X Factor, Strictly and Babadook hire the man who pimps pumpkins

There was a time when The One Show was Dave Turner’s greatest media moment.

But now the pumpkin-pimping York St John University graduate has been called in to action by the two biggest Saturday night shows of the week, a US chat show host – and the most talked about movie of the moment.

We first caught up with Dave two years ago after he carved an uncannily lifelike Lenny Henry into a pumpkin for the One Show.

Since then his Pumpk’d pumpkin carving business has really taken off.

This year his clients have included both Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor, who wanted pumpkins for their Halloween-themed shows this weekend.

And he carved five to promote Aussie horror film The Babadook.

“I was in the studio at five in the morning to get them finished, so it is pretty tiring. But now they’re sitting in the offices of Hello Magazine, Total Film and Buzzfeed – which is exciting,” said Dave.

There’s also been some promotional work from across the pond. US chat show star Conan O’Brien hired him to provide a “make your own Conan pumpkin” kit to send out in Halloween hampers over here, complete with a stencil of his face.

Since launching his business in York, Dave has moved back to his home town of Whitby. Meanwhile, Pump’kd has launched an online shop selling stencils so you can recreate the designs at home.

They range from traditional cats and skeletons to characters from Game of Thrones and Doctor Who.