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Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK . An avid railway enthusiast, Waterman is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway and rolling stock.
Waterman took up a job as an A&R man, and worked in the Philadelphia scene, which included introducing the Three Degrees to the UK. He then moved to Jamaica working with Peter Tosh and Lee Perry, and producing Susan Cadogan’s reggae-crossover hit "Hurt So Good".
In 1979, Waterman set up Loose Ends with Peter Collins, the first coming under the name 14–18 with a single inspired by World War I, "Good-Bye-Ee," and hits with artists like Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw. He then set up his own company PWL (Pete Waterman Limited) in 1984, quickly signing producers Matt Aitken and Mike Stock, who produced the song "Whatever I Do" for Hazell Dean. Stock Aitken Waterman became one of the most successful musical production teams of the 1980s.
Waterman has been involved in at least twenty-two UK number one singles with his acts (including Dead or Alive, Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Bananarama, Steps, Mel and Kim, Donna Summer, Sinitta, Cliff Richard and Jason Donovan) and he claims upwards of 500 million sales worldwide (inclusive of singles, albums, compilation inclusions, downloads, etc.). Waterman also appeared in the Steps video "Tragedy".
In the late-1990s, production company Celador hired Waterman to compose a song for their new quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The company felt the song unsuitable, and instead approached Keith Strachan.
Waterman co-wrote and produced with Mike Stock "That Sounds Good to Me" by Josh Dubovie, the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest entry for the United Kingdom, Waterman to pen UK Eurovision song The Press Association – 29 January 2010 which finished in last place with 10 points.
Waterman was worth £30 million in 2006/07,Sunday Times Rich List 2006–2007, A & C Black () according to The Sunday Times Rich List.
Waterman has appeared as a judge on both series of Pop Idol in the UK (2001–03), and also (2002). The latter saw him become manager of the winning boy band One True Voice, who then lost the race to Christmas number 1 to the same show's winning girl group, Louis Walsh's Girls Aloud.
Waterman returned as judge for the second series of Pop Idol, but was constantly critical of the eventual winner, Michelle McManus, and was openly disappointed when she won. Waterman has since said he will not appear on any similar programmes in future, Waterman vows never to return to Reality TV, Digitalspy.co.uk, retrieved 13 March 2008 and has on several occasions attacked more recent talent shows (specifically those devised by his former Pop Idol colleague, Simon Cowell). Waterman has stated that he turned down offers to participate in The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol, citing fix allegations and being put off by unprofessional behaviour including that of co-judge Geri Halliwell during the show.
Whilst he has kept his promise not to appear as a talent show judge, on 12 October 2008, Waterman joined his fellow ex- Pop Idol judges Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman on Peter Kay's spoof talent show Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice, a fully scripted fictional spoof on the talent show genre. The show parodied the emotional manipulation behind Cowell's shows, with Waterman memorably interrupting a funeral to tell an ousted contestant that the loss of his gran (who had died of shock when learning her grandson had been dropped from the show) would provide the sob story he needed to get him on to the show.
In factual television, Waterman's interest in trains saw him present a historic self-retrospective view in Waterman on Railways for Channel Four/the Discovery Channel. Waterman also appeared in an advert by the National Blood Service in the UK, their sixth TV advert which also features Carol Smillie and Will Carling.
Waterman was one of the contestants in the 2009 series of the BBC programme Celebrity MasterChef, but was knocked out in the first round.
In October 2019, Waterman appeared on . Waterman was part of an all star audience during the auditions stage in Malibu at Simon Cowell’s house, providing commentary critique behind the main judges, alongside Randy Jackson, Howie Mandel and songwriter Diane Warren.
To hold his own collection of locomotives, he founded the Waterman Railway Heritage Trust, which currently owns several steam and diesel locomotives including:
Waterman also has a keen interest in model railways, and is the founder of the model railway business Just Like the Real Thing, which specialises in O Gauge kits. He works closely with model-maker Laurie Lynch on this project. He continues to retain an interest in the company and regularly accompanies its sales stand to model railway exhibitions. Waterman has an extensive private collection of railway models and railway layouts, in O scale and larger gauges. He is currently building a large model of Leamington Spa railway station, in O scale and set in the 1950s. He has written several books and many magazine articles on the subject. He has said that his ability to become absorbed in making models helped him cope with grief after the death of his son.
In 2007, Waterman became involved in a co-operative UK rail industry bid to create a national railway training scheme under the then Labour government, which after the Government seed funding was withdrawn from all such schemes, was halted in 2009. Waterman revealed in 2011 that he had since spent £900,000 of his own money on training apprentices at Crewe, and that outside Network Rail's own scheme, only 37 apprentices had been taken into the rail industry in 2011. In January 2015, Waterman announced the sale of the bulk of his model railway collection, to fund the training of rail apprentices in restoring his steam locomotives 5224 and 5553, which in May 2015 were moved from Crewe to Peak Rail. In April 2015, the collection sold for £627,229 at the auction in Birmingham. In July 2015, in partnership with rail engineering firm OSL, Waterman launched the Railway Exchange Training Academy (RETA) at Crewe.
In June 2009, Waterman unveiled Manchester Metrolink Firema T-68 1007s new name “East Lancashire Railway” as a tribute to the Heritage Railway at Bury tram stop.
In October 2018, Waterman unveiled The Will Hay Appreciation Society
In 2018, Waterman became president of the Railway Benefit Fund, a railway benevolent charity based in Crewe.
On 20 October 2021 during a High Speed 2 site visit Waterman announced the name of one of the tunnel boring machines to be Dorothy.
In 2021 and 2022, Pete Waterman produced two different OO Gauge model layouts at Chester Cathedral. Both modelled different parts of the West Coast Main Line, with each being branded as 'Making Tracks' and in 2023, Pete, and his group of other enthusiasts nicknamed the 'Railnuts' group, produced a model railway focusing on Milton Keynes Central railway station.
During 1‒3 August 2025 the "Milton Keynes Central" layout was on display for the Greatest Gathering held at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
In September 2024, a Freightliner Class 90 Numero sign90041 was named in honour of Pete Waterman, with a plaque placed on both sides of the locomotive
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