IT WAS must-see viewing for Britain’s teenagers slumped on the sofa on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The cool young cast of T4 delivered zany segments and upbeat links between popular programmes including Hollyoaks and Shipwrecked.
And now as a former teen telly icon is given a peer by Keir Starmer we reveal where some of the other popular TV presenters are now.
June Sarpong (2000-2007)
SHE was a working class immigrant kid who grew up on a council estate but now TV star June Sarpong is taking a seat in the House of Lords.
The proud honour marks a meteoric rise for June, 49, who first appeared on our screens as a host of MTV before joining the iconic Noughties show T4 way back in 2000.
She was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and has made a name for herself as a high profile equality campaigner.
As she celebrated the political honour yesterday, June said: “Words cannot even begin to describe how truly honoured and humbled I feel to have been appointed to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer on his final Honours list.
“As a working class immigrant kid from a council estate in East London it is not lost on me what this means.
“As I embark on this next chapter, I look forward to being able to use this role to further champion the causes and issues that are dear to my heart.”
But June is not the only former member of the T4 gang who has gone on to bigger and better things.
It was a hugely successful launchpad for many of the most familiar faces on TV today.
Dermot O’Leary (1998-2001)
A baby faced skinhead, Dermot was part of the original presenting line up when T4 first launched.
Before that he had been a DJ on Radio Essex but Dermot, now 53, proved such a success with the viewers that Channel 4 swiftly selected him to front spin off show Big Brother’s Little Brother until 2008.
He has since landed a string of high profile presenting gigs including The X-Factor which he hosted for 11 years.
Now Dermot has a Radio 2 show and fronts This Morning on Fridays, as well as publishing a string of hugely successful children’s books about Toto The Ninja Cat.
Margherita Taylor (1999-2001)
She was a DJ at Birmingham based radio station BRMB when she took part in a radio contest and moved to Capital Radio.
From there Margherita landed a spot on T4’s starting line-up alongside Dermot and Vernon Kay and never looked back.
Margherita, 53, went on to present BBC One’s Escape to the Country between 2016 and 2022.
Now she is a familiar guest presenter on Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, Countryfile and This Morning, but her first love was always radio and she still hosts shows on Smooth Radio and Classic FM.
Ben Shephard (1999-2000)
Ben, 51, was a regular host of Channel 4’s spin-off morning show The Bigger Breakfast when bosses decided to put him on T4.
Just two years later he joined ITV’s GMTV as an entertainment host, then as a main presenter in 2005.
He quit the show in 2010, weeks before it was axed anyway, but returned to ITV in 2014 to front the newly-launched Good Morning Britain, where he remains as one of the country’s most recognisable presenters.
Now the much loved millionaire dad of two is rarely off the box, having swapped his seat at the Good Morning Britain newsdesk for the sofa at This Morning alongside Cat Deeley.
Ben has also hosted hit gameshows including The Summit, Tipping Point and Ninja Warrior UK.
Vernon Kay (2000-2005)
Hunky Bolton lad Vern was working as a model when he was scouted by TV bosses to front T4 and soared to stardom.
After quitting the show All Star Family Fortunes made him a household name.
His 23 year marriage to Strictly’s Tess Daly has crumbled but this week he was named as one of the BBC’s best paid presenters, raking in a staggering £450,000 a year for his Radio 2 mid-morning show, Alternative Dance Sounds of the 90s and other appearances.
Steve Jones (2003-2010)
Welsh lad Steve, 49, – who stripped off several times on the show, was one of T4’s best loved presenters when Simon Cowell chose him to present the American version of The X Factor.
But the show bombed and Steve was axed after just one series.
The former model went on to present a property show called Perfect House, Secret Location and appeared on This Morning before landing a full time gig in 2016 to lead the presenting team for Channel 4’s F1 coverage.
Miquita Oliver (2006-2010)
While most of the original T4 crew were newbies, Miquita already had five years of telly experience under her belt having fronted Popworld with Simon Amstell.
But she was suspended from T4 in 2010 after being overheard insulting singer Kesha.
She has also claimed she lost a job on Radio 1 for “saying silly things”.
Since then fashion favourite Miquita, 42, has been on a string of TV programmes, including Celebrity Gogglebox alongside her mum Andi, and has a hit podcast with her pal Lily Allen.
Rick Edwards (2007-2011)
Rick, 47, was performing stand-up comedy at Cambridge University when he was spotted by T4 producers who gave him his first TV job.
Since then he went on to land a string of presenting gigs including Tool Academy, Made in Chelsea, Freshly Squeezed, E4 Music, and much of Channel 4‘s 2012 Paralympics coverage.
Rick has also hosted a BBC One quiz show called !mpossible and now he can be heard on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast Show every morning, as well as Fighting Talk on Saturdays and their Premier League review on Sundays.
Alexa Chung (2008-2009)
Fashion icon Alexa, 42, began working as a model after she was scouted at the Reading Festival at the age of 16. She joined Popworld alongside Alex Zane in 2006 before joining T4 two years later.
She famously inspired the Alexa handbag by British designer Mulberry, and has dated big names like Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner and actor Alexander Skarsgard.
She pivoted back to style and lifestyle content on TV for shows like Gok’s Fashion Fix, Next In Fashion and now runs her own lucrative fashion label.
Jameela Jamil (2009-2012)
London born Actress and activist Jameela, 40, was working as a school teacher when she was scouted by a TV producer in a bar.
She followed Alexa on to music show Freshly Squeezed alongside Nick Grimshaw and became a DJ on Radio 1 and the event circuit – with her first show being at Elton John’s birthday party.
In 2016 she moved to LA to become a screenwriter but ended up landing a role in American hit comedy The Good Place as Tahani Al-Jamil.
She’s also become an outspoken campaigner for equality and is dating pop star James Blake.
Nick Grimshaw (2010-2012)
Grimmy started out in student radio before landing a job on Radio 1’s Switch youth programme in 2007.
His career really kicked off the following year when he landed the station’s weekend breakfast show, before moving to a late-night presenting slot.
In 2010, Nick, 41, added T4 to his roster, fronting it until he was promoted to the Beeb’s breakfast show, replacing Chris Moyles.
On TV he’s been a judge on The X Factor, filmed cameos for soaps including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale and has also starred on Celebrity Gogglebox.
Now he hosts BBC Radio 6 Music’s flagship breakfast show, Sidetracked with Annie Mac and foodie podcast Dish.