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The BBC’s hit children show The Broom Cupboard saw the birth of many iconic presenters – now Josie D’Arby’s career has taken a surprising turn away from the cameras

In a tiny, cramped booth nestled away in the BBC studios, a whole host of famous TV presenters kicked off their careers.

Children’s TV show The Broom Cupboard began in 1985, replacing the shaky voiceover and still slides linking CBBC shows with real-life presenters.

Despite its practical beginnings it soon became a hit in itself, with the likes of Phillip Schofield, Debbie Flint and Zoe Ball all forging their famous TV personalities on the show.

Iconic characters Edd the Duck, Otis the Aardvark and Gordon the Gopher even joined in on the fun, with letters and drawings from viewers plastered across the walls of the tiny studio room.

Many of the programme’s stars look completely different these days, with brand new careers – and Josie D’Arby is no exception.

After her stint in The Broom Cupboard, Josie went on to become an award-winning presenter, becoming a well-known face on the likes of Songs of Praise, Top of the Pops, Inside Out and Cardiff Singer of The World.

In 1999, the 52-year-old star from Newport, Wales, became the youngest British woman to have her own chat show, titled Josie, on Channel 5.

Josie’s media ambitions didn’t stop there and she soon pivoted to acting, where she starred as Alisha Adams in Holby City and made guest appearances in Casualty and Doctor Who.

She’s even tried her hand as a quiz show contestant, appearing on Richard Osman’s House of Games and Pointless in 2022.

More recently, Josie ditched the cameras for a career that’s worlds away from presenting. The star has been pursuing her artistic talent, even showcasing her painting in a show at the Newport Museum Art Gallery in 2023.

The BBC star started to take art more seriously after winning a televised art competition, South Wales Argus reports. The painting was called Less, which Josie said was “about how little it can take to make people happy.”

“Art is for everyone and I am happy if my piece is just a tiny little reminder that public galleries can be a space and a time to press pause, and enjoy a lovely space if you’re in the city,” she explained.

Before her TV career took off, Josie was said to be in a relationship with Hollywood actor Gerard Butler – known for iconic roles in 300, Law Abiding Citizen and London Has Fallen. The pair apparently briefly dated in 2005.

And Gerard isn’t her only celebrity flame, as Josie reportedly went on a date with actor Joseph Fiennes – the brother of Harry Potter legend Ralph Fiennes – in 2006.

Josie isn’t the only Broom Cupboard presenter who took a different career path. Andy Crane, 61, has been brightening up people’s days on Greatest Hits Radio since 2019 and he looks very different from his days on the CBBC show.

He is now residing in the picturesque location of Lake District. Andy, who was born in the seaside town of Morecambe, Lancashire, presents three hours of the best songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio, including The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon.

Before hitting the radiowaves, Andy also presented children’s show, Motormouth, for ITV on Saturdays. He also featured on What’s Up Doc? and Challenge TV.

TV presenter Andy Crane rose to fame when he first appeared on CBBC children’s show The Broom Cupboard in 1986. Despite leaving TV, he is still enjoying a sucessful career in the public eye

Popular presenter Andy Crane is best known for his debut on children’s TV programme The Broom Cupboard which is 39 years old – but what is the TV personality doing now?

Andy, now 61, has been brightening up people’s days on Greatest Hits Radio since 2019 and he looks very different from his Broom Cupboard days.

He first appeared on TV in 1986, taking over from Phillip Schofield on BBC’s Broom. The show, which helped launch the careers of Andi Peters, Toby Anstis and Zoe Ball, featured stars in a control desk room as the presenters introduced the programs.

The 61-year-old, who was one of the most memorable presenters on show, was just 29 at the time and worked alongside puppet Gordon, who went on to join him on Going Live! the next year.

He continued with Broom until 1990 and then featured on major music show Top of the Pops. He was also the face of Bad Influence! and Violet Berlin in the 90s.

READ MORE: This Morning star Lisa Snowdon’s shock facelift confession – ‘I love tweakments!’

But his impressive career didn’t stop there. Andy also presented children’s show, Motormouth, for ITV on Saturdays. He also featured on What’s Up Doc? and Challenge TV.

