Television and Media
Nathan has worked on several different television programmes over the last twenty years, some as a specialist restoration carpenter and some as a historic building consultant.
To view Nathan’s television taster tape please visit www.vimeo.com
In 2003 he was asked by ITV Wales to discuss his life as a restoration carpenter, showcasing his carpentry and presenting skills to make a programme called ‘The Secrets of St Fagans’.
He has since gone on to appear in a number of different programmes with Griff Rhys Jones. The first was as head carpenter on the restoration of his 19th century Welsh farmhouse called Trehilyn. This BBC Wales series was called ‘A Pembrokeshire Farm’, Nathan was one of the key contributors throughout the series.
In 2011, Griff Rhys Jones asked Nathan to be the ‘travelling carpenter’ on one of his ‘Britain’s Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones’ (Welsh Pilgrims) episodes which aired UK wide on BBC1. Along with Griff and four other fellow ‘pilgrims’, they followed the historic pilgrim route from Holywell in North Wales down to St Davids City in Pembrokeshire. Nathan was once again a key figure, contributing both as a historic building expert discussing the construction of a 15th century timber town house; and as a carpenter, teaching his fellow ‘pilgrims’ how to hand carve a walking staff out of hazel.
In 2013 Nathan was asked by Modern Television to take part in the very popular BBC4 series ‘The Hidden Killers’ with Suzannah Lipscomb. There were five episodes produced, one for the Edwardian (2013), Tudor (2015) and Post war (2016) eras and two for the Victorian (2013) era and Nathan appeared as the historic buildings expert in all of them. He spoke about the historic topics of lead paint, asbestos, electricity and gas boilers amongst others.
In 2014 Nathan appeared in two of the four episodes of the ‘Treasures of Wales’ series on BBC Wales presented by Griff Rhys Jones. This series looked at four different areas of work of the National Trust in Wales. Nathan showed Griff around a traditional Pembrokeshire cottage called Treleddyd Fawr, identifying its unique architectural characteristics; and discussed the restoration project that was underway at Tredegar House in Newport. Nathan took part in a BBC Radio Wales interview on the Eleri Sion programme to promote the ‘Treasures of Wales’ series.
In 2015 Nathan was asked by Yellow Duck Productions to take part in a popular series called "Coming Home" which is aired on BBC Wales. Nathan and Ben Miller discussed his family history and how it linked to the Sawyers of the early 19th century in Wales.
Nathan is available as a television expert and presenter and can talk and demonstrate on a variety of subjects including conservation, the restoration and consolidation of old buildings, timber buildings of Britain, carpentry and joinery, property development, building defects, the history of buildings in the UK and generally anything to do with timber.
