Paul Heiney
Encyclopedia
Paul Heiney has been a radio broadcaster or television reporter in the United Kingdom for over thirty years.
Primary School on Halifax Road and High Storrs Grammar School for Boys
.
with his popular programme of music, chat and current affairs titled Scunsbygookington, reflecting the key towns in the Humberside region of Scunthorpe
, Grimsby
, Goole
, Kingston-upon-Hull and Bridlington
. From 1974-6, he was a reporter for Newsbeat
on Radio 1
, then from 1976-8, a reporter for the Today programme
on Radio 4
.
in 1978, staying until 1982. He has worked on In At The Deep End
, The Travel Show, Food and Drink and, on BBC Radio 4
, You and Yours. More recently he has presented BBC1's consumer affairs programme Watchdog. He currently presents ITV1 primetime show 'Countrywise'.
In September 2011, Paul co-hosts a prime time Genealogy series Missing Millions alongside Melanie Sykes
on ITV1
.
where he lives with his wife Libby Purves
. For ten years he worked 36 acres (14.6 ha) with Suffolk Punch
horses. He wrote a diary of his activities for The Times
as well as several books. He also presented two videos about farming with horses, Harnessed to the Plough and First Steps to the Furrow, working with his mentors, Roger and Cheryl Clark.
Heiney had agreed with his wife, fellow broadcaster and writer Libby Purves, that they should have the farm for no more than ten years. After the farm's sale Heiney has tried to make more time for his other great passion, sailing. He has also presented A Victorian Summer for Anglia Television
, eight half-hour programmes about traditional farming: the glory of working the land with horses as well as the rigours and difficulties that Victorian farmers faced.
"Working the land", says Heiney , "is about the people who labour on it, so I hope we capture some of the richness of character which defines the countrymen and women of the eastern counties. They remain, for me, farming heroes."
In 2005 he took part, in the family boat, in the single handed transatlantic OSTAR race, and wrote an account of the race's history and his own slow crossing in "Last Man Across The Atlantic". He did not, however, quite manage to come last. He was second last.
Early life
He is the son of Norbert Wisniewski and Evelyn Mardlin. He changed his surname to Heiney in 1971. He attended Parson CrossFirth Park (ward)
Firth Park ward—which includes the districts of Firth Park, Longley, Parson Cross and parts of Wincobank—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England located in the northern part of the city and covering an area of...
Primary School on Halifax Road and High Storrs Grammar School for Boys
High Storrs School (Sheffield)
High Storrs is a secondary comprehensive school on the south-western outskirts of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:High Storrs has a Sixth Form and is a specialist Arts College in the Performing Arts, with a second specialism in Maths and Computing...
.
Radio
From 1971-4 he was one of the founder broadcasters on BBC Radio HumbersideBBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
with his popular programme of music, chat and current affairs titled Scunsbygookington, reflecting the key towns in the Humberside region of Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Kingston-upon-Hull and Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
. From 1974-6, he was a reporter for Newsbeat
Newsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, then from 1976-8, a reporter for the Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
on Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Television
His television debut started with That's Life!That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
in 1978, staying until 1982. He has worked on In At The Deep End
The Big Time (TV series)
The Big Time was a British documentary and reality television series made by the BBC, which ran from 1976 to 1980.Devised and produced by Esther Rantzen and narrated initially by Rantzen but later by John Pitman, each programme followed a member of the public placed in the limelight as a result of...
, The Travel Show, Food and Drink and, on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, You and Yours. More recently he has presented BBC1's consumer affairs programme Watchdog. He currently presents ITV1 primetime show 'Countrywise'.
In September 2011, Paul co-hosts a prime time Genealogy series Missing Millions alongside Melanie Sykes
Melanie Sykes
Melanie Ann Sykes is an English television presenter and model.-Career:Melanie Sykes was born to an English father, and an Anglo-Indian mother. She first came to public attention as the bikini-clad girl in the Boddingtons beer advertisements with the broad "Northern" accent in the mid-1990s...
on ITV1
Film
As part of his tasks for the TV series In At The Deep End, Heiney had a speaking role as a German mercenary commander in the 1985 film, WaterWater (1985 film)
Water is a 1985 comedy film scripted by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine. This HandMade Films production was released in U.S. theatres in April 1986 by Atlantic Releasing.-Plot summary:...
.
Personal life
In 1990, he took up traditional farming in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
where he lives with his wife Libby Purves
Libby Purves
Libby Purves OBE is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. A diplomat's daughter, she was educated at convent schools in Israel, Bangkok, South Africa and France, and then Beechwood Sacred Heart School in Tunbridge Wells.Purves won a scholarship to St Anne's College, Oxford, where she...
. For ten years he worked 36 acres (14.6 ha) with Suffolk Punch
Suffolk Punch
The Suffolk Punch, also historically known as the Suffolk Horse or Suffolk Sorrel, is an English breed of draught horse. The breed takes the first part of its name from the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, and the name "Punch" from its solid appearance and strength...
horses. He wrote a diary of his activities for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as well as several books. He also presented two videos about farming with horses, Harnessed to the Plough and First Steps to the Furrow, working with his mentors, Roger and Cheryl Clark.
Heiney had agreed with his wife, fellow broadcaster and writer Libby Purves, that they should have the farm for no more than ten years. After the farm's sale Heiney has tried to make more time for his other great passion, sailing. He has also presented A Victorian Summer for Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
, eight half-hour programmes about traditional farming: the glory of working the land with horses as well as the rigours and difficulties that Victorian farmers faced.
"Working the land", says Heiney , "is about the people who labour on it, so I hope we capture some of the richness of character which defines the countrymen and women of the eastern counties. They remain, for me, farming heroes."
In 2005 he took part, in the family boat, in the single handed transatlantic OSTAR race, and wrote an account of the race's history and his own slow crossing in "Last Man Across The Atlantic". He did not, however, quite manage to come last. He was second last.