This week, fans of the cherished CBeebies show ‘Something Special’ received news that Justin Fletcher, also known as Mr Tumble, is taking a step back.
After 22 years, the 54-year-old entertainer is “temporarily stepping back” from the programme and the channel. The show will introduce new faces to present alongside him, including TV host, YouTuber, and podcaster Maddie Moate. But who is she?
Maddie, aged 36 and hailing from Witney, Oxfordshire, isn’t new to children’s television; she has her own series on CBeebies titled ‘Maddie’s Do You Know’. Her show delves into how everyday objects function and are made, earning her the Best Presenter BAFTA at the Children’s BAFTAs in 2017.
Maddie’s passion for performance began in her youth at the Jill Stew School of Dance and Dramascope and continued through her studies in theatre, film, and television at Bristol University.
She already has her own show on CBeebies
(Image: Instagram/ @maddiemoate)
‘Something Special’, which started airing in 2003, is designed to help children with communication difficulties, incorporating Makaton language signs, speech, and symbols. With such a long tenure on the show, it’s understandable that Fletcher would need a break. Now, with the addition of Maddie, George Webster, and Ben Cajee to the team, the show is set to continue its legacy of supporting young learners.
Before joining CBeebies, Moate created and hosted The App Show, an online comedy series on LadyGeek, alongside Nicola Hume from 2011 to 2012. This series, which garnered over 850,000 views, saw them tackle tech issues from a female viewpoint and was sponsored by Nokia.
Following this, she hosted Newsburst on O2 Guru TV in 2012, which amassed more than four million views. She also hosted the Channel 4 show Home of the Future that same year.
Subsequently, she produced three films for Samsung between 2012 and 2013 and also presented a series of films for Intel and Argos, used in their ‘Superhuman Academy’ and ‘Smarten Up’ campaigns. Since 2014, Maddie has been the main presenter of BBC Earth Unplugged, a BBC-produced YouTube channel with over 480,000 subscribers. She also had her own spin-off show on BBC America titled ‘It’s a Mad Mad Maddie World!’.
When the Covid pandemic struck, Maddie and her then-partner Greg Foot filmed a YouTube livestream called ‘Let’s go Live’, featuring different themes each week. Each stream was science-based and included ideas for activities people could do at home during lockdown.
Continuing her YouTube success, Maddie became a presenter on ‘Fully Charged’, a Youtube channel exploring battery-electric vehicles and renewable energy. In the same year, she launched her podcast ‘Maddie’s Sound Explorers’ – which even won her the Best Family Podcast title in the British Podcast Awards back in 2021.
In 2022, Maddie continued her journey in the world of online presenting with the YouTube Original series ‘Maddie’s Urban Jungles’. She also took on an international project for Magnolia, hosting ‘Make Yourself At Home’, available to stream on Discovery+.
Not only that, but since 2014, Maddie has been a familiar voice as the resident technology expert on BBC 5 Live Saturday Edition and is a regular contributor on BBC 5 Live’s Big Share, Good Morning Britain, and BBC Breakfast. Her literary contributions include the release of her book ‘Stuff’ in September 2021, designed to spark children’s curiosity across various subjects.
More recently, she authored ‘Very Curious Christmas’ in 2023, which offers “Festive fun and seasonal science from around the world”. On stage, Maddie has been equally dynamic, featuring in De Montfort Hall’s production of Sleeping Beauty during 2021-2022, playing Tinkerbell at York Theatre Royal’s rendition of Peter Pan, and last year, she both wrote and starred in ‘A Very Curious Christmas’, a festive live science show at the Apollo Theatre.
We can’t wait to see what she does next!