'Wheeler Dealers' Moved Back to the U.K. After a Few Years in California — Why?
Published Feb. 16 2021, 9:05 a.m. ET
Season 1 of Wheeler Dealers premiered in the fall of 2003, and it turned out to be an instant hit among car enthusiasts. The show was originally fronted by car trader Mike Brewer and media personality and car mechanic Edd China. The latter was replaced by Ant Anstead in Season 14. Wheeler Dealers moved to California a few years ago — and the crew is about to move across the pond once again. Season 17 of the show is filmed back in the U.K. Why?
Here's what 'Wheeler Dealers' host Mike Brewer had to say about the big move.
"We've had an amazing six years here but we've been inundated with the audience saying, 'Why don't you come home? When are you coming home?' We do listen to the audience and we do feel that after six years of being here it's now time to return to our roots," Mike said in a YouTube video.
'Wheeler Dealers' moved to California a few years ago.
Wheeler Dealers was created by Daniel Allum and Michael Wood, two die-hard car enthusiasts who happened to work in the entertainment industry. Twelve seasons of the show were produced by Attaboy TV, a London-based company whose portfolio is filled to the brim with projects like Deals, Wheels, and Steals and Vintage Voltage. Arguably, the show has had strong ties to the U.K. from the very beginning.
The show moved to sunny California partly because of the opportune shooting conditions, Mike explained in a YouTube interview.
"If you're going to want more shows, we just can't physically make them during an English winter, we'll have to go somewhere sunny to make them. So we decided California it is," Mike told ABC7.
Ant Anstead joined the cast of 'Wheeler Dealers' in 2017.
Ant Anstead joined the cast in Season 14. Wheeler Dealers allowed the Plymouth-born TV presenter to start a new chapter in his life on the other side of the ocean. The new gig was soon followed by other, equally significant events. He started dating Christina Haack in the fall of 2017. They tied the knot a year later, in 2018.
Ant and Christina went their separate ways in the fall of 2020. What's more, Ant announced that he was leaving Wheeler Dealers to make time for new projects in November 2020.
Ant will be replaced by Marc "Elvis" Priestley, a car mechanic and pit reporter.
Elvis worked as a mechanic for top companies like Speedsport F3, Orbit Motorsport, and McLaren Racing before landing pit reporter and pundit roles at outlets like BBC Radio 5Live, Sky Sports F1, and ESPN. He and Mike got to know each other while co-hosting Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car.
"Whoever I worked with I've always looked at what our skill sets are and it informs the buying decision of the cars. Elvis took Lewis Hamilton to a Formula One World title so I'm pretty sure that he is quite good with the old engineering," Mike said when introducing him to Ant in a promotional video.