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Ryan-Mark Parsons

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Ryan-Mark Parsons
Ryan-Mark Parsons at Television Centre, London.jpg
Parsons at Television Centre, London in 2020
Born (2000-04-04) 4 April 2000 (age 21)
London, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
EducationBabington House School
Occupation
  • Media Personality
  • Columnist
  • Commentator
Years active2019—present
Employer
Television
Websiteryanmarkparsons.co.uk

Ryan-Mark Parsons (born 4 April 2000) is a British media personality, columnist and commentator. Parsons is best known for being the youngest-ever candidate on the BBC One reality series The Apprentice (2019).[1][2] He is confirmed to star in the tenth series of Celebs Go Dating, due to air in 2022.[3]

Parsons has also featured in viral and controversial debates on Good Morning Britain and GB News.[4][5][6] Following several appearances on television and radio, in September 2020 he was named a columnist for the Daily Star, a British tabloid.[7] In February 2021, Parsons appeared on Celebrity Eating with My Ex on BBC Three.[8][9]

Early life[]

Parsons was born on 4 April 2000 in London, United Kingdom. He was educated at Babington House School, an independent school in Chislehurst, southeast London, and chose not to go to university.[10][11] Before his media career, Parsons was a Brand Ambassador for Gucci within Harrods; alongside multiple internships at the Palace of Westminster, Matrix Chambers, 5 King's Bench Walk, AIG and NHS.[12][13]

Career[]

The Apprentice and You're Fired![]

Main article: The Apprentice (British series 15)

Parsons joined The Apprentice, aged 19, as the youngest-ever candidate since the show began in 2005.[14] Parsons' performance was praised by Sean O'Grady, Associate Editor of The Independent, stating the "cherubic Ryan-Mark Parsons is the real winner of this series".[15] Similarly in The Telegraph, Anita Singh wrote "Technically, there are a dozen contestants in the show. Really, there are only three: Thomas Skinner and Lottie Lion, and Ryan-Mark".[16]

During Week Six, Parsons tested one of the rollercoasters at Thorpe Park, which caused thousands of viewers to react online. According to Hello!, 13,000 Twitter mentions and 10,000 hashtags were used, which made this scene one of the most talked about TV moments of 2019.[17][18]

Parsons later appeared on The Apprentice: You're Fired! hosted by Tom Allen on BBC Two, alongside guests Dominic Holland, Tomeka Empson and Claudine Collins.[19]

In 2020, Parsons featured in The Apprentice Best Bits, which was a six-part compilation series across fifteen series of the show. It was created to replace the 2020 series which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[20]

Aftermath[]

Parsons was fired 'with regret' in Week Eight of The Apprentice and the episode overall gained 6.6 million viewers.[21] In his exit interviews, Parsons caused controversy after calling fellow candidates a "waste of space" and "desperate".[22][23][24][25] Weeks following the series, Parsons had several altercations with fellow contestant Lottie Lion, such as when she criticised Parsons for "charging fans for photos".[26][27] Around a similar time, Parsons was hospitalised after he dropped "£1000 caviar on his foot".[28]

Various pictures surfaced of Parsons in December 2019, including at McDonald's in one of their London restaurants eating with a knife and fork. The story was subsequently reported by a large number of online newspapers and quickly became viral; popular US-based celebrity podcast Who? Weekly addressed the story in the episode "British reality star Ryan-Mark Parsons (he likes McDonald's)".[29][30]

Celebs Go Dating[]

Main article: Celebs Go Dating

On 27 October 2021, Channel 4 announced Parsons would be taking part in the tenth series of Celebs Go Dating, alongside Ulrika Jonsson, Abz Love, Miles Nazaire, Chloe Brockett, Nikita Jasmine, Marty McKenna and Jessika Power. The series is scheduled to air in 2022.[3]

Media career[]

Good Morning Britain[]

Main article: Good Morning Britain
Further information: 2019–20 Australian bushfire season

