Peterborough artist's journey from council estate to Dragons' Den

"You're leaving here to draw on garage doors?" Nathan Murdoch recalls his former chief executive quizzing him.

It was the summer of 2018 and Murdoch, then in his early 30s, had decided to leave behind a decade-long career as a health and safety manager to pursue life as a full-time artist.

His boss's reaction "made me doubt myself", he says. But eight years later, the 40-year-old from Peterborough has built a successful street art business, painted murals around the world and, last week, appeared on Dragons' Den .

His week since appearing on the BBC One business programme has been "pretty intense".

"I've had messages on social media, I've gained new followers, I've had job offers. The opportunities have been insane."

It was not the first time the dad-of-two had found himself in the spotlight.

His mural of The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint was an online hit in 2020, and other artworks have attracted national media coverage.

He has got used to being recognised in his hometown, but says it has stepped up over the past week.

"I was at a petrol station on the A1 and a guy asked me if I'd been on Dragons' Den. It was surreal," he says.

The growing recognition is a far cry from Murdoch's childhood. He describes himself as a "poor council kid from Peterborough" who was arrested as a teenager for graffitiing the city.

"I say to the young kids now that in the early 2000s graffiti was hated," he says.

"Banksy wasn't popular, street art didn't exist. In 2004, camera phones didn't really exist, the internet didn't exist like it did now.

"My mum told me I had to stop doing it."

After leaving school he worked in factories, "but I needed more, so I worked my way into a health and safety role".

"When I joined that job, I thought it would be the last job I'd ever do," says Murdoch.

"It was for a prestigious British brand that made yachts. It felt like the pinnacle of my life, like I'd achieved something."

He quietly built an art business in his spare time, until one day his director asked to speak with him about his future.

"I actually told him I was thinking of leaving… no-one really knew what I did on the side. When I told him I was thinking of leaving to become a street artist, he just laughed."

Later that day, he says he was offered an £8,000 pay rise, which he accepted. But three months later, he found himself quitting his job for good.

"My gut was telling me I don't want to get to 40 years old and wonder 'what if?'. I thought I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"It was the scariest thing I'd ever done. I had a mortgage, a child, my wife was on maternity leave. She asked me if I could do it and I said, 'I think so'."

Since then, Murdoch's business has taken him around the world, but he says he still identifies as working class.

"My friend came round the other day and he said I'm so middle class now and burst out laughing because I've got a pizza oven," he says.

"On paper, he's right. I don't think I want to admit it – I think I'd still call myself working class but sometimes I feel guilty saying it. I'm not rich, but I'm miles away from where I started."

Although Murdoch did not secure investment during his appearance on Dragons' Den, he did come home with the offer of a job from entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

"I am working with his team and him to make it happen," he says. "I'm hoping we'll have it done by the end of the year. There are some designs in progress."

Does he ever see himself going back to the corporate world?

"Sometimes I think it's hard and think maybe I should go back to a day job – business is a challenging thing," he says.

"I thought when the business got bigger life would get easier, but as a famous rapper once said, more money, more problems. But I don't think I could go back to the day job.

"If I decided to give it all up tomorrow, I feel like I achieved more than I ever thought I would do and I'm completely content with that. Anything from now is just a bonus."

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds , Facebook , Instagram and X .

'Dragon' offers street artist advice - and a job

Kane and Bellingham murals celebrate World Cup run

Defaced unity mural restored by street artist