He has provided the voices of many characters, both animated and costumed.
His name is Justin Fletcher.
Justin in his day to day clothes.
Over the last 15 years or so, he has either acted as himself, as various acts, or provided voice overs for costumed actors and animated shows.
He began working on the CITV show, Fun Song Factory, with Dave Benson Philips, and in my opinion this was the hey day for FSF, as it wasn't as cheesy as it's successor was, which had stage school youngsters whaling through 'pop' songs. Dave Benson Philips was a great presenter and actor too.
A very young looking Justin in the Fun Song Factory.
The BBC1 show, The Tweenies, had Justin voicing the characters of Jake and Doodles.
His most recent voice over he has done is for an animation series called Olly the Little White Van, and I can detect tones of his voice he used for Jake.
Tikkabilla and the spin off, Higgeldy House, were fantastic. He and Sarah Jane were a great duo, and even now, 10 years on, it is still a very much loved programme in our house, loved by J, and now by W, my youngest son aged three. J is quite calm when I put one of these on for him to watch.
The Tikkabilla Presenters
He then became 'Mr Tumble'. Oh Mr Tumble, what a fabulous creation. Loved by children, and parents too.
Mr Tumble
Such a basic premise, but one that enthrals and educates young children, with no patronising.
Mr Tumble has brought a whole new world of special needs to the fore.
Justin learnt Makaton - sign language - and uses it throughout his show, Something Special.
As the show progressed, and the audience of fans increased, Justin introduced more characters, all played by himself, and all related in some way to Mr Tumble. Granddad Tumble, Fisherman Tumble, Aunt Polly, Baby Tumble, Lord Tumble, and my favourite, Cliff Tumble, which is based on Cliff Richard, the legendary music man for over 50 years - Justin really plays him up, much to my amusement.
Bright colours and Justin's natural warmth make it a winner. The children that appear alongside him all have a disability, and it educates the children watching the show, that our world is diverse, and that we can all learn together.
Gigglebiz and Justin's House followed. He got to show his talents of acting many different characters, male and female in Gigglebiz, and it was aimed at slightly older children, as it had lots of silly humour.
Justin's House had a live audience of youngsters, and was very slapstick/pantomime based, which children love - adults too!
Gigglebiz
Animated series' he has voiced recently are Timmy Time (BBC) and as mentioned before, Olly the Little White Van, and Shaun the Sheep (BBC).
If you have a child with learning disabilities I highly recommend the series Something Special (Mr Tumble) and you can watch episodes on YouTube, as well as buy DVD's from Amazon, eBay, and the BBC online shop, to name a few.
This is a link to the programme Something Special on YouTube.
As for the marvellous Justin Fletcher, he was awarded an MBE from the Queen for services to Children's Broadcasting and the Voluntary Sector, in 2008, after a petition was started online. The then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, had an online petition page where people could choose a subject of their own, and if it gathered over a certain amount of signatories, it would be motioned. So people power worked. Justin deserves his MBE. Even if you do not find you like his programmes, you cannot deny he has a flare and talent for communicating with special children.
Receiving an MBE from the Queen in 2008
Justin Fletcher, you are a hero to so many mums like me. You treat our special children with kindness and respect. Your characters and shows are wonderful to watch, and unlike a lot of shows aimed at children, you don't rely on recorded laughter tracks, screeching stage school teenagers over acting, or cheesy, schmaltzy, moral stories.
Thank You, from myself and my children!
