Thomas Skinner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Henry Skinner 6 February 1991 Romford, East London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Television | The Apprentice (2019) |
| Spouse | Sinéad Chambers (m. 2022) |
| Children | 3 |
Thomas Henry Skinner (born 6 February 1991) is an English businessman and television personality. He is best known for appearing as a candidate on the fifteenth series of The Apprentice .
Known for his strong cockney accent and usage of the word "Bosh" he has since appeared on other shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats and Celebrity Masterchef and has also become known for posting his large and unusual breakfasts at Dino's Cafe in New Spitalfields Market on X (Twitter) and TikTok, generating millions of views.
Skinner was born in Romford on 6 February 1991. [1] [2] His father, Lee Skinner worked in marketing and was "mega-rich", owning several Lamborghini's. [3] He was educated privately at Brentwood School, Essex. [4] He worked as a market trader from the age of 16 after the completion of his GCSEs. [5]
Speaking to Essex Live, Skinner revealed that he has a learning difficulty but it didn't prevent him on the Apprentice: "I'm dyslexic, I can't even fill out a form and I'm no good at paperwork but it didn't matter, and it really helped me build my career." [6]
In 2011, Skinner was convicted of handling £40,000 in stolen goods as part of his business selling products at markets and possessing 2,000 diazepam tablets. Skinner maintains he was unaware the stock was stolen as it was from a source he didn't know. [7] [8]
In 2019, Skinner became a candidate on the fifteenth series of The Apprentice , and at the time of his appearance, he was the owner of The Fluffy Pillow Company, selling beds, mattresses and a memory foam pillow of his design. [9] He applied for the show after being persuaded by his girlfriend. [10] Skinner was fired by Lord Sugar in week nine. [11]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after the owner of the company's pillow manufacturer died of COVID-19, Skinner set up Bosh Beds, specialising in mattresses. [12] He resigned as a director of Bosh Beds in 2022 and the company was later dissolved. [13]
In 2020, Skinner appeared on the fifteenth series of Celebrity MasterChef . [14]
HarperCollins acquired the rights to publish Skinner's autobiography, Graft: How to Smash Life from his management agency Press Box PR in June 2023 [15] and the book was published in October. [16]
In August 2025, Skinner was announced as a contestant on the upcoming twenty-third series of Strictly Come Dancing . [17]
Beginning in mid-2022, [18] Skinner began posting videos of large and unusual breakfasts, such as Christmas dinner and lasagne, usually eaten at Dino's Cafe on New Spitalfields Market and always ending with his usage of the word "bosh". [19] [20] [21] [22] From 22 to 28 May 2023, Skinner became the voice of Elizabeth line platform announcements between Heathrow and Shenfield, to mark the start of direct services between the stations. [23] [2]
In 2024, Skinner criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan over knife crime, and accused Khan of having "ruined" London. [24] In 2025, he posted on X that "London has fallen" under Khan's leadership that "it ain’t safe out there anymore" and "people are scared". [25] During the 2024 United States presidential election, Skinner expressed support for Republican candidate Donald Trump and criticised UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Skinner stated "I love Trump I think he is brilliant, that's my opinion. I think it's good he is back in charge, it will be good for the UK economy". [26]
In 2025, at the request of philosopher James Orr, Skinner spoke at a conference called Now and England, organised by the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation. [13] In his speech titled, "The England I Love", he called for improved childcare and for the police to use more force. He also stated that he was "thinking about giving it a go in politics". [18] New Statesman described the speech as "simple, stirring, populist stuff". [27] Skinner appeared in a social media video posted by Conservative MP Robert Jenrick about tool theft and the Conservative Party reportedly view Skinner as part of a potential "posh-bosh alliance" that would tie together traditional Tory voters and the working-class. The Reform Party are also keen to gain his support and Dominic Cummings has offered him support to stand as an independent candidate for the Mayor of London. [28] Skinner's relationship with Orr led to him being invited to meet the US Vice President, JD Vance, whilst Vance was holidaying in the UK in August 2025. [13]
He married his partner Sinéad Chambers in May 2022. [29] Their son was born in October 2020, and their twin daughters were born in June 2023. [30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Apprentice | Candidate | [11] |
| 2020 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Panellist | [31] |
| 2020 | Celebrity MasterChef | Contestant | [32] |
| 2022, 2023, 2025 | The Apprentice: You're Fired! | Panellist | [33] |
| 2023 | Good Morning Sports Fans | Panellist | [34] |
| 2023 | Michael McIntyre's The Wheel | Celebrity expert | [35] |
| 2025 | Faking It | Mentor | |
| 2025 | Strictly Come Dancing | Himself | Contestant; series 23 |