Pinball Geoff Harvey loves pinball so much that as a teenager he gave up his bed so he could have more machines in his room! 

 

“It all started when I went to Jersey and I played pinball for the first time,” he tells the Gazette.

 

“When I got back I was telling a friend and he said he knew someone who was giving away a load. I got 10 machines or so – my parents were away and when they came back they couldn’t get in the front door. They were in the hall, up the stairs, in their bedroom. They said to me: ‘You can have as many as you like, Geoffrey, but they will have to be in your room.’ So I got rid of my furniture and my bed.”
 

These days Geoff is something of a celebrity in the world of retro arcade games, having established a collection of over 150 vintage and contemporary pinball machines, football tables, penny slots and other memorabilia.  Drawn to its incredible artwork, Geoff’s favourite pinball machine is the Fireball released in 1972, and you can play it at Dreamland today!

Geoff became fascinated with the history and the mechanics of the machines and is a regular presenter on BBC TV show The Repair Shop. He has also appeared on shows such as Salvage Hunters, Blue Peter, How and What’s Up Doc. When he’s not at the flippers or on TV Geoff can often be seen in local pubs playing drums with the Bikini Beach Band. As he puts it, he might be the only person who gets paid for doing his two teenage passions. He fell in love with the arcade game as a teenager, and his fascination has never tilted.

 

Geoff is also a trained psychiatric social worker and volunteers at The Listening Place, a charity providing support to suicidal adults www.listeningplace.org.uk

All the machines here today are from Geoff’s private collection. If you are interested in renting or purchasing a pinball machine, please contact pinballgeoff@gmail.com