They were with you through the good times and the bad, but where are they now?
Michaela Strachan
A familiar face of ’90s children’s television; Michaela is best known for presenting BBC1’s The Really Wild Show for over a decade. Michaela inspired many children to take an interest in wildlife with her enthusiastic approach: young boys fancied the bubbly blonde, while girls wanted to be her. Michaela joined the programme in 1993 and developed a passion for wildlife which has stuck with her since the show ended. She appeared to have a change of heart earlier this year, presenting Great British Ghosts, but still returned to Autumnwatch 2011.
Blue Peter Presenters
Simon Thomas, Konnie Huq and Matt Baker are some of our generation’s most memorable faces from the small screen. A childhood classic, Blue Peter is the longest running children’s show in the world, meaning countless repetitions of the phrase “Here’s one I made earlier!” All three have left kids’ television and grown up with us: Simon has moved to Sky where he’s a successful sports broadcaster, Konnie has dabbled in a variety of TV programmes, most notably last year’s Xtra Factor, and loveable geordie Matt Baker is now a host for The One Show.
Neil Buchanan
Neil has to be one of the most likeable and talented presenters of recent times. Art Attack was a huge hit and encouraged kids to get creative at home. Big Art was undoubtedly the highlight of the show, as we tried to figure out what on earth he was making, finding out only when the camera zoomed out to an aerial view. Many people wrongly believed Neil had died, (following viral internet rumours), poor guy – he is in fact now a rock star with his band Marseille and recently released a selection of Hope Street Prints, based on his childhood experiences. Papier maché, anyone?
Lizo Mzimba
Lizo was one of CBBC Newsround’s reporters for a decade, gracing our screens several times a week to report a mixture of trivial yet inoffensive news and significant stories directed at children. Now a BBC Entertainment correspondent, an article posted by Cambridge University, which was later proven false in a rather amusing apology (“It was untrue to label him a sleaze [and a] perve”) accused Lizo of behaving in a debauched manner whilst visiting Cambridge to film a documentary about the university.