Rob Bell (TV presenter) explained

Rob Bell
Honorific Suffix:MSc
Birth Date:1979
Birth Place:Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Nationality:British
Alma Mater:University of Bath
Years Active:2012–present

Rob Bell (born 1979) is a British TV presenter and STEMnet ambassador.[1] He has appeared on TV programmes on BBC, Channel 5, Travel Channel (now DMAX) and Yesterday.

In 2015, Bell became one of just a few people to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.[2]

Early life

Born in Buckinghamshire in 1979, his father's work with General Motors took the family to the United States when Rob was six and on to the outskirts of Paris when he was nine. His mother was a big influence for what was to become a passion for engineering.[3] [4]

He achieved a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering with French at the University of Bath,[5] completing his dissertation at University in Lyon, France.[6] He had previously worked for French radio station Connexion FM and the Energy Saving Trust before he started in television.[7]

Career

His first television work was the BBC series Engineering Giants, which he co-hosted with engineer turned comedian Tom Wrigglesworth in 2012.[8] In 2013 he presented the Travel Channel programme Rob Bell's Engineering Enigmas and its series Man Vs World, where he participated in several adventure sports in different locations around the world.[9] This was followed up in 2014 by the BBC programme The Science of D-Day,[10] and another Travel Channel programme Secrets and Mysteries London[11] and the Channel 5 six-part series Underground Britain.[12]

In 2015 Bell presented the BBC history programme Haslar: Secrets of a War Hospital,[13] and then completed seven marathons on seven continents for the Travel Channel series Monster Marathon Challenge.

In 2016 Bell presented the BBC documentary Tank Men to commemorate 100 years since the first use of tanks,[14] [15] and narrated the BBC series Sea Cities.[16] He also presented the Channel 5 series Britain's Greatest Bridges.[17] He also appeared as a contributor to the Yesterday series Abandoned Engineering, which was later adapted to the 2017 US series Mysteries of the Abandoned on the Science Channel.

During 2017 he presented further Channel 5 programmes: Inside the Tube – Going Underground,[18] Great British Royal Ships,[19] and The World's Greatest Bridges.[20] He co-presented The Great Fire (with Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb)[21] and Brunel:The Man who Built Britain.[22] He also presented the BBC show Invented in The South.[23]

In 2018 Bell presented further programmes for Channel 5 with The Flying Scotsman airing in February,[24] World's Tallest Skyscrapers in June[25] and Walking Britain's Lost Railways in September.[26] A second series of Walking Britain's Lost Railways premiered in 2020.

In 2021, Bell presented the Channel 5 series London's Greatest Bridges with Rob Bell.[27]

Filmography

Year Television seriesRole Notes Ref
2012Engineering GiantsCo-presenter3 episodes[28]
2013 Rob Bell's Engineering Enigmas Presenter
2014The Science of D-DayPresenterDocumentary[29]
Secrets and Mysteries of LondonPresenterDocumentary[30]
2015Underground BritainPresenterTV series [31]
Haslar: Secrets of a War HospitalPresenterDocumentary [32]
Monster Marathon ChallengePresenterTV series [33]
2016Tank MenPresenterDocumentary [34]
Sea CitiesCo-presenterTV series [35]
Britain's Greatest BridgesPresenterTV series [36]
2017–presentAbandoned EngineeringCo-presenterTV series [37]
2017Mysteries of the AbandonedCo-presenterTV series [38]
Inside the Tube – Going UndergroundPresenterTV series [39]
The World's Greatest BridgesPresenterTV series [40]
The Great Fire: London BurnsCo-presenterTV series [41]
Brunel:The Man who Built BritainPresenterTV series [42]
Invented in...Presenter; episode "The South" TV series [43]
2017–2020Great British Royal ShipsPresenterTV series [44]
2018Sea CitiesPresenterTV series [45]
The Flying ScotsmanPresenterTV series [46]
Numb SkullsPresenterTV series; episode "Atlantic Crossing" [47]
World's Tallest Skyscrapers: Beyond the CloudsPresenterTV series [48]
2018 – presentWalking Britain's Lost RailwaysPresenterTV series [49]
2019Building the Channel Tunnel: 25 Years OnNarrator TV series [50]
London: 2000 Years of HistoryPresenterTV series [51]
The Blitz: Britain On FireCo-presenter TV series [52]
Secret Nazi BasesCo-presenter TV series [53]
When Buildings Collapse: World's Worst Engineering DisastersPresenter Documentary [54]
2020Britain's Lost Battlefields with Rob BellPresenter TV series[55]
On Board Britain's Nuclear Submarine: TridentPresenter Documentary [56]
2021London's Greatest Bridges with Rob BellPresenterTV series [57]
The Buildings That Fought HitlerPresenterTV series [58]
2021 – presentBuilding the ImpossiblePresenterTV series [59]
2021Britain's Top 10 ShipsPresenterDocumentary [60]
The Stonehenge Enigma: What Lies Beneath?PresenterDocumentary [61]
When Big Things Go WrongContributorTV series[62]
2022British Planes That Won the War with Rob BellPresenterTV series [63]
2023Britannia: Secrets of the Royal YachtPresenterDocumentary [64]
2024Inside Nuclear - Heysham 2PresenterDocumentary

