Who are the Wheeler Dealers? Meet Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead - the stars of Discovery's car show

Wheeler Dealers will soon return on Discovery for a remarkable 15th series.

The popular car show, in which the presenters buy old popular vehicles and repair or improve them to a budget before selling them on for a profit, has been a surprise worldwide hit.

Now broadcast in more than 150 territories with a global audience of over 200 million, the presenters Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead even spend six months of the year filming in America.

Find out more about the two presenters here.

Who is Mike Brewer?

Mike Brewer was born in London in August 1964. His father was heavily involved in customising vehicles, which helped Brewer discover his passion for motoring. He later began working as a car trader.

Brewer says his TV career came about by “sheer luck”, after he answered a friend’s phone and found himself taking to a TV producer. A long chat and a meeting led to him being hired to appear on Channel 4’s Deals on Wheels.

He went on to present Driven on Channel 4, Pulling Power (ITV), Wrecks To Riches, Auto Trader and Wheeler Dealers Trading Up (all on Discovery). He’s also presented coverage of the British Rally Championship on Sky Sports.

Brewer branched out to present a game show called Remote Madness, in which people with radio-controlled cars, boats, planes and helicopters competed in races, as well as numerous non-vehicle related shows such as He’s Gotta Have It (Discovery), Celebrity Wheelchair Challenge (C4), and House Race. He also appeared in the documentary TV’s Greatest Cars.

Brewer is still active in the car industry, and opened Mike Brewer Motors dealerships in Luton and Sheffield in 2012.

Who is Ant Anstead?

Ant Anstead was born in 1979 in Plymouth, Devon. After a six-year career as a police officer (during which he earned two commendations for acts of bravery), he resigned to become a full-time car builder and mechanic.

Anstead began restoring cars and building bespoke classic vehicles to individual client specifications, gaining a reputation in his field; in 2014 he was approached by Channel 4 to take part in their series For the Love of Cars, alongside actor Philip Glenister.

He followed this up by fronting the BBC’s Building Cars Live with James May and Kate Humble, and also formed a production company to make the series The World’s Most Expensive Cars for Channel 4. In 2017, he was invited to replace Edd China as Wheeler Dealer’s main mechanic and restorer.

Anstead was a semi-professional footballer for more than 15 years, playing for various Ryman League clubs including Chelmsford City and Ware; remarkably, after having mainly played as a goalkeeper, he achieved success later in his career as a striker.

Aside from his work on cars, Anstead is also a designer and artist; he’s created many pieces of art and sculpture which are ‘housed globally in museums and private collections’. He was a presenter on the home improvement show Craft It.

What do Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead do on the show?

Brewer, a former car trader, seeks out the cars to be restored and sold on. He's also responsible for procuring replacement parts, and sometimes tracks down specialists to carry out specific repairs.

Anstead is the show’s mechanic. He carries out most of the restoration and mechanical work, while giving viewers tips on how to sort out and solve various car problems, as well as estimating how much a garage would charge for the repairs.

Watch Wheeler Dealers Box Sets on Discovery Channel with NOW TV.