On 23 January 2020, Parsons featured as a celebrity panellist in an exclusive Good Morning Britain debate over whether "Australia should 'sell koala fur' to fund bushfire aid". Parsons made the argument that the dead koala fur could be sold "to raise money for the injured animals in the rescue centres".[31] This was criticised by animal rights activist, Wendy Turner Webster, who called his idea "grotesque",[4] alongside presenter Susanna Reid labelling the suggestion as "sick".[32] He was met with widespread public and media backlash from UK, Australian and New Zealand press, denouncing Parsons for his views.[33][34]

Parsons was also involved in a highly contentious debate with Richard Madeley, Charlotte Hawkins, and Dr Hilary Jones over whether under-30s should be punished for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Parsons argued under-30s should be "punished", including bans from public venues.[35] He claimed in his Daily Star column, death threats made after the debate were being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.[36] The clip of the debate on Twitter has received over 500,000 views.[37]

On 4 August 2021, Parsons argued people working from home during the pandemic are "lazy" and suggested workers are being "apathetic" by choosing not to commute to offices.[38] Parsons appeared on the show alongside presenters, Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard.

ITV announced on 14 October 2021, Parsons would take part in a new digital series called Off The Table, hosted by Julie Adenuga. The channel said, "The new series will feature four hot topic 15 minute episodes which will be published across a month, including money, climate change, cancel culture and life after Covid".[39]

Daily Star Online[]

Main article: Daily Star (United Kingdom)

At the start of September 2020, it was announced Parsons would join the Daily Star as a weekly columnist. The newspaper described him as "The Apprentice 2019's stand-out star" and "Often controversial, Parsons will bring his no-holds-barred opinions to Daily Star Online, talking about the biggest events in television". Parsons commented on the appointment, "As millions of people know from watching me on The Apprentice, I don't hold back and I'm super excited to be sharing my no-nonsense views with all of the readers. Sassy. Opinionated. Classic Ryan-Mark".[7]

At the start of December 2020, Parsons condemned Rita Ora for breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules after she hosted an illegal party in west London.[40][41] He called the singer's behaviour "wretched" and "negligent".[42]

RT (TV Network)[]

Main article: RT (TV network)

From March 2021, it emerged Parsons joined RT as a regular contributor, first featuring in a report on Oprah with Meghan and Harry.[43] He has since presented a series of reports for the Russian-funded network, including covering Prince Harry's remarks on First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[44]

GB News[]

Main article: GB News

On 23 June 2021, Parsons appeared on 'Andrew Neil Live' to debate whether employers could demand staff to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus before being allowed to return to the office. Morgan Stanley announced staff would need to be double-vaccinated to enter their New York offices,[45] to which Parsons argued in favour of this action during the debate.[6]

Reality television and radio[]

Since filming The Apprentice, Parsons featured on London Live in November 2019, speaking about his time on the show. He made several radio appearances in 2019, including Talkradio with Julia Hartley-Brewer, BBC Radio 5 Live: Wake Up to Money, and BBC Asian Network. In 2020, he appeared in several interviews on Hits Radio with Wes Butters and Fubar Radio with Bobby Norris.[46] Parsons has also made various appearances on Talkradio with Cristo Foufas in 2021, including a segment called: 'Ryan-Mark's Rundown'.[47]

On 14 February 2021, Parsons appeared on the celebrity series of BBC Three's Eating with My Ex.[8][9]

Views[]

Since Parsons' appearance on The Apprentice, he has expressed controversial viewpoints in his Daily Star column, on television and radio.

Fur trade[]

Parsons supports the trade of animal fur. During his appearance on Good Morning Britain, he argued that the fur from koalas killed in the Australian bushfire could be used to "capitalise on and cater to" strong global demand for fur products.[4] Also explaining the fur could be used for "a scarf for example. It could be something someone could wear".[48]

Political correctness[]

Parsons is anti-PC and has criticised the removal of shows like Come Fly With Me, which was pulled from streaming services Netflix and BBC iPlayer.[49] He claimed there is a rise of a "snowflake movement" and is "excited we have [Spitting Image] on our screens that could offend people and pushes the boundaries beyond the sanitised and soporific 'entertainment' that we see nowadays".[50]

