Mark Pilgrim Perhaps best known as the host of three Big Brother reality TV shows, and more recently South Africa's biggest ever game show the Power of 10, he has also hosted New Moves on e-TV, Face 2 Face on SABC2 as well as Retail Therapy and Sex Etc on MNET.
His true passion though is radio, and the SA public are very familiar with Mark’s voice as radio deejay.
After obtaining his B.Com and working in market research for 10 years, he decided to follow his heart and joined 5FM back in 1995. After 8 years they parted ways and he now freelances for 94.7 Highveld Stereo and KFM, hosting Johannesburg and Cape Town's only independent chart show; TAKE40SA brought to you by Nokia - Connecting People.
In addition, he is a regular DJ at nightclubs and corporate events around the country. As a voice artist, Mark also spends a lot of his working day in post production studios, narrating numerous radio and TV commercials. Mark is a motivational speaker, sharing his story on testicular cancer, how he overcame it and how it pushed him to follow his dreams.
Mark's early years Mark was born in Essex, England on 20 September 1969. At the age of 9 his family immigrated to South Africa and he spent his primary and high school years in the small towns of Kriel and Sasolburg.
After finishing High School (he matriculated at Sasolburg High School in 1986), Mark moved to Johannesburg and started his B.Com degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. Two years later he started working full-time and finished his degree in Industrial Psychology and Business Economics through UNISA.
Mark's battle with cancer One always says "It will never happen to me". Well, it did. Just when he thought all was going well, his life would change forever.
Mark had started his second year at university and had a bursary with an auditing company. This was a big thing in his life as his family couldn't afford to put him through university. One day in April 1988 he noticed a lump that seemed abnormal. A week later he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his lungs and kidneys. Mark underwent an operation immediately and had to temporarily say goodbye to his studies as months of chemotherapy ensued.
He overcame the illness purely because of his will to survive. Mark still goes for checkups and one of the reasons he continues to shave his head is to remind him on a daily basis not to take life for granted.
The reason Mark includes this personal part of his life for all to read here, is not to gain sympathy, but to create awareness. When last did YOU check for lumps. Mark says it is not taboo to talk about things like this. No-one will know... check your boobs or gonads... it could save your life.
In fact, Mark recently took it one step further by taking his story on the road. He is now a motivational speaker, revealing to audiences how he overcame cancer, as well as how it made him change career paths and follow his dreams.
Getting into radio From the age of 12 Mark knew he wanted to get into broadcasting. He would ride around the streets of Kriel on his bicycle with a battery operated microphone and speaker, announcing lost dogs (which he fabricated).
Whilst at University he was on campus radio and shortly thereafter attended the School of Broadcasting. He spent about 8 years auditioning at various radio stations, including Radio 702, Capital 604, Smart FM and Highveld Stereo, but to no avail.
In mid-1995 Mark heard 5FM was looking for a new late night jock and sent through an audition tape. A week later he did his first show. For 2 years he did radio by night and continued his market research career by day. At the end of 1996 Mark made a decision to focus his energy on radio and said goodbye to his market research colleagues.
For almost 10 years Mark hosted various shows on 5FM, starting off on Weekend Graveyard, followed by the hugely popular 80's HOUR on Saturday afternoons, and then finally Weekend Breakfast. In 2003, Mark left 5fm and became part of 94.7 Highveld Stereo family, hosting Take40sa on Saturdays and “The Long Lost Classic Show” on Sundays. In October 2007, radio history was made in South Africa, when Mark started broadcasting the chart show on 94.5 Kfm and 94.7 Highveld Stereo at the same time.
Television career Mark's television career began behind the scenes when, as a voice artist, he began narrating various shows. This lead to him hosting his first show in 1999 called NEW MOVES. It was a lifestyle program on eTV, which focused on travel, food, fashion and technology at the turn of the millennium.
Big Brother came about in 2001 and Mark beat about 100 seasoned TV professionals to host South Africa's first reality TV show. With over a million live viewers every Sunday night, it was an invaluable learning curve for him and overnight he became a household name. The sequel would follow in 2002, and then Big Brother Africa in 2003.
In 2004, Mark hosted a makeover show on SABC2 called Face2Face, and in 2005 pushed many peoples moral boundary with Sex Etc on Mnet.
Hobbies Whilst Mark's weekends are usually extremely hectic, he makes a point of finding downtime in his schedule. He leads a healthy lifestyle and make a point of going to gym a few times a week.
In his spare time he flies radio controlled helicopters and is also learning to play the piano.
Married
On 7 July 2007 Mark married the love of his life, Nicole, on the beach in Mauritius. They live in the heart of Sandton in Johannesburg. No kids yet!
Perhaps best known as the host of three Big Brother reality TV shows, and more recently South Africa's biggest ever game show the Power of 10, he has also hosted New Moves on e-TV, Face 2 Face on SABC2 as well as Retail Therapy and Sex Etc on MNET. 
Television career
