20 Years of Dick & Dom

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3239654/Childrens-TV-presenter-Richard-McCourt-admits-taking-drugs.html

I think Richard took drugs before he became a presenter. He said he took drugs, but his doctor told him that if he carried on he would die (since he has heart problems). He said his doctor telling him that was "the best thing that's ever happened to him". I think he learned his lesson.

That article is hardly a beacon of journalistic accuracy, repeating the myth that Dick and Dom in da Bungalow was axed for being "inappropriate".

Sam & Mark are not unique to CBBC, their first public "appearance" was back on Pop Idol for a start, and they also do a radio show too. Sam Nixon, it is stated, appeared on an episode of Fun House, while Justin Fletcher technically started out on GMTV.

Let us not forget Michael Underwood as well. As well as his appearance on Crystal Maze in the first Christmas special, he won his CBBC presenting job on Gaby Roslin's Whatever You Want show, stayed there for three years or so and then moved to ITV, but he has since moved onto more mainstream presenting roles, though his wife retains links with children's programming.

Up until his death, Mark Speight was 14 years and counting.

Of course it's far easier to build a career on the back of being a Children's TV presenter at the BBC rather than at ITV - with the exception of Stephen Mulhern, most if not all of the other regular presenters that started on CITV appear to have disappeared back into obscurity.

It seems to happen to a lot of stars, the fame must put a lot of pressure on people.

I remember Mark Speight, my school class went on Diggit with him. Sad what happened.

There was an interesting memory that someone (on this forum?) mentioned, which I'd love to see if by a miracle anyone recorded it 20-odd years ago - CBBC ends, Neighbours is about to start, and the camera cuts back to Dick & Dom having some kind of shouting row and one of them storming off set. The other says "Are we still on air?!" and the feed abruptly cuts off.

It sounded almost certainly like a comedy staged 'off air' argument to amuse the viewers - and the chances of anyone actually recording it are zero unless someone set the tape for Neighbours a few minutes early - but it sounds like it would be fun to watch, staged or not.

Tom/Arthur Darville?

Fern Cotton's not done too badly either.

Though obviously was more assosiated with CBBC than CITV. In fact did she ever actually present their continuity? She did present a few CITV shows, as well as the Disney Club/Road Hog/Diggit, though those were separate from CITV (and apart from the second half of The Disney Club were GMTV).

I remember her doing CITV continuity ages before she appeared on the BBC.

Pretty sure there's clips of her doing continuity with Tom.

Yep, indeed - and she did Fingertips, of course, for ITV and they had a Disney animation week and an internet (?) week back in 2000 which she presented too. It was only in 2002 that she jumped ship over to CBBC when they relaunched.


Dick and Dom did leave CBBC for a bit, of course - Dominic presented the first series of Jungle Run for ITV in the gap - and they both came back doing continuity when the relaunch happened (which is when they became Dick and Dom), and obviously their stardom and success came out of that. Didn't they do a series of a show where they trained to be something else - I distinctly recall watching them learning how to be a football linesman - as Richard and Dominic back in 2001?