Although Justin Fletcher is not a household name, his character Mr Tumble is a superstar for young children. The lovable character and his family, including Grandad Tumble and Baby Tumble, have been staples of preschool television for years, with weary parents praising Justin for his ability to captivate their little ones.
The 54-year-old artist skillfully mixes slapstick comedy with warmth, directing CBeebies shows such as Gigglebiz and Justin's House. However, he is perhaps best known for his work with children with disabilities and special needs, creating the popular show Something Special specifically for children with communication difficulties, incorporating Makaton signs, speeches and symbols throughout.
Justin takes a well-deserved break from the long-running series(Image: PA)
This week, after 12 seasons and five specials of Something Special, we learned that Justin was taking a well deserved break of the series, with presenters Maddie Moate, Ben Cajee and George Webster set to join in the fun. We take a closer look at the life of the star, who was awarded an MBE by the Queen for services to broadcasting and is worth an estimated £1.5million.
His charming characters have become a multi-million pound industry, with his Something Special DVD selling over 100,000 copies, grossing over £1 million, and there is also an associated magazine which generates around £180,000 a month.
The Bafta Children's Award winner isn't just a favourite among the little ones; the charming, single Justin has also caught the eye of many mums. In a chat with The Mirror in 2012, he admitted to receiving quite a few proposals from admiring mothers: "Er, yes, I have had emails," he shared.
Justin's characters have created a multi-million pound industry(Image: Redferns)
Despite his busy schedule filming beloved children's shows, Justin expressed hope for a personal life filled with family and children, saying, "I do want to free up some time for myself and my family. I would love to have children so need to find someone who likes kids. A couple of kids would be lovely," reports the mirror.
With an upbringing immersed in music, surrounded by famous musicians, Justin credits his creative inspiration to his environment and his father, Guy Fletcher – a renowned songwriter for legendary artists such as Cliff Richard, Ray Charles, The Hollies and even Elvis Presley. Reflecting on his journey, Justin said: “I was always brought up around musicians and we had a recording studio built onto the house. My character Cliff Tumble is a homage to Sir Cliff, who I've met a lot and is lovely, very charming.”
“Dad wrote his Eurovision entry Power to All Our Friends. The biggest hit he wrote for Elvis was Just Pretend, which he used to perform in his Vegas shows. Pretty cool, really. »
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