Days are busy for Dan Walker as Classic FM breakfast show presenter and Channel 5 news host. He’s settled with his family in Sheffield, where he loves to walk in the Peak District and sip a coffee in his own café
There is something in the air that makes Sheffield feel like home for Dan Walker. The journalist, presenter and author is a familiar face and voice in homes across the country as he graces our televisions and radios from Land’s End to John o’ Groats. But it is in Yorkshire where he is at his happiest.
‘Without sounding too weird – I like the smell of Sheffield,’ says Dan. ‘Yorkshire air is just different to anywhere else.’
Sheffield first became home to the Channel 5 news anchor and Classic FM breakfast show presenter back in the 1990s when he followed in his sister’s footsteps and studied at Sheffield University. And the city has kept his heart ever since.
‘I studied for four years, first a history degree and then a postgraduate course in journalism. I then stayed in Sheffield for a couple more years, while working in Manchester, before moving to Manchester, then Liverpool and then London. My wife, who is from Sheffield, had always said she wouldn’t marry me if I made her live in London. Well, we did end up living in London for six years before making the move back to Sheffield.
‘Even now, I love the train journey back up north after working in London during the week. I get to chat to lovely people and everyone is always happy to be going back to Sheffield. It’s a great place to live and all the family love living here.’
Family is Dan’s wife Sarah and their three children, Susie, Jessica and Joe, along with much loved cockerpoo Winnie. With roots firmly in the city, Dan and Sarah recently bought into an independent coffee shop in the Fulwood area. They are now part owners of Brook Coffee Rooms and it is something of a dream for the TV and radio star.
‘A coffee shop is one of those things that many people want to own or be involved in. I never thought it would happen but when our friends who owned it asked us to get on board we were delighted. I already frequent coffee shops far too often. It has been really lovely. It is doing well and I just see myself as a glorified cake tester.’
Away from the hustle and bustle of the coffee shop, Dan has made a household name for himself having presented on BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 Live and Football Focus. He now presents 5 News on Channel 5 and each weekday – from 6.30am to 10am, he can be found behind the microphone presenting Classic FM Breakfast with Dan Walker. The opportunity arose earlier this year and he couldn’t turn it down.
‘There are some things you just can’t say no to,’ explains Dan. ‘I have always loved music and am one of those people who is always sending links to music to friends and family. Classic FM is a music station, but it is also a mood station. It’s about enriching your experience of the world. Music is so powerful and I love receiving so many messages from people throughout the show.’
One of Dan’s biggest challenges to date has not come from broadcasting live to the nation or commentating on the Olympic Games or World Cup. Instead, it came in the form of Strictly Come Dancing – an experience that will remain one of the most fun and memorable times of his life.
It was in 2021 Dan agreed to take part in what is arguably one of the nation’s favourite shows – much to the delight of his children. He was paired with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova and despite being a complete novice on the dancefloor, Dan impressed the judges staying in the glitzy competition for far longer than he ever expected. The pair eventually finished in a very respectable fifth place.
‘It was a wonderful experience and Nadiya and I remain great friends,’ he says. ‘She taught me how to be comfortable on the dancefloor and how to enjoy dancing. I learned so much more from her though. ‘She made me a better presenter – she taught me to hold myself differently and I look back on all of it with such great memories. I expected to be out within three weeks, and I ended up staying for what felt like forever.
‘I think you’ve never finished getting better and I have had the privilege of working with some really brilliant people. There is so much to learn from how people do things that you can then apply to your own life. I didn’t know anything about the world of dance or dancing, but I learned so much from Nadiya.’
That desire to keep learning and stay curious has been at the heart of Dan’s career. Most of his work sees him present live to audiences – and this is what he loves.
‘Live television gets my blood pumping,’ he says. ‘The idea that everything could go wrong and you have got an element of control that really makes it for me. I lean into the challenge and you have to react to what is happening around you and take the audience with you.’
When the cameras stop rolling and the radio microphone switches off, Dan can return to the family home in Sheffield. He has been patron of Sheffield’s Children’s Hospital Charity since 2012.
He says: ‘It’s been a real honour to be a patron. The people who work there are amazing and we are all so proud to have it in Sheffield. I’m a patron along with Jess Ennis-Hill, Harry Maguire, Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont and we all have big plans for the future – including a national mental health campaign for our young people called Bright Young Dreams. Watch this space.’
He can also often be found walking Winnie in his local green space, Endcliffe Park, chatting to other dog owners and enjoying the tranquility.
‘I absolutely love Endcliffe Park and it is a great space to have on the doorstep. There are always different places to find. As well as the main body of the park around the cafe, there are so many little paths to discover and wander along.’
So from arriving in Sheffield as a teenage student, Dan has made the city his home. The people, as well as the smell, make it the place he wants to be.
Dan’s favourite things
Favourite curry house: It has got to be Prithiraj on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield – it has a wonderful head chef in Sobuj Miah. I’m in there far too regularly and they have even named a curry after me. They also have a Strictly inspired curry on the menu – the Dan and Nadiya Glitter Balti!
Favourite cafe: Brook Coffee Rooms. It is wonderful to be part of and it is doing really well.
Favourite cake: Like I have said, I am a glorified cake tester at Brook Coffee Rooms. My cake of choice changes but I am currently enjoying the lemon meringue cronut and the Guinness cake with cream cheese icing. I also love my mother’s chocolate cake.
Favourite bookshop: I used to work in a bookshop and I love wandering around a good one. I really love Waterstones in Sheffield’s Orchard Square – it feels nice when you walk in.
Last book read: Top of the World: Surviving the Manchester Bombing to Scale Kilimanjaro in a Wheelchair by Martin Hibbert. I interviewed him for my book, Standing on the Shoulders and I was incredibly honoured when he asked me to write the foreword for his book.
Favourite classical music: I have always loved music. I think my favourite two pieces are Benedictus by Karl Jenkins and the theme tune to Band of Brothers by Michael Kamen. That is my favourite TV series and the programme and the music are a perfect marriage.
Favourite restaurant: Uncle Sam’s Diner, again on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield. It is my wife’s family tradition to go there for every birthday celebration. It does brilliant burgers and chips, and it has a miniature train line that runs around the restaurant. It’s where we always go!
