Wheeler Dealers telly star Mike Brewer says the days of dodgy second car salesmen are dead as they’ve become metrosexual.
The 58-year-old blames TV characters including Arthur Daley and Frank Butcher for convincing punters all used motor salesmen are slippery Del Boy types out to make a nice little earner from conning customers.
And he shockingly revealed he wakes up every day to death threats from trolls he has had to report to cops as they have been threatening to stab him to death and rape his daughter and wife.
READ MORE: Only Fools and Horses Sandra star dies aged 62 as devastated family pay tribute
Mike, who has presented Discovery Channel’s hit Wheeler Dealers show since 2003, said: “I absolutely get sick of the Del Boy image of car dealers. I’ve been trying to change that image.
(Image: Velocity/Scott Council)
“Car dealers in general are really good people. There are bad apples in every business – or whether you’re a surgeon, a lawyer or a doctor.
“But car dealers in general are good people who support a lot of staff. I support 97 staff in my dealerships, and dealers have a business where they need to pay their rates and power.
“Yet people always think they’re being ripped off when they’re buying a car from a dealer, and it’s not necessarily true.
“A shopkeeper buys a loaf of bread for 30p and he sells it for 60p, but nobody ever says that a shopkeeper is ripping them off. Shopkeepers don’t get called dodgy merchants, but car dealers do.
“The dodgy image comes from TV having characters like Arthur Daley and Del Boy. Frank Butcher in EastEnders was the dodgy car dealer.”
(Image: Wikipedia)
Revealing how the days of sheepskin coats and scruffy suits are well in the past, Mike added: “I host the car dealer awards every year, and they are reviewed by customers. So over the past 10 years with people reviewing online, car dealers have got a lot smarter.
“They’ve tidied themselves up and their dealerships up considerably, because they don’t want to fall foul of reviews. I’ve noticed a real change in the last 10 years – no more sheepskin coats, definitely not. That’s a thing of the 70s.”
Mike, who has one daughter with his wife Michelle, said he feels he gets targeted by vicious trolls on a daily basis as he’s made a success of his life.
He also revealed the threats have grown so severe he has called cops in a bid to trace his online tormentors.
London-born Mike added: “I get trolled every day… people call me a dodgy car dealer, but I don’t know why.
“They see me on TV buying a car cheap and fixing it up and I sell it cheap, but people are listening to stories about car dealers being dodgy.
(Image: Handout)
“I’ve had to report death threats to police, from around the world. Globally, I get targeted – me and my family.
“I get told people are waiting for me and they know where I am –they don’t like the fact I’m a successful businessman with a TV show.
“They don’t like to see people making a success of themselves. If they’ve failed in their lives, and they see me as a normal guy who’s made a success of my life, there’s a sense of jealousy there.
“And I’ve got a public profile and I’m easily reachable on all forms of social media.
“If you’ve had a bad week and you’re feeling bad about yourself, and you’re watching Wheeler Dealers, and seeing me maybe out in California, having a good time, you might go on the attack, and say, ‘I’m sick to death of this guy, I’m going to tell him I’m going to stab him and I’m going to rape his wife and his daughter.’
“I get that on a weekly basis.”
(Image: PA)
Revealing how he has been campaigning for more accountability on social media to stop trolling, Mike added: “Absolutely, 100%, I want to see more legislation around it.
“I have been badgering Twitter and Facebook to make their social media more accountable.
“I usually get abused by a boiled egg or a cat (avatar), because they hide behind anonymity.
“I feel that every single person that is on social media should have to give a proof of identity – it should be your name and your place of work, or where you are.
“I’m sick to death of waking up every morning to a boiled egg telling me they’re going to rape my wife and stab me to death.”
Wheeler Dealers is on The Discovery Channel 9pm Mondays and anytime on Discovery +
READ NEXT:
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here .
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
