Martel Maxwell (born 9 March 1977) is a Scottish journalist, writer, radio and television presenter. Since 2017, she has co-presented the property show Homes Under the Hammer.

Maxwell was born on 9 March 1977,^[1] and was raised in Dundee. She attended the High School of Dundee, before studying law at the University of Edinburgh and then taking a postgraduate diploma in law at the University of Dundee.^[2] After deciding against a career in the law, Maxwell turned to journalism instead.^[3]

Maxwell got her first post in journalism as a graduate intern at The Sun and took a diploma in newspaper journalism at London City University. She spent seven years at The Sun as a reporter in city, women's news, and showbusiness, before going freelance.^[4][3]

After going freelance, Maxwell wrote opinion pieces for The Scottish Sun and since 2013 has written a weekly column for the Evening Telegraph in Dundee.^[2]

Maxwell's move into broadcast journalism came in 2010 when she became a reporter on the BBC show The One Show and then became a regular entertainment guest on the ITV show Lorraine and one of the presenters of a short-lived BBC3 consumer affairs programme Don't Get Screwed and BBC Scotland magazine show On the Road.^[5][6] Since 2017, she has been one of the three presenters of the BBC property programme Homes Under the Hammer,^[7] replacing Lucy Alexander.

Maxwell has also guest presented on BBC Radio Scotland and in 2008, had her own show on Edinburgh station Talk 107 until the station folded.^[8] In 2021, she provided the voiceover narration for the third series of BBC Scotland's documentary Inside Central Station.

Maxwell published a novel, Scandalous, in 2010. Based on her experiences as a showbusiness reporter, The Daily Telegraph considered that it gave "a thrilling insight into the celebrity-baiting world of the kiss and tell" but also considered that "the narrative is weighed down by product placement".^[9]

Maxwell lives near Dundee with her husband, Jamie Parret, and their three sons.^[3]