Nick Knowles talks about biking around with his famous friends and his connection to Ewan McGregor’s mum

Nick Knowles on Full ChatNick Knowles on Full Chat
Nick Knowles on Full Chat
As a nation, we’re used to seeing Nick Knowles on our screens but many won’t be aware that he has a passion for motorbikes. He may have been in the industry for decades but biking has led to him making some truly A-List mates.

Following his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing this year, the DIY SOS presenter sat down with Full Chat hosts, David Prutton and Iwan Thomas to discuss his famous biking crew.

“I used to follow the MOTO GP and the Super Bikes around quite a lot and go to a lot of the events with people,” the writer and musician revealed.

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“There was a really lovely group of people that I used to do it with. Keith Flynn, Ewan Mcgregor, Charlie Boorman - Gordon Ramsay - all big bike fans.”

“Yeah, all people I knew through biking.”

He also spoke about the public’s reaction to seeing him and his famous friends out and about.

“That was interesting - if you turned up for a bacon sandwich somewhere, with the helmets coming off one after another - that would cause a few surprises,” he laughed.

Nick would then talk about the appeal of biking for him and his group.

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“Bikes have been sort of the love of my life, my whole life,” he explained.

“It’s an escape from pressure.”

“Gordon (Ramsay) used to come along to the Super Bikes - I used to get Gordon in, but Gordon would arrive really excited about the bikes and would start to watch the race and then fall asleep on the infield because he was so knackered from like his other businesses.”

As well as finding relief from life’s stresses, Nick would make it clear that biking was definitely a laugh for the group.

“Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, were obviously big buddies anyways, if one of the other of them came to the Super Bikes, they would ring the other and Facetime them, and go ‘I’m at the Bikes, you aren’t’,” he said.

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Ewan McGregor has become a good friend of Nick’s, with their shared passion for motorcycles creating some funny scenarios for the pair.

“On one occasion, I was over in Laguna Seca, I’d gone over to watch the Moto GP - I was in the pit lane and huge falangs of photographers come down the road, along the pit lane, towards us in the sort of public area. And in the middle of it was Ewan McGregor who lent over and said to me, ‘Knickers’, can you get me in,” he recalled.

He would then respond jokingly; “Probably to be fair. I think probably shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“And then he turns to me and he goes, ‘Would you mind coming up to the stand? I’ve got my mum and dad in the stands and she’s a big fan of DIY SOS’.”

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“We got there and Ewan McGregor is taking photographs of me and his mum.”

“I’m like, this is really, really weird.”

Reflecting on those connections he’s made through owning motorcycles, Nick said; “Biking is that thing,”

“It used to be like hanging out in the smoking area, there is a certain type of attitude, and biking is a similar thing.”

“It’s a life decision, it’s not just the choice about your mode of transport.”

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