Matt Baker (presenter) Biography

Matt Baker (Matthew James Baker) is an English television presenter.  He is best known for his television work with the BBC. 

Matt co-presented the children’s television show Blue Peter from 2000 until 2006, BBC One’s Countryfile since 2009 and The One Show since 2011, with Alex Jones.

Matt Baker Age

Matt was born on 23 December 1977 in Easington, Country Durham. She is 41 years old as of 2018.

Matt Baker Height

Matt Stands at a height of 1.77 m.

Matt Baker Family

Matt was born in Easington, County Durham. His father ran a newsagent’s shop. Matt’s parents had a smallholding in the village. He has three siblings one sister and two half-sisters.

Matt Baker Education

Matt went to  Easington Village School.  When he was ten years  old his parents bought a farm west of Durham, which they moved into and renovated. Matt went on with  his education at Belmont Comprehensive School in Durham. Matt  was a Junior British gymnast and sports acrobatics champion,  but was forced to drop after being diagnosed with anaemia aged 14.

After this, Matt undertook various activities to fill the gap in his life, including sheepdog trials  and pole vaulting. He took A-levels in Drama, Biology and Sports Science at Durham Sixth Form Centre.

In the late 1990s, as a drama student at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Baker worked as an entertainer, and with a 1970s comedy disco-dancing revival show called “Disco Inferno”, which toured the north of England.  The Disco group, Disco Inferno, was very popular in nightclubs in Cleethorpes (Pier 39), Barnsley (Hedonism) and Wakefield (Foundation).

Matt , on stage along with other disco dancers played the part of “Butch Vendor, the LA Bartender”with names such as: Lionel Flare (played by former UK child TV star Ryan Dyer), Randy Todger, Jock Strap and Richard Itchin. Matt  had to Disco Dance, do freestyle routines with back flips, and juggle wooden clubs which his father painted to look like champagne and spirits bottles. His leaving gift from the Disco Inferno team was a duck suit, the Village People leather man outfit and a signed picture of Lynne Perrie.

Matt Baker Wife

Matt met his wife Nicola who is  a physiotherapist, when he was performing in the disco show at Pier 39 in Cleethorpes. The two got  married at Winston in Teesdale,  in 2004  and live in Buckinghamshire with their son and daughter.

Matt Baker Photos

Matt Baker Career

Matt spent seven years in  Blue Peter.  His  colleagues were Katy Hill, Konnie Huq, Simon Thomas, Liz Barker, Zöe Salmon and Gethin Jones. Matt won two BAFTAs for Best Children’s Presenter two years in a row and a Royal Television Society award. Baker left Blue Peter at the end of its 2005–06 series; his last live show was broadcast on 26 June. From 2000 onwards Baker’s dog Meg, seen alongside him on the programme, left with him.

On weekday mornings on BBC One, Matt co-presented Countryfile Summer Diaries, along with Open Country for Radio 4 and Animal Rescue Squad and Animal Rescue Squad International for Channel 5.  He has co-presented BBC One’s Countryfile on Sunday evenings from 2009.  Matt co-presented the first series of Secret Britain with Julia Bradbury in August 2010 and  also presented One Man and His Dog with Kate Humble.

Matt was a guest presenter on BBC One’s magazine programme The One Show from May to August 2010 , standing in for Jason Manford. After Manford’s resignation on 18 November 2010, Baker acted as a guest co-host on the programme.  He later took over as a permanent presenter on the show, co-hosting with Alex Jones from Monday through to Thursday.

Matt  co-hosted four-part BBC One series The Gift along with Mel Giedroyc . The show returned  for a second series. Matt co-hosted a three-part factual series Big Blue Live for BBC One. The series focussed on marine wildlife in Monterey Bay, California. He  also hosted alongside Steve Backshall, Liz Bonnin, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Lindsey Chapman.

Matt co-presented Wild Alaska Live on BBC One with Steve Backshall and Liz Bonnin in July 2017.

Matt co-hosted Royal Wedding Watch with Meredith Vieira , PBS’s weeklong coverage of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018.
Matt participated in the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 , where he was partnered with professional ballroom dancer Aliona Vilani,  finishing in second place to the winners Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev in the final.   In the 2011 Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour Matt and Vilani also participated.  They performed in all thirty-five shows on the tour in arenas throughout Britain and Ireland, winning on twenty-six occasions.