George Webster (presenter)

Last updated

George Webster
George Webster (presenter) April 2021.png
Webster in 2021
Born (2000-07-29) July 29, 2000 (age 23)
Rawdon, West Yorkshire, England
Occupations
  • Television presenter
  • actor
  • dancer
  • writer
Known forPresenting CBeebies
AwardsBest Presenter - British Academy Children's Award (2022)

George Webster (born 29 July 2000) is an English television presenter, actor, dancer and writer. He was discovered while volunteering at his local Parkrun by a Sky UK television crew, who made him the subject of an episode of Jessica's Parkrun Heroes in 2019. This film prompted Mencap to refer him to a filmmaker who was making S.A.M., a short film that was broadcast online in October 2020. After being scouted by the BBC, Webster recorded a video for BBC Bitesize, which went viral. He then began presenting for CBeebies, for which he won Best Presenter at the British Academy Children's Awards 2022. He has also appeared in The Railway Children Return , Casualty , World on Fire , and the 2022 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special. From 2023, he began publishing books, and has released This Is Me and Why Not?.

Contents

Early life

Webster was born on 29 July 2000 [1] in Rawdon, West Yorkshire. He was born with Down's syndrome, [2] a condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. [3] Growing up, he struggled to enunciate properly, prompting him and his family to learn Makaton; [2] Mr Tumble was his role model due to his use of the language. [4] He attended St. Peter's Primary School, Benton Park School, [5] and Shipley College. [6] Aged eight, he joined Stage Door, [7] a performing arts and music school in Guiseley, which he was a member of until he was 19. He also later joined Mind the Gap, [8] a performing arts college in Bradford, [9] and spent a few years at a drama class at Elev8 in Horsforth. [9]

Career

In 2016, he started spending his Saturday mornings volunteering at a Parkrun in Woodhouse Moor in Leeds, [10] the Hyde Park Harriers. [11] He later took over the course himself and became a Parkrun ambassador. [10] While volunteering, a Sky UK TV crew who were filming nearby asked if they could film him for a day for a series they were making. [2] They released a film about his running in 2019, [10] which aired as part of Jessica's Parkrun Heroes, which was presented by Jessica Ennis-Hill. [12] That year, Webster took a post at Café 21 Co in Leeds, [13] a café launched in 2019 and staffed by people with Down's syndrome. [14] He has credited the café with giving him "a sense of independence", and stated in 2024 that he still put in shifts there when he could. [13]

Webster in a 2021 Mencap video

Mencap saw the film and asked if he would become an ambassador, [2] before referring him to a filmmaker who was making a short film intended to challenge perceptions about disability. He was given a lead role in S.A.M. opposite Sam Retford, [2] playing one of two Sams. The show was broadcast online as part of the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival, which ran from 6 to 11 October 2020. Will Stroude of Attitude wrote that Webster "plays Sam from the posh houses with a calm assurance and wonderful screen presence", giving "his Sam an emotional availability that Retford matches to make their romantic journey credible and heart-warming". [15]

After being scouted by the BBC following his work with Mencap, [10] he recorded a video for BBC Bitesize called Busting Myths, [2] in which Webster talked about common misconceptions of Down's syndrome. [10] The clip went viral on social media, prompting CBeebies to contact him and offer him an interview, [2] and he began presenting for the channel as a guest presenter. [16] His first CBeebies show, broadcast 20 September 2021, saw Webster perform Saturday Night Fever -style dance moves, make a smoothie, and recite a poem. A clip of this went viral on Twitter, and within two days of broadcast it had been viewed over 1,200,000 times. [16] Hayley Newman of the i wrote that Webster had "effervescence, bubbly charm, a quick wit", "a trendy vibe that his viewers aspire to emulate", and "an extra chromosome", [17] while his appointment was praised by Sally Phillips, Mencap, and Cerrie Burnell. [18] He was later hired as a full-time presenter, and won Best Presenter at the British Academy Children's Awards 2022. [2]

Webster then appeared with Bethany Asher in Bebe A.I., [7] a sci-fi short which aired as part of the Oska Bright Film Festival in March 2022, [19] in which he and Asher played a couple with Down's syndrome who were fighting to save an android baby they wanted to adopt. [7] He then played a telegram boy in The Railway Children Return. [2] In 2022, he participated in that year's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, where he performed a Charleston to "Good News" from Nativity! The Musical. [5] He and his dance partner Amy Dowden practiced for three weeks beforehand, as often as they could fit into Webster's schedule. [10] His other competitors were Nicola Roberts, Larry Lamb, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Rosie Ramsey, and Alexandra Mardell, who won the episode. [5] He later appeared on Casualty , [11] where he played the drug dealer Josh Milner, [20] and World on Fire , where he played Ted. [21] On World Book Day 2023, [4] he published an autobiography, This Is Me, [2] which initially stemmed from the poem he read during his first day presenting on CBeebies. [4] A further book, Why Not?, was published in 2024. [13]

