Connell, Miranda

Miranda was born in Stanstead, Essex. She began acting at the age of 18, playing Maria in a 1958 production of Twelfth Night at Stratford.

She toured Russia where she met Guy Burgess (former British spy, who was later revealed to be a double agent working for the Russians).

In 1964, she appeared in Hostile Witness, with Michael Denison at the Haymarket Theatre before taking a year off from acting to spend more time with her family.

Miranda was the 24th Play School presenter and made her debut appearance on 16th May 1966, with Rick Jones. This began a nine-year association with the programme.

She presented her final edition on 18th April 1975, with Don Spencer. She appeared in 386 editions – the eighth-longest-serving presenter.

In 2010, she attended the book launch of Here’s a House – A Celebration of Play School at BAFTA.

In May 2014, she attended the 50th anniversary reunion of Play School’s first edition at Riverside Studios, with many former presenters and production members.

She was a reporter on BBC Bristol children’s magazine programme, Search (BBC One, 1971) and appeared in seven editions of Play Away (1972 – 1976).

Television acting credits include:

• BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1956);
• Crime Sheet (1959);
• Hilda Lessways (1959);
• Emergency Ward 10 (1960);
• The Small House at Allington (1960);
• The Avengers (1961);
• Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961);
• Harpers West One (1962);
• Redcap (1964);
• Public Eye (1966);
• Dixon of Dock Green (1966);
• Special Branch (1970);
• Paul Temple (1971).

Film credits include: Three Men in a Boat (1956) and The Admiral Crichton (1957).

Theatre credits include Silver Wedding with Evelyn Laye and Frank Lawton.

She later worked for many years in her local Citizens Advice Bureau and for a year as Welfare Advisor at Equity, the actors’ union. Since then, she has performed a similar role for The Equity Charitable Trust, giving grant aid from a charity for performers.

Miranda married actor Edward de Souza in 1960. They have four children.

His TV credits include:

• Miles in The Marriage Lines (BBC One, 1963 – 1966);
• Marc Cory in Doctor Who (BBC One, 1965);
• The Troubleshooters (BBC One, 1967);
• After Henry (Thames TV/ITV, 1989 – 1990);
• Eileen’s father, Colin Grimshaw, in Coronation Street (Granada TV/ITV, December 2008 – May 2009).

Correspondence

Paul R. Jackson met Miranda at her London home in 1990.

How did you become involved with Play School?

“I had three children aged three, four and five and I watched Play School with them and I thought that I could be a presenter, so I rang the office.

“I was given an audition with Brian Cant – the first time a current presenter had been used, at my request, rather than doing a solo audition.

“Presenters never had long-term contracts, but usually worked every six to eight weeks, which suited me as I had a young family.”

Paul contacted Miranda again in July 2009 to inform her about the book and she recalled:

“I was once bitten by Katoo, the resident Play School parrot that caused blood and confusion during the recording! Did you know that we first recorded Play School at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith and I think that our programmes were the first BBC Two programmes to be shown in colour?”

Producer John Lane recalled how shocked he was when in a production meeting in 1975, it was announced that Miranda would be taken off the programme after being a presenter for nine years.

Miranda told me that she was very upset at the way her long association with the programme had ended and that she had to arrange a meeting with one of the programme’s producers to be informed that her services were no longer required.

Personal information

Clips of Miranda on The TV Room

Miranda may be featured in video/audio clips on our other websites. Click the links below to display a listing (a 404 error will appear if no clips are found):

Rewind | Clean Feed

Online presence

Acknowledgements