Noughties kids TV presenter unrecognisable 14 years after quitting fame and selling face masks during pandemic
A NOUGHTIES Kids TV presenter looks worlds away after quitting fame 14 years ago.
Jamie Rickers, now 50, was one of the UK’s most-watched children’s TV presenters.
Jamie got his big break in 2000 when he joined GMTV, producing and presenting the popular weekend kids show Up On The Roof.
By March 2003, he had become a presenter on CITV’s factual entertainment programme The Yuk Show, before shooting to fame with Toonattik.
In addition to the Saturday morning kids TV slot, he also presented Prove It and filmed 52 episodes for Ultimate Guinness World Records.
In March 2008, he made headlines when he reenacted a scene from The Emperor’s New Clothes and appeared to strut around the studio naked.
It was later revealed he was wearing a flesh suit from the waist down.
He then made national news again in 2010 when he was held under anti-terror laws while filming a segment of the show on the South Bank.
Jamie and his co-star Anna Williamson were quizzed by police under anti-terrorism powers — while carrying glittery hairdryers.
The presenter said at the time: “We were stopped, not arrested, but they had to say we are holding you under the Anti-Terrorism Act because you’re running around in flak jackets and a utility belt’, and I said and please put spangly blue hairdrier’ and he was, like, all right’.”
However, Jamie’s career in children’s television came to an end in 2010 when ITV took full control of GMTV, leading to Rickers and his co-presenter being made redundant.
He then left fame altogether and in 2016 he announced that he had started working at Volopa as a Sales Consultant.
Jamie has stayed out of the limelight since, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, he was spotted selling face masks.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “In light of the recent government announcement re 24th of July and compulsory mask wearing in shops, you’ll now find the market flooded with masks.
“Many are NON medical and expensive.
“I am selling 3PLY MEDICAL GRADE. Box of 50 is £25 + PP. Message me directly to place an order.”