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Michael Underwood recalls moment BBC fired him on the spot

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Underwood shared the story during a Q&A session with followers after someone said “talk about how you went to ITV”.

He said he wanted to stay at CBBC initially but felt he needed to move on after being “fired”.

On making the switch from the BBC to ITV, he assured fans “I’m not a traitor!”

He admitted: “I didn’t want to go to ITV. I loved working at CBBC.

“It’s where I started out. I had so many friends there.

“It was fun going into work every single day. Why would I want to leave?”

He added: “But here’s the thing.

“We had two bosses – there was a boss in charge of the presenters and a boss in charge of the whole channel.

“Now the presenter boss changed and he wanted meetings with all the presenters which wasn’t unusual.

“Also, I was close to a contract renewal so that’s normally when they call you in, talk about more money, more responsibility, that type of thing.

“So I went in for my meeting, sat down and this is how it went, ‘Michael, you’re just coming up to your three years at CBBC, I think you’ve had a great run up to this point but now I think it’s time for you to move on’.”

“I’m sorry, what now? I mean I was gobsmacked.”


TV shows that defined our childhood


Underwood said he “was not expecting it at all” and blanked out as he received the news.

He added that he can’t remember what he said at the time but that he remembers thinking “‘I’ve just been fired.’”

The other boss said he didn’t know the conversation was going to take place.

He went back to the studio and told his now-wife Angellica Bell about the conversations he’d had and she suggested he should move over to ITV.

After taking her advice and calling ITV, he said he was given an opportunity: “They offered twice the money plus three new shows guaranteed, which is an amazing offer but I wanted to stay at CBBC”.

Then in the following January, the same presenter boss called him in for another meeting where he offered him a new one-year contract.


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He said he knew he wasn’t wanted there and was unsure what would happen after the new contract ended.

Michael made the move to ITV and said he was especially grateful as he got to host the iconic children’s TV show Jungle Run.

What is Michael Underwood doing now?

As well as Jungle Run, Michael appeared on shows like Tool Club, This Morning and he took part in Dancing On Ice, reports TV Guide.

While he is known as a TV presenter, he is currently a KS2 form teacher and EDI mentor at King’s College School, Wimbledon.

Newsquest has approached the BBC for comment.

What was your favourite childhood TV show that you watched? Tell us in the comments.





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‘Drunk’ woman exposed herself to ‘disgusted’ UK customers

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Nina Austin appeared in the dock at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 30 and admitted to one count of outraging public decency.

The 47-year-old, of Stratton Road, was seen near Poppins Restaurant on Regent Street in Swindon at 2.30pm on April 29, where officers responded to reports of a woman stripping naked while members of the public, including children, were passing by.

Abbie Winters, prosecuting, explained that Austin was led on a bench with her legs up in the air, naked from the waist down, exposing her genitals “towards the cafe”, within view of the “disgusted” customers inside.

The prosecutor described the defendant as being “extremely drunk” and having “incoherent speech” when spoken to by officers.

Mark Glendenning, defending, added: “She apologised to all and sundry in the building opposite for her behaviour.

“She is an alcoholic and blew 50 [microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath] at the station, which is well within [being able to speak coherently].

“She was with other street drinkers and thinks she had in some way been spiked, possibly with Rohypnol.

“She was not directing herself at the cafe and was mortified when the CCTV footage was played during the police interview.

“She’s doing quite well with probation… an end of a relationship had triggered this drinking.”

This latest offence had happened while Austin was on a suspended sentence, which related to two thefts and possession of a blade in February.

Usually, committing a crime while on a suspended sentence activates it, so Austin could have been jailed for 29 weeks.

The defendant had been remanded in custody since her arrest on Wednesday and has a lengthy criminal record.

Mr Glendenning requested that magistrates avoid sending her back to prison as she had been making good progress towards rehabilitation, particularly in comparison to previous attempts to comply with her requirements.

After some deliberation, the magistrates agreed that it would be unjust to activate Austin’s suspended sentence and instead extended it from 12 months to 18 months.

They also added five more rehabilitation actiivity days to her existing community order, and ordered her to pay an £80 fine plus £85 in court costs as well as £32 to fund victim services.





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Christian Horner ‘airbrushed from history’ at Red Bull

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The 52-year-old lives on the Oxfordshire border near Banbury with Spice Girl singer Geri Halliwell, whom he married in 2015.

Mr Horner had been team principal at Red Bull since 2005, overseeing eight drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.

But this all came to an end last year when his team let him go mid-season over performance relating to the team.

READ MORE: ITV bringing back iconic show after 17 years away with surprise host

Prior to that, the 52-year-old had also been locked at the centre of allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which he was later cleared of.

Now, The Telegraph reports that Mr Horner has been “arirburshed” from Red Bull’s history.

This comes after a tour of the racing team’s Powertrains facility, in which little to no mention is made of the man who helped lead the team for over two decades.

“Last week’s visit was this reporter’s first time back at the factory since Horner was given his marching orders last summer, and it was interesting to note some of the things which had changed,” read the report.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson invites girl, 4, to farm after yobs destroy her egg stall

“Some obvious (Mekies spoke to us in Horner’s old office for a start), others less so. I spotted just one picture of Horner, for instance, as part of a group photo with Kylie Minogue at the Melbourne race in 2023, on the wall of one of the rooms in Powertrains.

“Otherwise, the man who oversaw Red Bull’s rise felt conspicuous by his absence.”

The report added that a full tour of the factory was not given, so it was difficult to know to what extent Mr Horner had been actively airbrushed.

One source in the team suggested that other photos had also been removed from the main building.





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Oxford Conservative party statement for local elections 2026

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Oxford will go to the polls on May 7, in what is likely to be the last ever election for the city council.

There will be 24 seats up for grabs, one in every ward.

Below is the statement shared by the Conservative Party, and there is more to come from the other parties and groups fighting for votes in the city.

For the Oxford Conservatives, Vinay Raniga shared the following pitch:

Oxford Conservatives are increasingly concerned that our city is governed by politicians who do not seem to understand the daily realities of the people who live and work here.

Labour’s overarching priority is to increase employment, much of it by permitting the development of numerous large areas of laboratory space in North and East Oxford, along the Botley Road and even in the former Debenhams store in the city centre.

But their only, and inadequate, plan to provide enough housing for all the people who will fill the jobs created involves ever more encroachment on the precious Green Belt.

Indeed, their proposal for a Greater Oxford Unitary Council is based solely on the idea that the areas round the edge of the city are good for nothing except more building, no matter what impact that might have on the quality of life for both present and new residents.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have similarly little consideration for people who need to get around the city. If their planned traffic filters replace the Congestion Charge when the Botley Road eventually reopens, more vehicles will be forced onto the ring road and the Banbury and Woodstock, increasing congestion and worsening the air quality of the people who live alongside those routes.

Worse, the £5 Congestion Charge fee will be replaced by a £70 fine at a time when many people are struggling with the cost of living.

At national level the Green Party seems to have abandoned environmental causes in favour of increasingly extreme positions such as legalising hard drugs. Some of their local councillors undoubtedly work hard and effectively for their wards, but other candidates seem keener to champion causes way beyond the City Council’s remit.

And Reform simply has no interest at all in the real business of local politics. Their election material focuses, as ever, on one man and his national ambitions – a message that has little resonance or relevance in Oxford.

The Conservatives want responsible, better value spending on the real priorities that matter to local people. If elected, our councillors would lobby to stop the traffic filters, force a review of planning priorities, support local shops, cafes, pubs and other small businesses in the current challenging economic environment and protect and enhance valuable green spaces within and around the city.





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