Childhood & Early Life
Edd was born Edward John China, on May 9, 1971 in London, England. He attended 'King Edward's School,' Witley, Surrey, and then graduated with a degree in engineering product design from 'London South Bank University.'
Edd had always harbored a passion for cars and mechanics. While at the university, he created the 'Casual Lofa' (driving sofa), which earned him the amount required for a 'Raleigh International' expedition to Belize.
Following 'Casual Lofa,' Edd built motorized couches and desks. The venture marks his first 'Guinness World Record' for the fastest furniture (87 miles per hour). He later broke his own record, modifying the sofa car into a road-legal vehicle with four wheels and a steering-wheel pizza tray.
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Career
Edd worked as a special effects technician for the 'Channel 4' sitcom 'Father Ted' in 1994. Then, in 1998, he made a guest appearance in the 'BBC' motoring program 'Top Gear Live,' to give a live demo of 'Casual Lofa' at the Silverstone ‘Live Arena.’ He appeared in an episode of the show 'Build a Bond Car On A Budget,' featuring a 'Rover 800' that he had purchased for £200 and modified with budget ‘James Bond’-esque gadgets at half the price.
In March 1999, Edd founded 'Cummfy Banana Limited' to trade his extreme and bizarre creations. In 2001, he featured 'Cummfy Banana' vehicles on the 'ITV' show 'Pulling Power.' Later, in 2006, he featured his vehicles on 'ITV's 'This Morning.'
Edd's 'Casual Lofa' was shown racing at the 'Thruxton Circuit' on Jeremy Clarkson's DVD 'The Most Outrageous Jeremy Clarkson Video in the World.... Ever!' Edd has also been featured on the 'Channel 4' show 'The Big Breakfast' thrice, driving the 'Casual Lofa,' the 'Bog Standard,' and the 'Street Sleeper.'
An episode of the 'Channel 4' motoring reality show 'Scrapheap Challenge' ('Junkyard Wars' in the United States) featured Edd with his driving beds and sofa cars. He next appeared in an episode of the British biographical documentary 'This Is Your Life,' which showed him drive host Michael Aspel around old haunts and drop him off at the TV studios on his 'Casual Lofa.'
In 2003, 'Discovery Channel' approached Edd for a reality show and paired him with TV host and car-trading expert Mike Brewer. They hosted 'Wheeler Dealers' for 13 seasons, from 2003 to 2017.
A year later, Edd joined the 'BBC' series 'Panic Mechanic' as its in-house designer. In 2005, he guest-appeared on a 'Children in Need Special' segment of the 'BBC' culinary reality show 'Ready Steady Cook.' He has co-presented a UK TV miniseries about the history and culture of vintage cars.
In 2006, Edd and Mike Brew united to host another 'Discovery Channel' (later 'Discovery Turbo') series, 'Auto Trader.' The show was an informative source for car traders, providing them innovation trading tips and tricks.
Edd was invited on the weekly 'BBC Two' arts magazine program 'The Culture Show' in 2007.
In 2009, Edd set up 'Grease Junkie Limited' and became its managing director. Apart from its signature products, the website sells 'Wheeler Dealers' merchandise, too. He also owned a 'Ministry of Transport' and servicing garage in Bracknell, Berkshire, called 'Grease Junkie,' which was shut down in August 2016.
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In 2012, Edd and British auto racing driver Tom Onslow-Cole participated in an 'eBay'-sponsored challenge to turn a milk float into a drag racer. The task later registered a place on the 'Guinness World Records,' for creating the world's fastest milk float.
On March 21, 2017, Edd announced his departure from 'Wheeler Dealers' on his 'YouTube' channel. He cited his differences with Mike and other creative members on the show. The creators felt there was a need for cost reduction on the show, to which Edd disagreed. According to him, cost-cutting would have affected the quality of the show and his integrity. Thus, he decided to move on.
Six days after the announcement, Edd made another 'YouTube' video, talking about the threats that Mike had been giving to his wife over phone calls.
Eventually, he was replaced by Ant Anstead from 'For the Love of Cars.'
Shortly after quitting 'Wheeler Dealers,' Edd was unemployed for a while. Hence, he released a series of six 'AskEdd' videos on his 'YouTube' channel. The videos also detailed his struggle to get his tools back from the 'Wheeler Dealers' garage.
On May 1, 2018, Edd started his 'YouTube' series, 'Edd China's Garage Revival.' Only the pilot of the show has been aired as of now.
Family & Personal Life
Edd is married to Norwegian-born Imogen. She is a business economics graduate from 'BI Norwegian Business School.' She is also a former director of 'Grease Junkie,' the director of 'Cummfy Banana Limited,' the VIP relations manager of the 'British Airways London Eye,' the head of external relations of 'Tussauds,' and the current director of 'China's Republic of People' in Bracknell, England.
In 2019, Edd helped Northwich-based company 'Shadow Foam' to raise funds for the anti-trafficking charity 'Stella's Voice.'
The managing director of 'Shadow Foam,' Jonathan Shone, collaborated with Edd to create an orange toolbox with his custom-cut decals and presented it to him at a book-signing event in Manchester.
