Fred is a former schoolteacher. He is an actor, who became a popular Play School presenter, making his debut on 16th July 1973 (earning £45 a programme). This began a 15-year association with the programme, which would see Fred appear in 382 editions.
…Jarvis, Chris
Chris was born in Romford. He began his entertainment career as a presenter on Radio Orwell in Ipswich hosting a Saturday morning children’s show. He also performed in cabaret and at Butlins.
…Arthur, Toni
Toni was born Antoinette Alice Priscilla, in Oxford. She won a music scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of nine and gave a concert at the Wigmore Hall in the same year. She trained as a nurse at University College Hospital. She was a folk music singer and was married to fellow musician Dave Arthur (1963 – 1977). They released several folk music albums (1964 – 1975).
…Hewer, John
John was born in Leyton, Essex. He was an actor/writer, who was a long-time member of the London’s Players Theatre.
…Bligh, Jasmine
Jasmine was born in London. She was the niece of Esme Ivo Bligh, the 9th Earl of Darnley and a descendant of Captain William Bligh, the commander famously usurped in the Mutiny on the Bounty.
…Buchan, Josephine
Josephine was born in London in 1955. She presented various programmes for the BBC, including: Take Two (BBC One, 1984 – 1985); Pebble Mill at One (BBC One, 1984 – 1986); Rock Around the Clock (BBC Two, 25th August 1984); A Song for Christmas (BBC One, 1985). She was a reporter for Did You See…? (BBC Two, 1985) and Off the Record (BBC Two, 1985), and guest-supported on Best of Brass (BBC Two, 1986). She also appeared on Canned Carrot (BBC One, 1990).
…Courtie, Simeon
Simeon was born in Swindon and grew up in Liverpool. His father was a vicar. He left school in 1986, aged 16, and became a City & Guilds-qualified mechanical and electrical engineer, completing a four-year apprenticeship at Timsons, a printing press manufacturer in Kettering. During this time, he joined the local hospital radio station KHBA and started volunteering at BBC Radio Northampton. In 1990, he began a full-time broadcasting career as a radio car reporter and presenter at BBC Radio Northampton.
…Tidmarsh, John
John was born in Camberwell, south London. He was an evacuee during the early years of World War II and went to three different grammar schools before joining his parents in Bristol for his final school years at Cotham Grammar School. John left school at 16, to become a junior reporter with the Western Daily Press. At 18, he left to do two years of National Service and spoke into a microphone for the first time when he became a radio operator in the RAF, serving one year at RAF Seletar in Singapore. In autumn 1948, he returned to Bristol and joined the Western Daily Press and began to specialise in sport, reporting each week on Bristol Rovers. After doing a live commentary one Saturday for the newly created Hospital Radio Service, the BBC controller in West Region, the former war correspondent Frank Gillard, offered him a job, initially as a resident freelance, reporting and presenting the regional magazine The Week in the West.
…Redfern, Barrie
Barrie was born in Rotherham. He started out as a student broadcaster, before moving to BBC Local Radio.
…Tooth, Pauline
Pauline was an actress and a BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1955 – 1961). She also appeared in a one-off show called Afternoon Hostesses Tea-Party (20th December 1955), hosted by McDonald Hobley, with Vera McKechnie and Nan Winton amongst the contributors.
…Stevens, Julie
Julie is an actress and former ABC contract artist. She was a great children’s favourite on both Play School (1964 – 1978) and Play Away (1971 – 1979) and is remembered for her zany appearances.
…Thomas, Ben
Ben was born in 1955. He is an actor who is perhaps best known as a Play School presenter. He made his debut appearance on the programme on 28th January 1980. Ben was popular with viewers. Who can forget his performance of the classic Wibbly Wobbly song with his elastic body? He later presented Play Away (1982 – 1984); BBC Manchester’s production Knock Knock (1982); All Star Record Breakers (1982); Stop Go! (1983); Up Our Street (1985).
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