
1961 births
People educated at Millfield
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