Martin Lewis has reflected on his childhood as a “broken, scared boy” who “barely left the house” while accepting a Bafta special award for his work in television. The financial journalist and broadcaster, 54, was recognised for his dedication to helping the nation change its approach to money, and has been described by Bafta as “the most trusted man on television”.
The Money Saving Expert gave an emotional speech after being presented with the prize by Richard Osman at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night. The Manchester-born broadcaster opened his speech by joking that his Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, which he has hosted since 2012, is “basically a powerpoint presentation with a Q&A after”. He added: “TV doesn’t have to be format-driven. People will embrace something actionable, something real, something that helps.”
Growing visibly emotional, Lewis admitted he wrote the speech on Thursday, 42 years after his mother’s sudden death days before his 12th birthday. He said: “For six years, barring school, I barely left the house. Now I’m picking up a Bafta. For all those of you out there struggling with your own demons, know this: life can be transformed, it can get better. If you had told that broken, scared boy that I’d proudly be a campaigning journalist, his jaw would have dropped. So I dedicate this to consumer journalism, where I found my fire.”
Lewis continued: “It’s not seen as sexy, sadly, but in recent years, it’s helped people navigate pandemic support, pushed governments to backtrack on energy hikes, legislate against scam ads – though far more is needed on that – and against aggressive, destructive council tax debt collection and far more.” He also issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, criticising the “morally wrong” freezing of the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans, due next year, saying: “Chancellor, please.”
Lewis wrapped up the speech by thanking his viewers, who “don’t just watch, but act and save a shedload”, and his wife of almost 20 years, Lara Lewington, and their daughter Sapphire. Through his decades-long career as a financial expert, Lewis has become known as a consumer champion. He was made an MBE in 2014 and a CBE in 2022 for services to consumer rights and charitable services.
