A Ship Through Time: Who is Sean Fletcher?
Sean Fletcher is a familiar face on TV’s Good Morning Britain and Countryfile. Now he’s applying his journalistic rigour to the tale of the Newport Medieval Ship.
Image: A Ship Through Time
In the summer of 2002, all eyes were on Newport after the extensive remains of a medieval ship were discovered in the Welsh coastal city. Upon much closer inspection, the vessel turned out to be a trading galleon from the mid-15th century.
This was a very eventful period in British history, with the tumultuous Wars of the Roses, where the English throne regularly changed hands. There are even some tantalising clues that the ship might have belonged to the powerful northern baron Warwick the Kingmaker.
There’s a lot to unpack here and we at Sky HISTORY knew we had to find the right person to unpack it. That’s why we chose longtime journalist and TV favourite Sean Fletcher to present our new series about the merchant vessel’s secrets, A Ship Through Time, starting Monday, 10 November on Sky HISTORY and HISTORY Play.
You’ve likely already enjoyed Sean’s warm but authoritative presence on many shows, from the news, to sports coverage, to hard-hitting documentaries. Let Sky HISTORY fill you in on how Sean’s background makes him the ideal host for A Ship Through Time.
Sean Fletcher’s early life
Sean Fletcher was born on 20th April 1974 in New York City. While his father was English, his mother hailed from Zimbabwe, where Sean went on to spend part of his own childhood. Sean was also brought up in Essex, where he attended the independent Felsted School.
Sean studied Geography at Kings College London, where he met his girlfriend, Luned Tonderai. She would go on to make an impressive name for herself as a TV director and producer. Sean and Luned married in 1999 and have two children together, a son and a daughter.
How did Sean Fletcher’s broadcasting career take off?
Luned is from Wales, and Sean has immersed himself in Welsh culture so thoroughly that he now considers it part of his identity. He has revealed that, in the early days of his romance with Luned, he pledged to her that he would learn how to speak Welsh.
Since then, he has become fluent in the language, doubtless helping him to excel in several of his earliest media jobs. These included producing packages for BBC Radio Wales and working for BBC 2W, the BBC's (now defunct) digital channel for Wales.
Sean indulged his interest in sports as his career went national. He delivered sports bulletins on BBC News from 2005 to 2011 before joining Sky Sports News, where he stayed until 2014.
How Sean Fletcher turned his attention to history
In 2014, Sean joined ITV’s Good Morning Britain as a sports newsreader. Since then, he has often stood in as a member of the show’s main newsreading team. It’s very much a reflection of how Sean’s broadcasting career has diversified since the mid-2010s.
His TV projects around this time included the game show Rebound and appearing with his wife on All Star Mr & Mrs. He also co-presented the BBC Two series Food Detectives with Tom Kerridge and Professor Alice Roberts.
Of course, Alice is no stranger to Sky HISTORY viewers, with shows like Witches of Essex and Royal Autopsy. However, Sean has also pursued his own passion for the past.
One of Sean’s best-known gigs is as a reporter on Countryfile. Building on his love of the outdoors, Sean also fronted the 2020 series Wonders of the Coast Path, exploring northern Welsh wildlife and history. In other shows, Sean has covered more aspects of Welsh history, including wartime child evacuees and the 1919 Cardiff race riots.
Sean Fletcher now follows another chapter of Welsh history
It’s now clear to see, then, why Sean Fletcher was the natural choice to bring the story of the Newport Medieval Ship to Sky HISTORY viewers. Even if you have already long known about this galleon’s rediscovery and restoration, it’s fascinating to watch Sean investigate lingering mysteries surrounding the vessel’s history.
As a highly experienced and respected journalist, Sean knows how to unravel the conundrum of the Newport Medieval Ship with a truly objective eye. He knows how important it is not to be swayed by biases or other preconceived notions. That’s exactly the impartial approach needed in efforts to uncover the truth about the vessel.
Intrigued by maritime history? You can expect to see many more shows about it hit your TV screen. To learn what we’ve got lined up for your viewing pleasure, subscribe to the Sky HISTORY Newsletter.
