Who Is Paul Brackley From Wheeler Dealers? Explained

If you have stumbled across this post, you’re probably familiar with the popular automotive show Wheeler Dealers.

The show follows used car expert Mike Brewer and master mechanic Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley as they source, restore and sell classic cars.

Behind the scenes, there is a team of people who work hard to make the show what it is. The production team includes lighting crews, camera crews, car buyers and technical advisors like Paul Brackley.

In this article, we’re covering who Paul Brackley is, how he got called up to Wheeler Dealers and why he eventually left the show. We’ll also fill you in on what he’s getting up to now. Let’s get stuck in!

Who is Paul Brackley?

Paul Brackley is best known for his appearances on Wheeler Dealers as a technical advisor. Brackley would assist Edd China with off-screen repair tasks and help Mike Brewer tow cars back to the workshop when they were non-runners.

Occasionally Paul would appear on-screen to help China with more laborious tasks, like full engine rebuilds.

On IMDb, Paul Brackley is credited simply as the show’s ‘Mechanic’ and ‘Edd’s friend’.

Since leaving Wheeler Dealers, Paul briefly worked on a show called Flipping Bangers. Paul can now be found working on cars that appear on Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars.

What did Paul Brackley do on Wheeler Dealers?

Paul Brackley worked behind the scenes on Wheeler Dealers to make sure that all of the cars were road-legal and inspection approved. This included checking the brakes, steering and tyres for defects and malfunctions.

As this work was considered standard procedure, it was mostly carried out off-camera.

In a recent appearance on Edd China’s Workshop Diaries YouTube series, Paul discussed the true scope of his work on Wheeler Dealers:

Edd China claims that Mike would typically bring back a car with ‘20 things wrong with it’. There would be four main repairs on-screen with Edd.

After Edd and Mike left the set, Paul would fix the remaining 16 problems. Paul also worked hard behind the scenes to inspect the cars before purchase.

Why did Paul Brackley leave Wheeler Dealers?

Paul left Wheeler Dealers as a technical advisor in 2017, at the same time as Edd China. Paul has since had no involvement with the show. It is assumed that Paul, like Edd, was unhappy with the new direction of the show and its scaled-back repair segments.

Paul originally joined Wheeler Dealers in 2004 when it became apparent that Edd would need help with his workload.

The pair worked closely together on Wheeler Dealers until Series 13 (2017), when they both left the show.

Whilst it has never been discussed in detail, Paul leaving Wheeler Dealers is thought to be closely linked with Edd China’s departure from the show.

Paul and Edd have been good friends for many years, so it makes sense that they would stick to the same principles. They have always been inseparable!

How did Paul and Edd become friends?

Paul and Edd have been friends since the mid-90s. Edd first met Paul when looking for a distributor for his new Rover V8-powered Volkswagen van. Paul actually sold Edd a faulty part, which resulted in Edd having to get his money back.

Whilst their friendship started off on a rather sour note, they eventually came to enjoy helping each other with odd jobs and repairs.

Paul helped Edd to set up Cummfy Banana LTD in March of 1999, which served as a creative outlet for Edd and Paul to continue making crazy motorised inventions. Some of the most notable inventions include a driving bed and a ‘bathroom bike’. 

Before Wheeler Dealers, Paul and Edd worked together on Top Gear: Panic Mechanics. The premise of this limited-run series was that two teams would be given a budget and a small number of resources to create a vehicle that met certain requirements.

The most outlandish and impressive vehicle would win. The team who lost would have to watch their vehicle be crushed. Yikes.

Paul and Edd continue to help each other out with new projects, and Paul even makes regular appearances on Edd China’s new YouTube series, Workshop Diaries.

Will Paul ever re-join Wheeler Dealers?

It is unlikely that Paul Brackley will ever re-join Wheeler Dealers as a technical advisor. His tight-knit friendship with Edd China likely prevents him from doing so. When asked what he thought of the latest series of Wheeler Dealers, Paul simply said ‘oh dear’:

Over on Twitter, Mike wasn’t too happy to see his former colleagues talk negatively about the current iteration of the show. Here’s what he tweeted in response:

Paul clarified his comments with a tweet in response, claiming that there was no bitterness between him and the Wheeler Dealers host:

It’s unclear whether this issue was ever resolved between Paul and Mike.

Paul has since made a number of appearances on Edd China’s Workshop Diaries, and he continues to work with the Salvage Hunters team on restoration projects.

For updates on Paul Brackley’s latest antics, we would highly recommend checking out his Twitter.

Final thoughts

It’s easy to forget that behind the glitz and glamour (or in Wheeler Dealers case, the grease and grime) of a TV show, there’s a bunch of hard-working people who are never pictured on-screen. 

Wheeler Dealers has been on-air for 15 years and counting. But it hasn’t been easy. It has encountered many ups and downs throughout its time on television.

The show moved from the UK to the US and back again, Edd China left on negative terms and Ant Anstead announced his departure from the show.

But behind all of the drama, there’s a dedicated production team who works tirelessly to make the show what it is.

Paul Brackley was part of this team. His technical work on Wheeler Dealers ensured that the cars were fit for sale and restored to a very high standard.

It has been great to see Paul crop up in Edd China’s Workshop Diaries and lend a helping hand with the various projects that Edd has taken on.

The guys are lifelong friends – and it shows.

And as always, we’re excited to see what he gets up to next!

4 thoughts on “Who Is Paul Brackley From Wheeler Dealers? Explained”

  1. Edd and Paul seem to be comfortable in each others company. Not sure why Mike Brewer was narked over Paul’s comments. Nothing I’ve heard or read has been disrespectful towards Mike.

    I think Edd and Paul should have their own TV car programme.

    Reply
  2. I have no idea why Ed and Paul dislike WD since their departure. In my opinion the show has greatly improved since Ed’s departure. I loved Ant in the mechanical role and Elvis is great, I love the enthusiasm and joy he brings to the role.

    Reply
  3. Wheeler Dealers went in a downward spiral when Mr Anstead joined with his school teacher manner of presentation. The new man, Mark, is a step in the right direction & the show now has my interest again.

    Reply

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