Former Strictly Come Dancing star Ore Oduba said Ant and Dec “took over” Newsround in a shock appearance while he was hosting the iconic children’s programme live on air.
Speaking to Daily Star and other press as part of Newsround’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the radio presenter and actor shared some of the moments that went wrong on set – and the impact that Newsround has had on generations of children.
Ore joined Newsround at the age of 22 years old in 2008, but revealed that despite the team’s extensive preparation before the live 5pm programme, not everything went to plan.
The former host revealed that one of the biggest, but coolest, shocks that he received was when popular presenting duo Ant and Dec crashed the set as part of a charity challenge.
He said: “Ant and Dec did this thing with Comic Relief and they were trying to get on every single live programme one day.
“We had this whole programme lined up and before we knew it, Ant and Dec had burst into studio seven in television centre and basically took over the programme.”
Ore described that he was not sure what was going on, and in a surprise turn of events, ended up being interviewed instead.
“You’re like, am I being interviewed by Ant and Dec? Where’s the big red book Michael Aspell? That was pretty cool,” he added.
(Image: © BBC)
The star also revealed that back before the days of uploading information to the cloud and smartphones, presenters often had a painful wait for footage – which sometimes did not arrive on time – so the presenters had to improvise.
“There was definitely stuff that went wrong because Newsround – it’s happening all on the day,” said Ore.
“Sometimes filing the footage back from a local or regional news hub. In the late noughties it wasn’t a thing [filing by phone], so let’s send a file by email and watch it buffer.
“When it came to getting your stuff on time for the five o’ clock live show, it didn’t always make it.”
(Image: Birmingham Mail)
He added: “I’m broadcasting live on BBC One and the video hasn’t made it. Well I have never been in this position before, so I’m just going to have to speak a little slower, maybe give a little more context – while my heart is absolutely racing.
“I’m just waiting for someone to say it’s there. That happened quite often, but it was amazing.
“Gosh – the idea that live TV all goes to plan. I learnt that very quickly – not the case. It was thrilling – terrifying – but live TV.”
Ore Oduba is one of many news presenters including Lizo Mzimba, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Ellie Crishell and Sonali Shah who got their first big break on the programme, which celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 5, 2022.
Launched in 1972 by John Craven, the news programme created specifically for children has been a huge part of audience’s lives for generations, including in the classroom.
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Reflecting on his time as a presenter, Ore said: “I felt very proud to be in that room and in that space.
“The idea that somebody in a school that were going into could be like, ‘yeah I can see myself in this room’ and they can see me on the telly – absolutely something that they can aspire to.
“You maybe don’t appreciate it as much when you’re in the job, how much you’re affecting kids in the classroom, as Newsround would be used as an educational tool. It still is in classrooms around the country.”
Ore also added that he is touched by the messages he receives from audiences who used to watch the programme too, adding: “Ten years later to be getting told by young adults, ‘gosh I was watching you on Newsround,’ you realise the power of that programme.
“It is still is a fire soaring brightly today.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