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Engineer, TV Presenter, Broadcaster, Adventurer, Rob Bell Visits Vinehall – IAPS. 30 October 2018.
  2. Web site: 2015-03-02. 7 marathons, 7 continents, 7 days – the '777' experience. 2020-10-04. AW. en-GB.
  3. Railways in the Media. Hornby the Collector. 119. 39–40.
  4. Web site: Travelling by Man Power Alone – stuff.co.nz p.10 November 2013. 9 November 2013. 30 October 2018.
  5. Web site: High Fliers! – Institution of Engineering Designers p.1 September 2018. 30 October 2018.
  6. Web site: Man power inspires SA adventure – IOL.co.za p.11 November 2013. 30 October 2018.
  7. Web site: Who is Rob Bell? - biogs.com. 30 October 2018.
  8. Web site: TV review: Engineering Giants; Thelma's Gypsy Girls – The Guardian Dowling.T p.15 July 2012. TheGuardian.com. 15 July 2012. 30 October 2018.
  9. Web site: Man Vs World: Rob Bell travels four nations via mountain board, paraglide and white water canoe – Radio Times Bremner.J p.21 November 2013. 30 October 2018.
  10. News: The science behind the D-Day landings – BBC News 6 June 2014. BBC News. 30 October 2018.
  11. Web site: Underground London: 5 secret places to visit in and around the city – Radio Times Bremner.J p.2 October 2014. 30 October 2018.
  12. Web site: Secrets of Underground Britain. 30 October 2018.
  13. Web site: Haslar: The Secrets of a War Hospital, BBC Two, review: 'gruesome' – The Telegraph Howse.C p.24 June 2015. 30 October 2018.
  14. Web site: Tank Men – bbc.co.uk. 30 October 2018.
  15. Web site: Tank Museum plays part in BBC documentary on first ever tank battle – Daily Echo Durkin.J p.9 September 2016. 30 October 2018.
  16. Web site: Series 1 Episode 1 Plymouth – Radio Times. 30 October 2018.
  17. Web site: The Tyne Bridge is the star of a national TV programme: When is it televised? – The Chronicle Morton.D p.17 November 2016. 17 November 2016. 30 October 2018.
  18. Going underground: how London's Central Line was built (and why it's so unreliable) – wired.co.uk. Wired UK. 30 October 2018.
  19. Web site: Great British Royal Ships – myfive. 30 October 2018.
  20. Web site: The World's Greatest Bridges – Radio Times. 30 October 2018.
  21. Web site: The Great Fire: London Burns – What you need to know about the 1666 blaze – International Business Times Binding.L p.31 May 2017. 31 May 2017. 30 October 2018.
  22. News: What's on TV today Friday December 8: our television, film and radio picks = The Sunday Times p.3 December 2017. 30 October 2018.
  23. Web site: Invented in – BBC.co.uk. 30 October 2018.
  24. Web site: Tonight's TV: Collateral and The Unstoppable Flying Scotsman – The National p.26 February 2018. 30 October 2018.
  25. Web site: World's Tallest Skyscrapers – Radio Times. 30 October 2018.
  26. News: On the trail of Britain's lost railways – The Telegraph Horsford.S p.21 September 2018. The Telegraph. 21 September 2018. 30 October 2018. Horsford. Simon.
  27. Web site: London's Greatest Bridges with Rob Bell. channel5.com. 28 December 2020.
  28. Web site: Engineering Giants. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  29. Web site: The Science of D-Day. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  30. Web site: Secrets & Mysteries. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  31. Web site: Underground Britain. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  32. Web site: Haslar: Secrets of a War Hospital. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  33. Web site: Monster Marathon Challenge. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  34. Web site: Tank Men. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  35. Web site: Monster Marathon Challenge. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  36. Web site: Britain's Greatest Bridges. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  37. Web site: Abandoned Engineering. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  38. Web site: Mysteries of the Abandoned. tvguide.com. 30 December 2020.
  39. Web site: Inside the Tube – Going Underground. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  40. Web site: Great British Royal Ships. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  41. Web site: The Great Fire: London Burns. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  42. Web site: Brunel:The Man who Built Britain. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  43. Web site: Invented in.... radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  44. Web site: Great British Royal Ships. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  45. Web site: Sea Cities. bbc.co.uk. 30 December 2020.
  46. Web site: The Flying Scotsman. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  47. Web site: Numb Skulls. imdb.com. 30 December 2020.
  48. Web site: World's Tallest Skyscrapers: Beyond the Clouds. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  49. Web site: Walking Britain's Lost Railways. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  50. Web site: Building the Channel Tunnel: 25 Years On. tvmaze.com. 30 December 2020.
  51. Web site: London: 2000 Years of History. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  52. Web site: The Blitz: Britain On Fire. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  53. Web site: Secret Nazi Bases. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  54. Web site: When Buildings Collapse: World's Worst Engineering Disasters. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  55. Web site: Britain's Lost Battlefields with Rob Bell. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  56. Web site: On Board Britain's Nuclear Submarine: Trident. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  57. Web site: London's Greatest Bridges with Rob Bell. radiotimes.com. 30 December 2020.
  58. Web site: The Buildings That Fought Hitler for Yesterday. uktv.co.uk. 19 April 2021.
  59. Web site: Lighthouses: Building the Impossible. thetvdb.com. 28 May 2024.
  60. Web site: Britain's Top 10 Ships. channel5.com/show. 28 October 2021.
  61. Web site: The Stonehenge Enigma: What Lies Beneath?. radiotimes.com. 4 December 2021.
  62. Web site: When Big Things Go Wrong. plimsollproductions.com. 16 December 2021.
  63. Web site: British Planes That Won the War with Rob Bell. radiotimes.com. 3 June 2022.
  64. Web site: Britannia: Secrets of the Royal Yacht. radiotimes.com. 3 June 2022.

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