Royal Family[]

Main article: British royal family
Further information: Oprah with Meghan and Harry

In an article published in response to Oprah with Meghan and Harry, Parsons supported the Queen and other members of the British royal family. He called the interview "Oscar-worthy" and "a shameless, callous, and brutal character assassination on the Royal Family", which aimed to "fatally destroy the reputation of the Queen".[51]

Vaccinations[]

Across several appearances in 2021, Parsons argued for vaccines against coronavirus. Debating on shows such as Good Morning Britain and GB News, Parsons strongly supported schemes that encouraged vaccinations against the virus.[5][6]

Filmography[]

Year Title Notes
2019 The Apprentice Contestant; Series 15
2020 The Apprentice Best Bits[52] Contestant; Special
2021 Celebrity Eating with My Ex[8] Participant; Series 3
2021 Off The Table (Good Morning Britain)[39] Participant; Series 1
2022 Celebs Go Dating Participant; Series 10

Guest appearances[]

Charity[]

In December 2020, Parsons switched on the Christmas lights for the London Borough of Bromley, raising money for children's charity Go Beyond. He said, "I’m really looking forward to helping Bromley get festive and raising money for this brilliant cause".[53]

It was announced on 28 June 2021, Parsons would become Go Beyond's patron, joining the likes of Kate Winslet, Jennifer Saunders, and Alan Titchmarsh.[54]

Publications[]

References[]

