Rob Bell (TV presenter)


Rob Bell is a British TV presenter and STEMnet ambassador. He has appeared on TV programmes on BBC, Channel 5, Travel Channel and Yesterday.
In 2015, Bell became one of just a few people to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.
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Early life

Born in Buckinghamshire in 1979, his father's work with General Motors took the family to the United States when Bell was six and on to the outskirts of Paris when he was nine. His mother was a big influence for what was to become a passion for engineering.
Bell achieved a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering with French at the University of Bath, completing his dissertation at University in Lyon, France. He had previously worked for French radio station Connexion FM and the Energy Saving Trust before he started in television.

Career

Bell's first television work was the BBC series Engineering Giants, which he co-hosted with engineer turned comedian Tom Wrigglesworth in 2012. In 2013 he presented the Travel Channel programme Rob Bell's Engineering Enigmas and its series Man Vs World, where he participated in several adventure sports in different locations around the world. This was followed up in 2014 by the BBC programme The Science of D-Day, and another Travel Channel programme Secrets and Mysteries London and the Channel 5 six-part series Underground Britain.
In 2015 Bell presented the BBC history programme Haslar: Secrets of a War Hospital, and then completed seven marathons on seven continents for the Travel Channel series Monster Marathon Challenge.
In 2016 Bell presented the BBC documentary Tank Men to commemorate 100 years since the first use of tanks, and narrated the BBC series Sea Cities. He also presented the Channel 5 series Britain's Greatest Bridges. He also appeared as a contributor to the Yesterday series Abandoned Engineering, which was later adapted to the 2017 US series Mysteries of the Abandoned on the Science Channel.
During 2017 he presented further Channel 5 programmes: Inside the Tube – Going Underground, Great British Royal Ships, and The World's Greatest Bridges. He co-presented The Great Fire and Brunel:The Man who Built Britain. He also presented the BBC show Invented in The South.
In 2018 Bell presented further programmes for Channel 5 with The Flying Scotsman airing in February, World's Tallest Skyscrapers in June and Walking Britain's Lost Railways in September. A second series of Walking Britain's Lost Railways premiered in 2020.
In 2021, Bell presented the Channel 5 series London's Greatest Bridges with Rob Bell.

Filmography

YearTelevision seriesRoleNotesRef
2012Engineering GiantsCo-presenter3 episodes
2013Rob Bell's Engineering EnigmasPresenter
2014The Science of D-DayPresenterDocumentary
2014Secrets and Mysteries of LondonPresenterDocumentary
2015Underground BritainPresenterTV series
2015Haslar: Secrets of a War HospitalPresenterDocumentary
2015Monster Marathon ChallengePresenterTV series
2016Tank MenPresenterDocumentary
2016Sea CitiesCo-presenterTV series
2016Britain's Greatest BridgesPresenterTV series
2017–presentAbandoned EngineeringCo-presenterTV series
2017Mysteries of the AbandonedCo-presenterTV series
2017Inside the Tube – Going UndergroundPresenterTV series
2017The World's Greatest BridgesPresenterTV series
2017The Great Fire: London BurnsCo-presenterTV series
2017Brunel:The Man who Built BritainPresenterTV series
2017Invented in...Presenter; episode "The South"TV series
2017–2020Great British Royal ShipsPresenterTV series
2018Sea CitiesPresenterTV series
2018The Flying ScotsmanPresenterTV series
2018Numb SkullsPresenterTV series; episode "Atlantic Crossing"
2018World's Tallest Skyscrapers: Beyond the CloudsPresenterTV series
2018 – presentWalking Britain's Lost RailwaysPresenterTV series
2019Building the Channel Tunnel: 25 Years OnNarratorTV series
2019London: 2000 Years of HistoryPresenterTV series
2019The Blitz: Britain On FireCo-presenterTV series
2019Secret Nazi BasesCo-presenterTV series
2019When Buildings Collapse: World's Worst Engineering DisastersPresenterDocumentary
2020Britain's Lost Battlefields with Rob BellPresenterTV series
2020On Board Britain's Nuclear Submarine: TridentPresenterDocumentary
2021London's Greatest Bridges with Rob BellPresenterTV series
2021The Buildings That Fought HitlerPresenterTV series
2021 – presentBuilding the ImpossiblePresenterTV series
2021Britain's Top 10 ShipsPresenterDocumentary
2021The Stonehenge Enigma: What Lies Beneath?PresenterDocumentary
2021When Big Things Go WrongContributorTV series
2022British Planes That Won the War with Rob BellPresenterTV series
2023Britannia: Secrets of the Royal YachtPresenterDocumentary
2024Inside Nuclear - Heysham 2PresenterDocumentary

Honours and awards

Rob Bell was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering by the University of Bath in January 2025. The award recognised Bell's work in promoting the work of those in the engineering fields: 'a true champion for the engineering field and a great communicator for its benefits'.