[8] His father Ian was a privateer motorbike racer who had competed in several Isle of Man TT events, but was forced to supplement his income with a job as a lorry mechanic, additionally selling bikes.

Martin and his siblings attended every Isle of Man TT from their births, until their father Ian crashed his Yamaha FZ750 whilst racing at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough in 1988, when Guy was aged 7.

Spellman shot some additional test material of Martin back at home in the summer and the boss of North One Television showed the clips to a BBC executive.

Martin's first appearances on TV documentaries were on programmes based around his passion for engineering rather than his love of adrenaline sport - The Boat that Guy Built airing on the BBC in 2011; and How Britain Worked on Channel 4 in 2012.

[13] Describing it as "like an ingrained, default setting",[7] he prioritises his mechanic job over other work, even cancelling complicated film shoots at short notice if needed.

[4] He does not see TV work as a job in itself and would not miss it if it were to end; he views it as a means to do things he otherwise could not,[7][13] gaining invaluable sources of information and experiences from the people it allows him to meet.

[44] A successful debut year on the roads that saw him win the Cock o' the North and International Gold Cup races at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough as well as the Irish 750cc Support Championship.

The International road race meetings had mixed results: the North West 200 never went particularly well, The Isle of Man TT looked promising but problems soon led to it being another disappointment.

After claiming two seconds and a third on the Superstock, Superbike and Supersport bikes early in the week Martin's engine gave up after coming onto the pit lane in the 2nd 600 race.

Martin regrouped to claim the Southern 100 Championship on the Billown road course in July, after finishing second on no less than three occasions – 2005, 2006 and 2007 – before heading to the third International race of the season, the Ulster Grand Prix.

[citation needed] Following on from the Cookstown meeting, Martin was set to campaign in all the main races at the North West 200, as a prelude to working up for the Isle of Man TT.

[citation needed] Martin made a good start to the Superbike TT, and at the end of the first lap he was lying in third place behind John McGuinness and Cameron Donald.

[58] Martin was introduced to his factory BMW S1000RR Superbike during a day's testing at Kirkistown on 7 May, in preparation for the team's campaign at the Vauxhall International North West 200 for the opening practice session on 12 May.

Interviewed by the BBC and other assorted media Neill downplayed the comments, merely alluding to the fact that Martin was becoming concerned that the course was starting to resemble more a purpose-built racing track as opposed to a pure road circuit.

[65] As the race went into the final two laps, the rear echelon of the field started to have an effect on the front running riders, with Kneen being held up in an overtaking manoeuvre at Iron Gate.

[72] When queried on a previous statement made after the 2015 meeting that he would not return to the triangle circuit, Martin commented that the primary reason was to get the necessary race-time to enter the Isle of Man TT Races.

[76] In an interview afterwards, Martin stated that as he attempted to change down the gearbox after Ballig Bridge in order to negotiate the 4th gear left handed Doran's Bend, he hit a false neutral.

He averaged 25–30 mi (40–50 km) a day which showed how much he struggled compared to the tour divide's 150 This six-part series sees Martin and his friend, Mark 'Mavis' Davies, renovate a narrowboat, called Reckless, while travelling on the canal network using the inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

[50] In this episode, Martin helps to overhaul and later drives a steam locomotive on the Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire, in the process working on its boiler, safety valves and a wheel.

In this episode, Martin helps with winter maintenance on attractions in the Welsh resort of Llandudno, working on the pier, a helter-skelter ride, and the Great Orme Tramway.

In this episode, Martin helps to restore Birmingham Botanical Gardens (United Kingdom), learning the Victorian method for glassblowing for the greenhouse panes, rebuilding the very first lawnmower, and for building a rockery.

In this feature length one-off special, Martin follows the final flights of the Cold War era Avro Vulcan Delta winged jet bomber XH558 Spirit of Great Britain.

[8] Source for episode titles and broadcast dates:[125] In this live special, Martin attempted to set a world speed record on a purpose-built version of the wall of death fairground attraction.

Born Waldemars Kidals, the programme found that in 1941 he had been conscripted into the Latvian Legion, part of the Axis Forces when Nazi Germany had occupied Latvia, and later spent two years in a Belgian prisoner-of-war camp.

Having been exonerated by the post-war trials, and with Latvia now part of the Soviet Union, all surviving former Latvian conscripts were allowed to settle in the United States and Britain as political refugees – Walter opted for the UK, travelling to Hull.

Travelling in a 1982 Lada 1300S, he also visited an immersive Cold War Russian prison experience, and watched a reenactment of a battle between the Legion forces and the Soviet Red Army.

[4][129] Martin is shown embarking on a 1,000 mi (1,600 km) motorbike trip, as he explores rarely seen aspects of modern India en route to Rider Mania, described as "one of the world's maddest bike races".

[14] Following claims made in his 7 April 2015 Sunday Times review of the Aston Martin Vanquish, in which he recounted testing the car on an early morning lap of the TT course, police opened an investigation.

Driving almost the full length of the TT course (joining at Quarterbridge garage and finishing at Governor's Bridge), he said he was impressed at how fast it really was, reaching 180 mph (290 km/h) down Sulby Straight and becoming airborne at Ballacrye corner, resulting in "something like a 22-minute lap".

[139][140][141] Due to stand trial on 6 January 2020, in late-December 2019 the two charges were dropped, citing that Martin believed his licence from Northern Ireland was genuine, giving him a HGV-entitlement and that his autism made him "vulnerable enough for others to see him as an easy target" and that he "may well have been taken in by somebody".