Filmography

George Webster's television credits with year of release, title(s) and role
YearTitleRoleNotes
2019Jessica's Parkrun HeroesHimselfEpisode: "George Webster"
2020S.A.M."Sam from the posh houses"
2022Bebe A.I.Jonny Stormer
2022 The Railway Children Return Telegram boy
2022 Strictly Come Dancing Contestant
2023 Casualty Josh MilnerEpisode: "Fight or Flight"
2023 World on Fire TedEpisode: "Wrong"

Related Research Articles

"Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical dystopian science-fiction short story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961. Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was republished in the author's Welcome to the Monkey House collection in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBeebies</span> British childrens television network broadcast internationally

CBeebies is a British free-to-air 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 six years and under. Its sister channel, CBBC, is intended for older children aged six to twelve. It broadcasts every day from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, timesharing with BBC Four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Dennis</span> English television presenter, actor, and comedian

Leslie Dennis Heseltine is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Yates</span> British actor and media personality (born 1983)

Reginald Yates is a British television presenter, actor, writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in Doctor Who and has worked at the BBC in radio and television–presenting various shows for BBC Radio 1 for a decade as well as hosting the BBC One singing show The Voice UK, hosting the first two series with Holly Willoughby.

Something Special is a British children's television programme presented by Justin Fletcher. It was created and produced by Allan Johnston. It is broadcast by the BBC, debuting on 1 September 2003. It is designed to introduce children to Makaton signing, and is specifically aimed at children with delayed learning and communication difficulties. It is aired on the CBeebies channel and is currently the longest running CBeebies programme and the longest running preschool series in Britain. In the past, it was also broadcast as part of the CBeebies programme strand on BBC One and BBC Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Marsh (actor)</span> English actor

Reginald Albert Saltmarsh, known by the stage name Reginald Marsh, was an English actor who is best remembered for supporting roles in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Rani</span> British broadcaster and journalist (born 1977)

Anita Rani Nazran, better known as Anita Rani, is a British radio and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Fletcher</span> British television presenter and actor

Justin Fletcher is an English children's television presenter, actor and comedian, appearing mainly on the BBC pre-school television channel CBeebies. Speaking and performing in various, often self-created, roles, he specialises in slapstick comedy and works with children with special educational needs through his show Something Special. Fletcher also appears as the comedian Mr Tumble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benton Park School</span> Community school in Rawdon, West Yorkshire, England

Benton Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Rawdon, West Yorkshire, England. Formerly a technology college, it has over 1,400 students.

<i>Secret Garden</i> (South Korean TV series) 2010 South Korean TV series

Secret Garden is a 2010 South Korean television drama starring Ha Ji-won, Hyun Bin, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Kim Sa-rang. It aired on SBS from November 13, 2010 to January 16, 2011, on Saturdays and Sundays at 22:00 (KST) for 20 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Jessop</span> British actor

Thomas Jessop is a British actor. He is the first actor with Down syndrome to star in a primetime BBC drama, the first professional actor with Down syndrome to tour theatres as Hamlet, and the first to become a full voting member of BAFTA. In 2021, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of the Arts by the University of Winchester and became an Ambassador to Mencap and to the National Down syndrome Policy Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Gordy</span> British actress (born 1976)

Sarah Gordy, MBE is a British actress who has Down syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in The A Word and Ralph & Katie, Orlando Quine in Strike: The Silkworm, Lady Pamela Holland in the BBC TV series of Upstairs Downstairs, and Lucy Craddle in The Long Call. She has also acted in episodes of Call the Midwife, Holby City and Doctors. As well as these TV shows, she has acted in short films, radio dramas, commercials, and many theatre productions. In 2018 she became the first woman with Down syndrome to be made an MBE and the first person with Down syndrome to receive an honorary degree from a UK university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JB Gill</span> British singer

Jonathan Benjamin Gill also known professionally JB Gill, is a British singer and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boy band JLS, who were runners-up to Alexandra Burke on the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008. As part of the group he achieved five number-one singles on the UK Singles Charts and a number-one album on the UK Albums Charts. As of December 2013, JLS had sold over 10 million records before disbanding in 2013 and reuniting in 2020.

