Justin Fletcher (born 15 June 1970) is an English children's television presenter, actor, comedian and singer, known for mainly appearing on

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...

. Speaking and performing in various, often self-created, roles, he specialises in slapstick comedy and works with children with

special educational needs Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system. Meaning The meaning of S ...

through his show '' Something Special''.

Biography

Personal life

Fletcher was born on 15 June 1970 in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. He is the son of songwriter

Guy Fletcher Guy Edward Fletcher (born 24 May 1960) is an English musician, best known for his position as one of the two keyboard players in the rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his subsequent work with Dire Straits fron ...

. He has three sisters and one brother. His cousin, also named

, is a musician.

Career

While in his final year studying drama at the Guildford School of Acting, Fletcher started to regularly watch

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield ( ; born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter. He began his career as a Children's BBC continuity announcer from 1985 to 1987, and went on to present a wide range of high-profile programmes for the BBC and ...

working as a continuity announcer and was inspired to pursue a career in children's television. Following a suggestion from Schofield, Fletcher sketched out various comedic characters and put together a

showreel A showreel (also known as a demo reel, sizzle reel, or work reel) is a short video showcasing a person's previous work used by people involved in filmmaking and other media, including actors, animators, lighting designers, editors, video games an ...

called ''Justin Time'' which encompassed two different characters: Anna Conda, a short-sighted reptile-house warden; and Arthur Sleep, a regional newsreader who has difficulty staying awake and can sleep anywhere no matter what. Both characters were used for his

show '' Gigglebiz''. His first television show after graduation was ''

Fun Song Factory ''Fun Song Factory'' is a British pre-school children's television series and video series. It was originally created in 1994 by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, who at the time, were part of the '' Playdays'' production team. The series was pro ...

'' for

GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...

, working with

Dave Benson Phillips Dave Benson Phillips (born 3 February 1965) is a British entertainer, comic, children's television presenter and wrestler. He has presented '' Playhouse Disney'' (1998–2006), '' Fun Song Factory'' (1994–1999), and the CBBC game show '' Get ...

(he had earlier appeared in the stage production of ''

Playdays ''Playdays'' (known as ''Playbus'' until December 1989) is a British pre-school television programme which ran from 1988 to 1997 on Children's BBC. The show was the successor to '' Play School'' and, like its predecessor, was designed as an ed ...

'' after its television cancellation, portraying the character Mr. Jolly).

BBC and CBeebies

In 1999, Fletcher first began working with the BBC as he voiced the characters of Jake and Doodles in ''

Tweenies ''Tweenies'' is a British live action puppet children's television series created by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, and produced by Tell-Tale Productions and the BBC. The programme was focused on four preschool-aged characters, known as the ...

'', up until the final episode of the series in 2002. He was one of the presenters of the programme '' Tikkabilla'', out of which was spun ''Higgledy House'', a slapstick comedy for children with

Sarah-Jane Honeywell Sarah-Jane Honeywell (born 5 January 1974) is an English actress, writer, TV and radio presenter, blogger and singer. She is best known for her work on the CBeebies television channel and her radio shows on BBC Radio Lincolnshire. As well as ap ...

, which progressed to the very popular Mr. Tumble. Fletcher has also voiced the characters, Sleeping Bear and Growling Tiger in

' '' Boo!'', Miguel in ''

Finley the Fire Engine ''Finley the Fire Engine'' is an American-British animated children's television series produced by Balley Beg Animation Studios in Douglas, Isle of Man. Synopsis The show is about talking vehicles in a fictional town called Friendlyville. 78 ...

'', and additional voices in '' ToddWorld'', ''

Shaun the Sheep ''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion animated silent children's television series which is produced by Aardman Animations. A spin-off in the '' Wallace & Gromit'' franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymou ...

'', and '' Timmy Time''. In 2006, Fletcher became a presenter on CBeebies but left in 2007. Fletcher developed '' Something Special'' through his own production company, and he presents it while signing in

Makaton Makaton is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system which uses signs (hand gestures) and symbols (images) alongside speech & written words to support communication. Despite its use of signs, Makaton is not a sign language. Mak ...

. In November 2008, CBeebies aired three different pilots made by Fletcher, with the possibility of one of them becoming a full-time series. They were called ''Humphrey the Painter'', '' Gigglebiz'', and ''Captain Adorable''. In January 2009, an announcement by CBeebies was made that ''Gigglebiz'' would become the regular show, starting in September 2009, with the Humphrey and Captain Adorable characters being included, which was now a series of character-based comedy sketches linked by jokes told by children. His voice-over work for

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

includes voicing Harold from ''

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books ''The Railway Series'', created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, first publish ...

,'' which he has performed on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, arena tour, and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. Fletcher is a relief continuity presenter for

' presentation links and regularly performed on the CBeebies radio station on BBC Radio 7 until its change to

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

in 2011. Fletcher also appears as himself, along with a range of animated characters, in the ''Bee Bright'' series of educational DVDs. Fletcher also occasionally appears in a show called ''The Hollies School''.

