Vicki Butler-Henderson
Encyclopedia
Victoria "Vicki" Butler-Henderson (born 16 February 1972) is a racing driver
and television presenter.
at Brooklands
, her father was in the British karting team and her brother Charlie
is a racing driver. She has an older sister, Charlotte, who does not race. Butler-Henderson grew up on the family farm, and was educated at The Perse School for Girls
in Cambridge
.
Butler-Henderson started racing karts at the age of 12, being overtaken by David Coulthard
in her first race.
She holds a car race licence as well as a power boat racing licence. After supplementing her income as a racing instructor at Silverstone Circuit
, she also undertook a dual career in journalism
where she worked on numerous British motoring magazines including Auto Express
, What Car?
and Performance Car. She was the assistant launch editor and mechanic in Max Power
magazine, referred to simply as "VBH."
's flagship motoring show Top Gear. After the BBC cancelled the original show in 2001, Butler-Henderson, along with co-presenters Quentin Willson
and Tiff Needell
, moved to Five in 2002 to continue their work on a show now called Fifth Gear
. In 2004, she presented ITV
's coverage of the British Touring Car Championship
, in which her brother Charlie briefly competed in 2004; and from February 2006 the ten-part series Wrecks To Riches for Discovery Real Time
.
Butler-Henderson has in later years broadened her media career outside racing and cars to become a general presenter. After co-hosting radio shows on Virgin Radio
, in 2005, she presented a daytime television show for ITV called Date My Daughter in which a single man 'dates' three mothers after which they decide if he is worthy enough to date their daughter.
She has recorded voice overs for radio and television advertisements, including Wrigleys Extra Thin Ice and Sony Centres
. She also provided a voiceover for the PlayStation 2
game Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. In January 2006, Butler-Henderson appeared in a TV commercial for the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership in which she stated that the Partnership "don't want your cash, they just want you to slow down". Butler-Henderson was also a narrator for National Geographic Channel (UK)
's science documentary entitled "I Didn't Know That
". In 2009 she starred in several Dutch commercials for Toyota. She worked at Absolute Radio doing traffic news on the Christian O'Connell
Breakfast Show. She left the breakfast show on 9 July 2009. Butler-Henderson has also acted as a celebrity endorser in her career, currently she is the face of ChipsAway, a UK minor automotive paintwork repairer.
Butler-Henderson lent her expert views in the Golden Garages Award, a search for the United Kingdom's best garage run by Motor Codes. Butler-Henderson was part of a professional panel of six independent judges including the Telegraph's Honest John and motoring editor of Which? magazine, Richard Headland. She later presented the prize in person to the winners of the competition, Kinghams of Croydon.
Butler-Henderson drives a Mk II Golf GTI, a Honda S2000
and a Ducati Monster
750.
At Autosport International on 15 January 2011, Butler-Henderson's Fifth Gear co-presenter Jason Plato
announced that she would not be able to attend as she was having a baby girl.
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
and television presenter.
Biography
Butler-Henderson was born into a racing family. Her grandfather used to race a Frazer NashFrazer Nash
Frazer Nash was a British sports car manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922. It produced sports cars incorporating a unique multi-chain transmission before World War II and also imported BMW cars to the UK. After the war it continued producing sports cars with...
at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
, her father was in the British karting team and her brother Charlie
Charlie Butler-Henderson
Charlie Butler-Henderson is a British auto racing driver who now works as a racing instructor and presenter. He is part of a family which are strongly involved with motorsport...
is a racing driver. She has an older sister, Charlotte, who does not race. Butler-Henderson grew up on the family farm, and was educated at The Perse School for Girls
Perse School for Girls
The Stephen Perse Foundation is an independent, fee-paying day school situated near the centre of Cambridge, England. The Foundation is made up of four schools: The Stephen Perse Pre-Prep School, for boys and girls aged 3-7, Perse Girls Junior School,for girls aged 7-11, Perse Girls Senior School,...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Butler-Henderson started racing karts at the age of 12, being overtaken by David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
in her first race.
She holds a car race licence as well as a power boat racing licence. After supplementing her income as a racing instructor at Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
, she also undertook a dual career in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
where she worked on numerous British motoring magazines including Auto Express
Auto Express
Auto Express is a weekly motoring magazine sold in the United Kingdom published by Dennis Publishing. The Editor-in-Chief is Steve Fowler.Launched in September 1988, its 1000th issue was published on 20 February 2008. It's only weekly competitor in Britain is the long established Autocar...
