Fans of The Secret Millionaire would have seen fundraiser Harry Clements busking with theatre producer, David King, as well as running a St James hospital volunteer shop in Leeds, on last week’s episode of the channel4 show.

During the show, King, a self-made millionaire, was so impressed with Harry’s charity efforts he donated £25,000 to add to the £100,000 the veteran fundraiser has already raised over the past 21 years.
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Sixty-two-year-old David King is one of the world’s most successful international musical theatre producers, with hit shows around the globe, and the biggest employer of dancers in Europe. David has an estimated fortune of over £20 million from making his own versions of successful shows. He’s known for his ruthless no-nonsense approach, but nothing could prepare him for the shocking event that takes place on The Secret Millionaire.

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At 63, Mike Holland owns a property portfolio around Brighton worth £20 million. When he’s not dining on champagne and lobster, he’s shuttling between the stately home he runs as a business, his multitude of rental properties and the historic venue he’s turning into a major museum. Mike was raised on a rough South London housing estate and built his fortune by hard graft, first as a brick-layer and then as a property developer.

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Electronics wizard Aria Taheri has a real passion for technology. Over the last 18 years, he’s built up a multi-million pound computing business on the outskirts of Manchester. His dedication is such that he has constructed a flat in his warehouse so he never has to go home.

When he was 17, Aria immigrated to England from Iran, leaving his family behind. Twenty-six years on, Aria is about to leave home again. For the eight days, he’s living undercover in Sparkbrook, south Birmingham: an area with a diverse ethnic mix and a large number of immigrants, meeting people that might need his help. Aria’s first encounter is with St Chad’s Sanctuary. Run by Sister Margaret, St Chad’s offers a warm and welcoming environment for asylum seekers and refugees.
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More millionaire benefactors say goodbye to their luxury lifestyles and go undercover in deprived areas to find people who need their help.

Twelve years ago, Sean Gallagher risked his life savings to set up his own IT recruitment agency. It was a gamble that paid off and now there’s nothing this multi-millionaire bachelor likes more than spoiling himself and his two nieces. But his closeness to them stems from a family tragedy: 25 years ago their mother – Sean’s only sibling – died from an epileptic seizure.

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Simrin Choudhrie, who’s seven months pregnant, descended from Indian royalty and the heiress to a multi-million pound fortune, goes undercover in Burngreave in Sheffield to find people she can help.

Tuesday, 03 May, 9PM, Channel 4

In October 2009 Dawn Gibbins spent a week living in inner-city Bristol as a Secret Millionaire. During her stay, she discovered a world she never knew existed and faced up to some of her biggest fears. The people she met inspired her so much, she gave away a quarter of a million pounds and completely changed her outlook. The experience has changed Dawn in ways she never could have predicted and sent her life into completely new directions. Now, she’s going back to Bristol to see how her gifts have made a difference and to plan what happens next, and she wants her experiences to make an impact on her own family as well.

Tuesday 11 January 2011
8:00pm, Channel 4

Multi-millionaire Dawn Gibbins (50) has a holistically inspired flooring business. Now she’s about to give away £250,000 of her own money as she embarks on a new challenge as a Secret Millionaire. She meets and is inspired by some of the people trying to tackle some of Bristol’s biggest social problems. From volunteering on an outreach van with the One25 project, a charity that seeks to enable women who are abused and trapped in a life of street sex-work, to serving meals to those sleeping rough and battling addiction at the Wild Goose Café, she comes across a world she never knew existed.

Monday 1 March 2010
9:00pm, Channel 4

Multi-millionaire Dawn Gibbins (50) has a holistically inspired flooring business. Now she’s about to give away £250,000 of her own money as she embarks on a new challenge as a Secret Millionaire. She meets and is inspired by some of the people trying to tackle some of Bristol’s biggest social problems. From volunteering on an outreach van with the One25 project, a charity that seeks to enable women who are abused and trapped in a life of street sex-work, to serving meals to those sleeping rough and battling addiction at the Wild Goose Café, she comes across a world she never knew existed.

Monday 1 March 2010
9:00pm, Channel 4

Last night’s secret millionaire was Liz Jackson, a 36 year old businesswoman whose marketing company has netted her a small fortune.

With Secret Millionaire now in its sixth series, one would’ve thought that any charity anywhere which is suddenly visited by someone toting a camera crew might suspect they’re about to receive a cash boost, but the people Liz met and eventually gave money to, did seem genuinely unsuspecting.

But what sets Liz apart from the other similarly successful people who’ve been benefactors on the show is that she’s blind. And it’s that fact which might have thrown the charities that she visited for last night’s show off the millionaire scent, for, prejudiced and judgemental it may be, but one might not immediately assume that someone with such a physical problem could become so very successful in the business world. Read more & comment »