''Justin's House''

In October 2011, CBeebies began broadcasting ''

Justin's House ''Justin's House'' is a British children's television comedy show produced by the BBC for CBeebies. It stars host Justin Fletcher, his green Little Monster, and his humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") i ...

'', starring Fletcher with Steven Kynman as "Robert the Robot" and Jane Deane as "Dee Livery". The show is based in Justin's fictional house and recorded live in front of a studio audience.

Other work

Starting in 1998, Fletcher presented ''Fun Song Factory'' for GMTV for a year as his first full-time presenting role. He later returned to the show in 2004 as the voice of Ozzy. Also in 1998, Fletcher sang several songs as well as the theme tune to the children's stop motion animated series ''Tom and Vicky''. He owns a production company called Scrumptious House, which has released a DVD called ''Let's Sing Nursery Rhymes with Justin Fletcher''. In the

CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...

channel programme ''

Jim Jam and Sunny ''Jim Jam and Sunny'' is a British children's television programme that aired on the CITV channel. It was first aired on November 20, 2006 and ended in June 27 2008. Premise Jim Jam is 3, and his older sister Sunny is 5. Whenever they enter t ...

'', he is the voice of both Jim Jam and Slim the cowardly

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

. His voice appears on the VTech Turn and Learn Driver, the ''

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...

'' phones, and a number of Crick Software titles. From December 2009 to January 2010, Fletcher played the character

Buttons A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' at the Capitol Theatre in

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, West Sussex. From December 2010 to January 2011, he played the character Josh the Jester in the pantomime ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' at

the Hexagon The Hexagon is a multi-purpose theatre and arts venue in Reading, Berkshire, England. Built in 1977 in the shape of an elongated hexagon, the theatre is operated by Reading Borough Council under the name "Reading Arts and Venues" along with S ...

theatre in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

. From December 2011 to January 2012, he played the character Wishy Washy in the pantomime ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'' at the Hexagon theatre. Fletcher has since performed in numerous pantomimes at the venue, including ''Cinderella'', ''Sleeping Beauty'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' and ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'', as well as the 2022 pantomime ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

''. He also attends festivals, such as Camp Bestival in Dorset, to entertain children. Fletcher is a patron for

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

-based performing arts school Stagewise. His debut album ''Hands Up the Album'' reached number 16 in the UK Albums Chart on 11 March 2012. In March 2013, he released his second album ''Best Friends''. In January 2015, he released his third album ''Just Party''. In 2015 and 2019, Fletcher reprised his ''Shaun the Sheep'' roles of Shaun and Timmy in the two film adaptations based on the series: ''

Shaun the Sheep Movie ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' (marketed as ''Shaun the Sheep: The Movie'') is a 2015 animated adventure comedy film produced by Aardman Animations. Written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, it is based on the British television seri ...

'' and '' A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon''. He also played the roles in two television films: '' Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas'' (2015) and ''Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas'' (2021). On 12 September 2015, he appeared on ''

Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but ob ...

'', where he was eliminated in the second round. Fletcher presented a daily radio show on

Fun Kids Fun Kids is a national children's and pop digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, YouTube and podcast channels. It has previously been the winner of the Sony and Arqiva Digital Radio Stations of the year. It is o ...

weekdays from 9 am to 10 am called ''Justin's Word''.

Awards

Orders of Chivalry

Fletcher was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

for services to "children's broadcasting and the voluntary sector".

Professional awards

* BAFTA Children's Awards 2007 :* Nominated as ''Best Presenter'' for ''Something Special'' * BAFTA Children's Awards 2008 :* Awarded Best Presenter for ''Something Special'' * BAFTA Childrens Awards 2009 :*Awarded Best Presenter for ''Something Special'' and ''Bee Bright'' * BAFTA Children's Awards 2010 :* Awarded Best Presenter for ''Something Special'' :* Nominated ''Best Performer'' for ''Gigglebiz'' * BAFTA Children's Awards 2011 :* Nominated ''Best Presenter'' for ''Something Special'' * BAFTA Children's Awards 2012 :* Awarded the Flynn Rossiter award for entertainment

Filmography

Live performances

* ''

'' :* 1997, as Mr. Jolly (live stage show only) * Camp Bestival :* 2009 :* 2010 :* 2011 :* 2012 :* 2015 :* 2023 * Justin's Party Tour :* 2017, playing 27 theatres over 31 days *

Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large Seaside resort, seaside resorts in the United Kingdom, incorporated as Butlins Skyline Limited. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1 ...

:* 2017 :*2019–2025

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Justin 1970 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting Animal impersonators CBeebies hosts English children's television presenters English male comedians English male television actors English male voice actors Members of the Order of the British Empire