<i>Ghost Stories</i> (2017 film) 2017 British film

Ghost Stories is a 2017 British anthology horror film written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, based on their 2010 stage play of the same name. It stars Nyman reprising his role from the play, as a man devoted to debunking fraudulent psychics, who is tasked with solving three unexplained paranormal events. Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Martin Freeman co-star as the individuals who attest to the supernatural encounters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Dowden</span> Welsh dancer (born 1990)

Amy Dowden is a Welsh professional ballroom and Latin American dancer from Caerphilly, Wales, best known for her appearances on the BBC One television show Strictly Come Dancing. Dowden joined the series in 2017, and in 2019, she was a finalist in the seventeenth series with TV presenter Karim Zeroual. Dowden and her partner Ben Jones are former British National Latin Dance Champions. She has the Guinness World Record for the most back-Charleston kick-steps in 30 seconds (2022). She has a twin sister and an older brother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranj Singh</span> British clinician and TV presenter

Ranjit "Ranj" Singh Sangha is a British doctor, television presenter, singer, dancer author and columnist. He is best known as a celebrity dancer on the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing, and co-creating and presenting the CBeebies show Get Well Soon from 2012 to 2015. He has also worked for ITV, on This Morning, as a resident doctor from 2016 to 2021, co-hosting Save Money: Good Health with Sian Williams and winning Cooking with the Stars in 2022.

Aneesh Sheth is an Indian-American actress and transgender activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Daly (English politician)</span> British politician (born 1980)

James Barry Daly is a British politician who has served as a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party since 6 February 2024 and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North since the 2019 general election. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

Hamza Ahmed Yassin is a British wildlife cameraman and presenter, known for his role as Ranger Hamza on the children's television channel CBeebies and his work on shows such as Countryfile and Animal Park, as well as presenting programmes about Scottish wildlife. In 2022, he won the twentieth series of the BBC contest Strictly Come Dancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Brazier</span> English actor and model (born 2003)

Bobby Jack Brazier is an English actor and model. Present in the public eye from birth due to the popularity of his mother Jade Goody, he was frequently featured in the media throughout the formative years of his life until Goody's death in 2009.

References

  1. ↑ Webster, George. "About Myself" (PDF). Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wollaston, Sam (28 February 2023). "'Why can't we be the hero?': George Webster on acting, ambition, romance and big breaks". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Rogers, Lois (1 October 2021). "Could this be the last generation of Down's syndrome children?". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Saheed, Haleema (2 March 2023). "CBeebies presenter releases debut children's novel 'This is Me'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Coates, Tom (25 December 2022). "Strictly Come Dancing: Viewers heap praise on Leeds TV presenter George Webster after he wows with Charleston in Christmas special". Yorkshire Evening Post . Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Ames, Daryl (22 September 2021). "Rawdon man with Down's Syndrome 'excited' to become CBeebies presenter". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "New sci-fi film starring Bethany and George". Down's Syndrome Association . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  8. ↑ Clayton, Emma (21 February 2020). "Dancers with autism and learning disabilities devise bold new show". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 "George Webster in new short film, S.A.M". Down's Syndrome Association . Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Delgado, Kasia (20 December 2022). "George Webster on his Strictly debut: 'Down's syndrome doesn't stop me doing anything'". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 Scott, Danny (1 October 2023). "Presenter George Webster: 'I feel like a revolutionary'". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Watch Jessica's parkrun heroes with Sky On Demand". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 Webster, George (15 March 2024). "I'm famous but I still work in a cafe - it's great fun". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Petter, Olivia (21 January 2019). "Café staffed by people with Down's syndrome launches in Leeds after successful trial". The Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Stroude, Will (28 September 2020). "'S.A.M' review: 'Sexuality and disability explored in intriguing, charming love story'". Attitude. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  16. 1 2 Pidd, Helen (22 September 2021). "'I'm loving life,' says first CBeebies presenter with Down's syndrome". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Newman, Hayley (23 September 2021). "My child has Down's syndrome, her joy seeing George Webster on CBeebies matters". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Davies, Hannah J. (21 September 2021). "'A brilliant role model': CBeebies hires first presenter with Down's syndrome". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  19. ↑ Warner, Jason (10 April 2022). "Oska Bright Film Festival Review". Brighton Source. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "George Webster". TresA. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  21. ↑ Hibbs, James (11 July 2023). "Is World on Fire based on a true story?". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.