  1. ^ "BBC One – The Apprentice, Series 15 – Ryan-Mark Parsons". BBC.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "The Apprentice 2019 contestants: meet Lord Sugar's remaining candidates". The Telegraph. 9 October 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Celebs Go Dating announce Ulrika Jonsson, Abz Love, Chloe Brockett, Miles Nazaire, Nikita Jasmine & Ryan-Mark Parsons as they re-enter the dating game and begin their search for love | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Shields, Bevan (24 January 2020). "'Grotesque': British entrepreneur shot down over plan to sell koala fur as bushfire fundraiser". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b Farrell, Kyle (3 June 2021). "'Sanctimonious young! Am done with under 30s lecturing' Guest in epic GMB rant on vaccines". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Bray, Abbie (23 June 2021). "Andrew Neil clashes with GB News guest in Covid vaccine row 'That's not many, that's you'". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b Wetherill, Jack (9 September 2020). "The Apprentice's Ryan-Mark Parsons joins Daily Star Online for new TV column". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Eating with My Ex". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ a b "Meet the celebrities on BBC Three's Eating With My Ex". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  10. ^ "This is where all The Apprentice 2019 candidates went to uni". UK. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Ryan-Mark Parsons private school education cost £5,500 a term - The Apprentice 2019!". Reality Titbit. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  12. ^ "The Apprentice 2019: Former Matrix mini-pupil set to become youngest-ever contestant". Legal Cheek. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Meet Apprentice 2019's Ryan-Mark Parsons, the show's youngest ever candidate". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  14. ^ "The Apprentice Line Up Has Been Released So We've Made Some Predictions Based Mostly On Their Suits". Grazia. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  15. ^ "This year's Apprentice winner is worthy and, most unusually, likeable – review". The Independent. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  16. ^ Singh, Anita (6 November 2019). "The Apprentice, episode 6 review: a bunch of blaggers so hapless you wouldn't even trust them to wash your car". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  17. ^ Shenton, Zoe (7 November 2019). "The Apprentice contestants tested a rollercoaster and it was hilarious". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  18. ^ "The most talked about TV moments of 2019 have been revealed – and they might surprise you". HELLO!. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Steam Train". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "BBC calls off The Apprentice 2020 series". BBC News. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Weekly top programmes on four screens (from Sept 2018) | BARB". Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  22. ^ "The Apprentice candidate Ryan-Mark Parsons speaks out after being fired". The Independent. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  23. ^ "The Apprentice's Ryan-Mark Parsons claims other fired candidates are "desperate"". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Here's who was fired from The Apprentice 2019". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  25. ^ "A tribute to Ryan-Mark: The Apprentice King who was gone too soon". UK. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  26. ^ "Ryan-Mark slams Apprentice co-star Lottie in signed pictures dispute". Evening Standard. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  27. ^ Silverstein, Adam (31 December 2019). "The Apprentice's Lottie Lion and Ryan-Mark feud over charging fans for photos". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  28. ^ "The Apprentice star Ryan-Mark Parsons is hospitalised after dropping £1000 of caviar on his foot". OK! Magazine. 30 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ Newman, Vicki (4 December 2019). "Apprentice star Ryan-Mark baffles fans as he eats McDonald's with knife and fork". mirror. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Who? Weekly: The Peloton Wife, Ryan-Mark Parsons & K.T. Tunstall? on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  31. ^ "The Apprentice's Ryan-Mark Parsons claims koala fur should be sold for charity". Metro. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Apprentice star branded 'sick' after suggesting koala fur should be sold for charity". Daily Mirror. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "'Disgusting suggestion': Businessman's plan for dead koalas slammed". NZ Herald (in en-NZ). 24 January 2020. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 26 January 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  34. ^ "Businessman slammed over 'vile' plan for koalas killed in bushfire crisis". 7NEWS.com.au. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  35. ^ Channon, Max (3 June 2021). "Antivaxxers 'have no right to go to pub or restaurants'". WalesOnline. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  36. ^ Parsons, Ryan-Mark (5 June 2021). "'Anti-vaxxers are harming us all with stupid delusions - get the jab, shut up'". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  37. ^ @GMB (3 June 2021). "A survey for GMB has found that 1 in 5 18-29 years olds will either refuse to take the vaccine when offered or are undecided. Ryan Mark Parsons says under 30s 'don't have the right' to go to pubs and restaurants if they don't have the Covid-19 vaccine" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ^ Duke, Simon (4 August 2021). "The Apprentice star offends people working from home in GMB rant". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  39. ^ a b "Good Morning Britain to launch first ever YouTube original series". Press Centre. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  40. ^ "Rita Ora 'sorry' for breaking lockdown rules to attend birthday party". BBC News. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  41. ^ Parsons, Ryan-Mark; Wetherill, Jack (4 December 2020). "'Rita Ora's pathetic party apology isn't fooling me' says Apprentice's Ryan-Mark". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  42. ^ "The Apprentice's Ryan-Mark Parsons savagely slams Rita Ora for rule break". Metro. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  43. ^ 'Megan Markle has made Prince Harry a lapdog' - Ryan-Mark Parsons, RT, retrieved 26 May 2021
  44. ^ Farrell, Kyle (25 May 2021). "Prince Harry's attack on First Amendment was 'calculated' - 'Should know better!'". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  45. ^ Nguyen, Lananh (23 June 2021). "Morgan Stanley says no vaccine, no entry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  46. ^ "Grammy Award nominee MNEK spills the tea on Drag Race UK's second season". FUBAR Radio. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  47. ^ @talkRadio (9 October 2021). "London's transport network has been granted a high court injunction against Insulate Britain protesters aimed at preventing them from obstructing traffic. Daily Star columnist Ryan-Mark Parsons is pleased: "They are a bunch of hypocrites."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  48. ^ Scullard, Vickie (23 January 2020). "Ryan-Mark Parsons slammed for suggesting to sell fur from dead koalas". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  49. ^ "Little Britain pulled from iPlayer and Netflix". BBC News. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  50. ^ Parsons, Ryan-Mark; Wetherill, Jack (2 October 2020). "'Maisie Smith will rescue bland Strictly line-up,' says Apprentice's Ryan-Mark". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  51. ^ Parsons, Ryan-Mark (8 March 2021). "'Stop Meghan, the Oscar-worthy performance isn't working' says Ryan-Mark Parsons". Dailystar.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  52. ^ "The Apprentice, Best Bits". Retrieved 2 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  53. ^ "Bromley Christmas lights switch-on goes virtual for 2020 with online festivities". News Shopper. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  54. ^ "Our newest charity Patron: Ryan-Mark Parsons". Go Beyond. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.

External links[]

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