, What Car?
What Car?
What Car? is a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Fowler and published by Haymarket Motoring. First published in 1973, it is intended primarily as a magazine for consumers rather than dedicated automobile enthusiasts...
and Performance Car. She was the assistant launch editor and mechanic in Max Power
Max Power (magazine)
Max Power was a UK-based magazine, headquartered in Peterborough, which covered the performance-tuning car market, boy racers and softcore pornography....
magazine, referred to simply as "VBH."
Media career
In 1997, she joined the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's flagship motoring show Top Gear. After the BBC cancelled the original show in 2001, Butler-Henderson, along with co-presenters Quentin Willson
Quentin Willson
Quentin Willson is a British TV presenter and motoring expert, perhaps most widely known as a presenter of the motoring programmes Britain's Worst Driver, Fifth Gear, and the original incarnation of Top Gear. He lives in Warwickshire with his wife and three children.-Early years:Willson studied...
and Tiff Needell
Tiff Needell
Timothy "Tiff" Needell isa British racing driver and television presenter. He is best known as a former co-presenter of Top Gear and current co-presenter of Fifth Gear.-Biography:...
, moved to Five in 2002 to continue their work on a show now called Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
. In 2004, she presented ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's coverage of the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
, in which her brother Charlie briefly competed in 2004; and from February 2006 the ten-part series Wrecks To Riches for Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time is a factual television channel owned by Discovery Networks Europe.It was originally launched in the UK in March 1992 as TLC, a British version of the US channel of the same name...
.
Butler-Henderson has in later years broadened her media career outside racing and cars to become a general presenter. After co-hosting radio shows on Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
, in 2005, she presented a daytime television show for ITV called Date My Daughter in which a single man 'dates' three mothers after which they decide if he is worthy enough to date their daughter.
She has recorded voice overs for radio and television advertisements, including Wrigleys Extra Thin Ice and Sony Centres
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. She also provided a voiceover for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. In January 2006, Butler-Henderson appeared in a TV commercial for the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership in which she stated that the Partnership "don't want your cash, they just want you to slow down". Butler-Henderson was also a narrator for National Geographic Channel (UK)
National Geographic Channel (UK)
The National Geographic Channel is a television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery Channel such as nature and science documentaries. The channel was launched in Europe in September 1997 and...
's science documentary entitled "I Didn't Know That
I Didn't Know That
I Didn't Know That is a documentary television show hosted by British industrial scientists Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips. Since 2006, 30 episodes and a "DIY Green" special have been made...
". In 2009 she starred in several Dutch commercials for Toyota. She worked at Absolute Radio doing traffic news on the Christian O'Connell
Christian O'Connell
Christian O'Connell is an English radio DJ who presents the Absolute Radio weekday breakfast show.He has formerly hosted BBC Radio Five Live's weekend sports game show Fighting Talk alongside the weekday breakfast show on indie music station Xfm London...
Breakfast Show. She left the breakfast show on 9 July 2009. Butler-Henderson has also acted as a celebrity endorser in her career, currently she is the face of ChipsAway, a UK minor automotive paintwork repairer.
Butler-Henderson lent her expert views in the Golden Garages Award, a search for the United Kingdom's best garage run by Motor Codes. Butler-Henderson was part of a professional panel of six independent judges including the Telegraph's Honest John and motoring editor of Which? magazine, Richard Headland. She later presented the prize in person to the winners of the competition, Kinghams of Croydon.
Personal life
Butler-Henderson is married to former Fifth Gear producer and current Top Gear series director, Phil Churchward.Butler-Henderson drives a Mk II Golf GTI, a Honda S2000
Honda S2000
The Honda S2000 is a roadster that was manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company. It was launched in April 1999 and was created to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. The car was first shown as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995, following which it was launched in...
and a Ducati Monster
Ducati Monster
The Monster is a motorcycle designed by Miguel Angel Galluzzi and produced by Ducati Motor Holding in Bologna, Italy since 1993...
750.
At Autosport International on 15 January 2011, Butler-Henderson's Fifth Gear co-presenter Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
announced that she would not be able to attend as she was having a baby girl.