Janet Ellis
Encyclopedia
Janet Ellis is a British television presenter and actress, who appeared on BBC
children's television in the 1980s, including a four year period as a presenter on Blue Peter
, a role she won after hosting the award-winning children's programme Jigsaw
.
. Afterwards, following a number of temporary jobs undertaken to gain life experience, she studied, from age 19, at the Central School of Speech and Drama
in London. Her first television appearance was a bit part in The Sweeney
. Her big break came in 1979, when she played Teka in the Doctor Who
story The Horns of Nimon
. She was the regular presenter of the Clive Doig
-produced BBC TV children's programme Jigsaw
.
on 28 April 1983, and during her four year stint, co-presented with Simon Groom
, Sarah Greene
, Peter Duncan
, Michael Sundin
, Mark Curry
and Caron Keating
.
(born 1979), Jackson Ellis Leach (born 1987, Hounslow
) and Martha Rose Leach (born 1991, Hammersmith
).
.
She is the author of How To Get Married Without Divorcing Your Family with Caron Keating
, and presented the 2005 series of The Great Garden Challenge for Channel 4
. She has been a regular panelist on Five's The Wright Stuff
since 2002.
In May 2008 she appeared naked in a magazine in support of PETA
and in June of the same year she won The Weakest Link Blue Peter
celebrity charity special. She donated the winnings of £13,150 to Maggie's Centers, a cancer-care charity.
She has also appeared in a 2009 episode of Hotel Babylon
. In December 2009 she narrated The Man Behind the Masquerade, a BBC documentary about Kit Williams
.
In December 2010, Janet and her daughter Sophie appeared on Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop Live.
Shown on 22 December 2010, on Channel 4, Ellis competed in the Come Dine With Me
celebrity Christmas special. The winner's prize of £1,000 was to be donated to charity. Ellis won, beating singer Tony Christie
and actress Susie Amy
into joint second place, with musician and actor Goldie
bringing up the rear.
. Despite being 'saved' by Stewart Copeland
on the previous night, she left the show in acrimony on 4 January 2007, after judge CeCe Sammy
described her as having the vocal characteristics of "a cat on speed". Ellis managed to show good humour in the face of the defeat, stating that she had had "fun, a lot of fun".
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television in the 1980s, including a four year period as a presenter on Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, a role she won after hosting the award-winning children's programme Jigsaw
Jigsaw (UK TV series)
Jigsaw was a Children's BBC show, combining elements of puzzle solving & entertainment, which was broadcast from 16 July 1979 until 24 May 1984....
.
Early life
Ellis's father was a soldier, stationed during her childhood at various places in England and Germany. Accordingly, she attended seven schools, including, from the ages 13–17, Richmond County School for GirlsRichmond County School for Girls
Richmond County School for Girls was a school in what is now the London Borough of Richmond, once noted for the fact that its female pupils played cricket, and from which a number of female cricketers emerged some of whom went on to play for England.-History:The school had its origins in the...
. Afterwards, following a number of temporary jobs undertaken to gain life experience, she studied, from age 19, at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
in London. Her first television appearance was a bit part in The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
. Her big break came in 1979, when she played Teka in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story The Horns of Nimon
The Horns of Nimon
-Outside references:The plot of this serial incorporates aspects of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur - a fact the Doctor comments on at the end of the last episode...
. She was the regular presenter of the Clive Doig
Clive Doig
Clive Doig is a retired British television producer.Early in his career he produced the series for deaf children Vision On before becoming known as the creator-producer of a large number of children's programmes. Working for the BBC, he created programmes such as Jigsaw, which ran from 1979 to...
-produced BBC TV children's programme Jigsaw
Jigsaw
Jigsaw may refer to:* Jigsaw , a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves* Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces- Film and television :* Jigsaw , a 1949 film noir...
.
