Michael Locke obit

Dirty Sanchez TV star Pancho dead at 47 as tributes paid

The sad news comes after the Port Talbot native - whose real name is Mike Locke - found success with fashion brand San Portablo

 He was not on the list.

Michael Locke better known as Pancho has died at the age of 47.

Star of cult noughties MTV show, Dirty Sanchez, Mike Locke aka Pancho, has died. The 47-year-old was born in Neath and found fame on the stunt and prank television show alongside Matthew Pritchard, Lee Dainton and Dan Joyce.

A former stuntman and skateboarder, in the past decade he'd found success with another cool, cult Welsh brand as backer of the San Portablo clothing brand, alongside his friend and founder, Nigel Hunt.

The sad news of his passing came via San Portablo's Instagram on Friday morning, November 6, where they paid tribute to "an absolute Welsh treasure" and "all round Goodfella" who "lit up the world with his charm."

WalesOnline spoke to Mike earlier in 2026, alongside San Portablo founder and close friend, Nigel - who set up the clothes brand after losing his job at the nearby steelworks. Mike spoke passionately about their town and why he was proud of San Portablo and what it meant to their hometown.

Mike said at the time: "It's the key to celebrating us, and the town and not being seen as this pass-through town that's hiding in the shadow of the steelworks. It's really tragic what's happened to the steelworks. My heart goes out to all the people who lost their jobs there, but at this moment in time the town is shining bright, and it's moving through a cultural phenomenon really.

"It's become like Cymru Cool, like Port Talbot Cool, you know, it's got that vibe about it. Luckily with the shop, we live and breathe it every day. The way that we've embraced the culture and the street art culture which was prevalent here, we made a real scene out of it. It's something that we are very proud of."

Starting out in with a stall in the middle of Aberavon Shopping Centre, San Portablo now has a permanent shop in the centre plus one at Cardiff Airport. They count Fontaines DC and Michael Sheen amongst their fans and 2026 sees them mark a decade in business.

He was a professional stuntman and skateboarder. He was best known for MTV UK's Dirty Sanchez.

Locke was born on 13 March 1979. He starred in the film Dirty Sanchez: The Movie, released in 2006. He also appeared in the Channel 4 series Balls of Steel as one half of the "Pain Men", alongside Sanchez crew member Mathew Pritchard. They both also appeared in two episodes of Death Wish Live in 2006.

 

Filmography

Films

Year     Title     Role     Notes

2001    Pritchard vs Dainton   Himself            Direct-to-video

2006    Dirty Sanchez: The Movie      Himself            Writer

Associate producer

2014    Pritchard vs Dainton – The Rise and Falls     Himself            Documentary

Archive footage

2025    The Road of Excess    Himself            Documentary

Television

Year     Title     Role     Notes

2003–2007      Dirty Sanchez Himself            Writer

29 episodes

2003    MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2003        Himself            Presenter

2005    Comedy Lab   Maria   Episode 7.7

2005–2008      Balls of Steel   Himself            Segment: "Pain Men"

2005    TRL UK          Himself            1 episode

2006    Death Wish Live         Himself            2 episodes

2006    Celebrity Sex Tape Unwound Himself            TV movie documentary

2007    MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007     Himself            Presenter

2008    Nike: Put It Where You Want It          Himself            TV commercial series

2010    The Dudesons Himself            Episode 4.3

Web series

Year     Title     Role     Notes

2020    The Sanchez Story Volume 1  Himself            Documentary

Podcast

2021    The Sanchez Story Volume 2  Himself            Documentary

Podcast

Music videos

Year     Artist   Track   Role     Notes

2006    Turbonegro      "All My Friends Are Dead"    Himself            Archive footage