The star was also a news presenter for Channel M in Manchester. He is now residing in the picturesque location of Lake District, reports Rayo.

Before joining Greatest Hits Radio in 2019, Andy presented for Radio Manchester where he started off as a tea boy.

Speaking about how he got the role, he said: “I wrote to Piccadilly Radio in Manchester when I was living in the USA – they wrote back! Started there as a tea boy in 1981 and did my first show in 1983 which means I’ve now been doing this for 35 years.”

Andy, who was born in the seaside town of Morecambe, Lancashire, presents three hours of the best songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio, including The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon.

Luckily for his fans, he also appears on radiowaves on weekday afternoons – featuring the most groovy disco tunes for Greatest Hits Radio 70s. He says his listeners will hear: “Great music naturally and plenty of laughing.”

Earlier this year, the presenter revealed what he loves about his job the most: “Being invited into people’s homes, cars, bedrooms and bathrooms.”

DYSON has invented a mind-bendingly thin vacuum cleaner that’s as svelte as a broom.

DYSON has invented a mind-bendingly thin vacuum cleaner that’s as svelte as a broom.

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Branded the ‘PencilVac’, Dyson‘s new cleaning tool promises to be the “world’s slimmest vacuum”.

And it can even lay almost totally flat to the floor with an operating height of just under 10cm.

The vacuum cleaner ditches the giant bin normally featured on Dyson products for a new system that compacts the dust into the PencilVac’s slender body.

“I have long wanted to make a vacuum of only 38mm diameter,” said Sir James Dyson, the company boss.

He explained that the thickness is important – it’s the same as the Dyson’s Supersonic hair dryer handle.

Dyson continued: “But first we needed to develop our most powerful Hyperdymium motor at only 28mm diameter to achieve such a slender machine.”

HAIR WE GO!

It also uses a bizarre new Fluffycones system that uses four cones split across two brush bars.

This system works to eject long hair as you clean, so you don’t have to pull or cut it out.

“If long hairs get wrapped around the cone, the spinning motion along with the specific angle of the cone causes the hair to tighten,” said Dyson’s Sam Cole, Floorcare Design Manager, speaking to The Sun.

“Which results in the hair travelling down to the smaller end of the cone, before it is released as a small hairball.”

There’s also a new two-stage dust separation system, which Dyson engineers say will capture 99.99% of particles (down to 0.3 microns).

That means cleaner air is pumped back into your home – and should mean suction stays strong.

The dust inside is compressed in real-time to get as much usage possible out of the small bin, and should mean you have to empty it less often.

According to gadget-maker Dyson, the bin holds five times more dust and debris than its 0.08-litre capacity.

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This works using a syringe “bin ejection” system that “plunges” the dirt deep into the bin – while also wiping the shroud clean at the same time.

MOTOR RUNNING

It’s all powered by a new motor that’s Dyson’s smallest to date – as well as its fastest, spinning at 140,000rpm.

This, Dyson says, makes it 35% more “power dense” than its predecessor, despite the shrunken size.

“Engineering our smallest and fastest vacuum motor is no simple feat. It was more than miniaturising every piece of technology,” said Dyson tech chief John Churchill.

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“It is a precise integration of motor design, electronics, software, and hardware, all working together seamlessly.”

IN CHARGE

Dyson says it’ll take about four hours to get a full charge.

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DYSON PENCILVAC – THE TECH SPECS

Here’s what you need to know…

Size: 38mm x 226mm x 1,160mm (W x L x H)

Weight: 1.8 kilos

Motor: Dyson Hyperdymium 140k motor

Motor RPM: 140,000

Filtration: Up to 99.99% (dow to 0.l3 microns)

Runtime: Up to 30 minutes

Charge time: Four hours

Cleaner Head: Fluffycones cleaner head (for detangling long hair and to-edge cleaning)

Accessories: Rotating combi-crevice tool / conical hair screw for mattresses and stairs / magnetic floor-charging dock

Picture Credit: Dyson

And it’ll run for 30 minutes – with a hot swappable battery pack to double that.

You’ll be able to see the remaining run-time on an LCD screen built into the device (as well as the power mode).

Sadly there’s no price yet, or an exact UK release date.

But Dyson did say Brits would be able to get the PencilVac in 2026.

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