UPDATE: |What happened to Greater Manchester’s children’s TV stars of the 80s and 90s News

We take a look at the former stars of kids’ telly and see where their careers took them next

They’re the familiar faces we all grew up with, but what did the stars from Greater Manchester do after they stopped working on children’s telly?

Many of us will remember racing home from school, throwing our bag into the hallway before crashing down in front of the TV, just in time to catch our favourite shows. During the ’80s, ’90s, and early Noughties, children’s TV on both CITV and its BBC counterpart, CBBC, served as launching pads for many young actors and presenters who went on to enjoy successful careers.

Recently, the Manchester Evening News took a look back at 21 incredible children’s TV shows we loved in the ’80s and ’90s. So here, we take a look at the former stars of kids’ telly themselves, and see where their careers took them afterwards.

Jane Danson

Jane Danson, the Bury-born actress best known for her role as Leanne Battersby in Coronation Street, first made waves on national television in 1996. She portrayed the resilient Paula in CITV’s Children’s Ward, a character who overcame a debilitating leg disease and a climbing accident.

Throughout her career, Danson has consistently been drawn to dramatic roles, having played Leanne Battersby since 1997, with a hiatus between 2000 and 2004. The actress is a frequent nominee and occasional winner at various TV and soap awards.

In 2019, she participated in the 11th series of Dancing on Ice with professional partner Sylvain Longchambon, but was eliminated in week seven after a skate-off.

Timmy Mallett

Timmy Mallett is another familiar face from CITV. If you grew up in the mid-’80s, you’ll likely remember the joy of watching Mallett whack children on the head with a foam hammer on the Wide Awake Club.

Born in Stockport, Mallett also had a successful radio career, including a stint at Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio.

Since the Wide Awake Club ended in 1992, the 67 year old has run his own production company, competed on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, and even topped the UK charts in 1990 with a cover of Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.

While Mallett has more recently been seen treading the boards in his stage show or panto, he also indulges his passions for cycling and art, selling his oil and acrylic paintings online.

Tina O’Brien

Like Danson, Tina O’Brien first found fame on Coronation Street, but her career actually began on the CITV drama Children’s Ward, where she played a character named Clare. She made her Corrie debut in 1999 as Sarah-Lou Platt, who famously became pregnant at 13.

The Rusholme-born actress took a seven-year break from the soap before returning as Sarah-Lou in 2015, alongside her now 14 year old daughter, Bethany. During her hiatus from the cobbles, O’Brien starred in several hit dramas including Waterloo Road, Casualty and Call The Midwife.

O’Brien also competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 with partner Jared Murillo, but they were eliminated in week five.

Chris Bisson

Chris Bisson, born in Wythenshawe and aged 47, completes the trio of Corrie stars who transitioned from children’s hospitals to The Rovers Return. His TV debut was as J.J. in Children’s Ward, a role he held for 13 series.

From 1999 to 2002, he portrayed Vikram Desai in Coronation Street before crossing over to Emmerdale in 2009, where he continues to play Jai Sharma. Bisson has also appeared in Shameless as Kash Karib and starred in the hit British film East is East in 1999.

Geoffrey Hayes

Hayes, an early star of children’s programming, is remembered for hosting the beloved show Rainbow from 1973 until 1992. Born in Stockport, 1942, he initially held various jobs outside the television industry before deciding to train as an actor at drama school in Manchester.

Prior to becoming a familiar face on children’s TV, Hayes pursued an acting career, featuring as a repeated character on the pioneering BBC police series, Z-Cars. Despite this, his most renowned role was among the likes of Zippy, George, and Bungle, captivating myriad young viewers on Rainbow.

Post-Rainbow, when ITV axed the programme in the nineties, Hayes faced challenges securing roles on television, which led him to work in Sainsbury’s stacking shelves and later behind the wheel as a taxi driver. Upon retiring, Hayes reflected: “I didn’t do it for the money – it was just that I’d been out of work for five months and was hanging around the house becoming a pain.

“My wife told me to do something to take my mind off it. I also did a stint taxi driving. Now I’m retired and when I look back at my TV career, I feel very lucky.

“I’ll always be grateful for Rainbow and the life it’s given me.” The treasured presenter passed away in 2018 at the age of 76.

Paul Nicholls

Turning to local talent, Bolton’s own Paul Nicholls is another example who leapt from CITV beginnings into prominence on the soap opera stage. The actor, now 43 years old, first appeared on screen at the tender age of 10 on – indeed – Children’s Ward back in 1990.

In 1994, he also featured in the BBC children’s dramas Earthfasts and The Biz before landing the role of Albert Square heartthrob, Joe Wicks, in Eastenders. Since his departure from the show in 1997, Nicholls has maintained a steady presence in TV and film, with credits including Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, and TV roles in Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Ackley Bridge, and most recently, BBC series Phoenix Rise.

Phillip Schofield

For many years, we grew accustomed to seeing Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby on ITV’s This Morning. However, revelations of the 62-year-old’s extra-marital affair with a much younger male colleague, resulted his resignation after being a presenter on the show for more than 20 years.

However, his British TV career actually began with him conversing with a puppet named Gordon the Gopher, who communicated solely through high-pitched squeaks.

Born in Oldham but raised in Cornwall, Schofield was the inaugural regular ‘Broom Cupboard’ presenter for Children’s BBC in the mid-’80s. He left in 1987 to host the Saturday morning kids TV classic, Going Live.

In the early 1990s, Schofield transitioned to adult-oriented television, presenting various programmes for ITV, such as Schofield’s Quest and Schofield’s TV Gold. However, it’s his over two-decade-long tenure hosting ITV’s daytime show This Morning that has cemented him as one of Britain’s most recognisable faces.

In addition to his TV work, the 60 year old presenter has also graced the West End stage, taking on the lead role in Joseph And The Technicolour Dreamcoat following Jason Donovan’s exit in 1991. He also performed and toured in another musical, Doctor Doolittle, in 2000.

Following his high-profile resignation from This Morning the presenter last appeared on our TV screens, after a 16-month absence, on Channel 5’s reality show Cast Away in September 2024. Aired over three episodes, Cast Away saw Schofield stranded on an island alone for 10 days. The reality show, which drew considerable criticism, saw the former children’s TV presenter talk candidly about his well-publicised personal and professional issues.

Yvette Fielding

Born in Stockport, Fielding, 57, was raised in Bramhall. Her first significant TV role arrived in 1983 when she was cast in the children’s BBC series Seaview.

At just 18 years old, Yvette Fielding became the youngest ever presenter of British children’s TV stalwart, Blue Peter.

After a five-year stint as a presenter, Fielding departed Blue Peter in 1992 and went on to host and feature in several other TV programmes. However, it was after setting up a production company with her husband in 2002, that Fielding solidified her cult TV status presenting Most Haunted – a paranormal investigation reality show for Living TV.

More paranormal-themed shows ensued with Most Haunted Live and Ghosthunting With… In 2010, Fielding announced she was stepping down as presenter of Most Haunted, however she continued to appear in other ghost-hunting related TV shows, including an episode of Olly: Life On Murs in 2012, where she and Olly Murs visited a haunted house.

The presenter also ran and co-owned a tea shop in Manchester named ‘Propertea’ until 2016 and was a contestant on the ITV reality series I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2015. Since 2019, Fielding has penned and published several children’s books of ghost stories.

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