Blue Peter years
Ellis joined Blue PeterBlue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
on 28 April 1983, and during her four year stint, co-presented with Simon Groom
Simon Groom
Simon Groom is a British Producer & Director, best known as a former presenter of Blue Peter.Groom was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and was brought up on a farm in Dethick, which he often visited for Blue Peter reports...
, Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene
Sarah Greene is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series e.g. Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.- Early life and career :Greene was born in London, England, the...
, Peter Duncan
Peter Duncan (actor)
Peter Duncan is a British actor and television presenter, best known as a former presenter of Blue Peter and for his later family travel documentaries.-Education:...
, Michael Sundin
Michael Sundin
Michael Sundin was a television presenter, actor, dancer and trampolinist, who is best remembered for his short time as a Blue Peter presenter .-Career history:...
, Mark Curry
Mark Curry (television presenter)
Mark Curry is an English television presenter most often in children's programmes.- Early career :He started his television career aged seven appearing on ITV's Junior Showtime and played the producer in the film Bugsy Malone .In 1981, Curry co-hosted the series Get Set For Summer on BBC1 with...
and Caron Keating
Caron Keating
Caron Louisa Keating was a Northern Irish television presenter on British and Northern Irish television.-Early life and education:...
.
Personal life
She has three children, all born in London: Sophie Ellis-BextorSophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
(born 1979), Jackson Ellis Leach (born 1987, Hounslow
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
) and Martha Rose Leach (born 1991, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
).
Later years
Ellis presented the daytime Open Air for the BBC and a large range of programmes on topics such as gardens, cars, holidays, cookery and childcare. She is a frequent contributor to children's charity Scene & HeardScene & Heard
Scene & Heard, is a British registered charity which operates as a mentoring project for inner-city children in Somers Town, London.Much of the charity's work involves teaming children with a volunteer theatre professional to write short plays, which are performed by professional actors in front of...
.
She is the author of How To Get Married Without Divorcing Your Family with Caron Keating
Caron Keating
Caron Louisa Keating was a Northern Irish television presenter on British and Northern Irish television.-Early life and education:...
, and presented the 2005 series of The Great Garden Challenge for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. She has been a regular panelist on Five's The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am....
since 2002.
In May 2008 she appeared naked in a magazine in support of PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
and in June of the same year she won The Weakest Link Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
celebrity charity special. She donated the winnings of £13,150 to Maggie's Centers, a cancer-care charity.
She has also appeared in a 2009 episode of Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...
. In December 2009 she narrated The Man Behind the Masquerade, a BBC documentary about Kit Williams
Kit Williams
Christopher 'Kit' Williams is an English artist, illustrator and author best known for his book Masquerade, a pictorial storybook which contains clues to the location of a golden jewelled hare created by Williams and then buried "somewhere in Britain."Williams wrote another puzzle book with a bee...
.
In December 2010, Janet and her daughter Sophie appeared on Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop Live.
Shown on 22 December 2010, on Channel 4, Ellis competed in the Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
celebrity Christmas special. The winner's prize of £1,000 was to be donated to charity. Ellis won, beating singer Tony Christie
Tony Christie
Tony Christie is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.-Career:Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide...
and actress Susie Amy
Susie Amy
Susie Amy is an English model and actress most famous for her role as Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe in the first two series of Footballers' Wives.-Biography:...
into joint second place, with musician and actor Goldie
Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
bringing up the rear.
Just the Two of Us
In January 2007, Ellis appeared on the BBC reality singing show Just the Two of Us partnered with Alexander O'NealAlexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
. Despite being 'saved' by Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
on the previous night, she left the show in acrimony on 4 January 2007, after judge CeCe Sammy
Cece Sammy
CeCe Sammy is an English vocal and performance coach.-Background:CeCe Sammy is a graduate from the London College of Music, and is a classically trained music graduate...
described her as having the vocal characteristics of "a cat on speed". Ellis managed to show good humour in the face of the defeat, stating that she had had "fun, a lot of fun".