Conor T. P. Woodman is an Irish director, television presenter, author and public speaker, best known as the host of Scam City and Around the World in 80 Trades.
Woodman is a former financial analyst turned investigative journalist. He has written and reported from many parts of the world on a variety of social concerns, ranging from gangs and organised crime, to slavery and diamond smuggling, to forest fires and salmon farming.
Books and writing
In 2009, he published his first book, The Adventure Capitalist, chronicling his experiences trading his way around the globe. His second book, Unfair Trade: The Truth Behind Big Business, Politics and Fair Trade was published in 2011. Unfair Trade was long-listed for the 2012 Orwell Prize. Woodman's third book, Sharks: Investigating The Criminal Heart of the Global City was published by September Publishing in March 2017. Woodman has also written for several newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, TNT, Wanderlust, Conde Nast and Wexas Traveller.
Television
In 2009, Woodman presented the Channel 4 travel and adventure series Around the World in 80 Trades. The 4-part series is based on his book, The Adventure Capitalist. From 2012–2014, Woodman hosted two seasons of the National Geographic Channel show Scam City, in which he travels to various popular cities around the globe and reveals the darker side of tourism. Scam City was nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award in 2014 and in 2015 for Best Factual Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. Woodman presented two-part ITV series Hunting the Doorstep Conmen in 2013. In October, he presented Exposure: Britain's Booming Cannabis Business for ITV part of ITV's award-winning Exposure strand. In 2015, Woodman reported on three episodes of BBC1's flagship consumer affairs show Watchdog. In August 2016, it was announced that Woodman would host an eight-part series for Channel 4 and History Channel Canada entitled Hunting Nazi Treasure. The first season aired on History Channel Canada in October 2017. He appeared alongside The Monuments Men Foundation's Robert M. Edsel in the program which ended in 2018.
Films
In 2014, Woodman produced and directed his first feature documentary film, True Appaloosa. The film follows Scott Engstrom, an Appaloosa horse breeder, to Kyrgyzstan as she tries to track down a horse that she thought looked like an Appaloosa while watching the TV show Around the World in 80 Trades. Engstrom believed that DNA from the horse might be able to prove that the true source of the North American Appaloosa horse was Asia and not Europe as the history books claim. In January 2015, a 60-minute version of the film was transmitted on the BBC to critical acclaim. The feature-length documentary premiered at the Sun Valley, IdahoFilm Festival in March 2015. In October 2015, Woodman's dramatic short film Jester premiered at the Sunscreen West Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Radio
Woodman regularly reports back on his travels for the BBC current affairs show From Our Own Correspondent and is also a guest presenter on Radio 4's Costing the Earth.
Personal life
In 2014, Woodman married English actress and playwright Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The couple announced they were divorcing in 2017.
