Children’s BBC star Simon Parkin unrecognisable 30 years after the Broom Cupboard as he stars in horror film

NEARLY four decades have passed since children’s programme The Broom Cupboard first aired - and some of its presenters look completely different these days.

The beloved BBC show celebrated its 36th birthday in 2021 and has played home to a number of iconic presenters, with Simon Parkin serving as one of the most memorable.

An occupant of the Broom Cupboard for five years from 1987, he also hosted other BBC shows such as, The Ozone, But First This, CBBC2 and Top Of The Pops.

Simon eventually left for GMTV before moving into radio.

Years later, he surprised viewers by popping up as a weatherman on ITV Meridian - despite knowing nothing about meteorology.

"I went to Bristol for a meeting, audition and screen test and was surprised to be told, 'Oh, you don't need to know any of the science, don't worry about the actual weather!'" he said.

Simon has lived in Somerset since 1998 where he hosts a local morning BBC radio show.

He lives there with his wife Celina, children Emily and Charlie, and dog Pebble.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Simon turned his hand to acting in the 2020 short film, Dead Air.

Not straying too far from what he knows, Simon played Lester, a radio presenter stuck with the graveyard shift on a local radio station for seven years.

"Between his average listenership of 4 and his pre-recorded phone calls, Lester has next to no involvement with the outside world until he receives his first caller in years," the synopsis reads.

"This phone call thrusts Lester into the spotlight and might just rejuvenate his love for radio whilst the world falls apart around him."

The popular kids' show also helped catapult the careers of budding presenters Phillip Schofield, Andi Peters, Philippa Forrester, Toby Anstis, Zoe Ball and Josie D’Arby.

And who could forget the iconic characters Edd the Duck, Gordon the Gopher and Otis the Aardvark?