Chris Jarvis

Martin Christopher Jarvis (born 20 April 1969) is an English actor, presenter and writer who has appeared mainly on children's television for the BBC since 1992, apart from 2000 to 2002 when he was working with ITV and Channel 4.

Jarvis made his name in the early 1990s on Children's BBC, presenting from the "Broom Cupboard" alongside Zoe Ball and Josie d'Arby as well as hosting his own shows like Look Sharp.

Chris wrote a lot of material for Children's BBC himself (including the mini soap opera Wood Lane TV) and created several memorable characters including "The Anorak".

Jarvis has appeared in pantomimes professionally every year since 1995, and prior to that had performed in several as an amateur.

In 1997, Jarvis was part of The Friday Zone (which was broadcast on Friday afternoons on BBC One for most of the children's slot) with Debra Stephenson, Peter Simon, Dominic Wood, Steve Rock and Emma Lee.

They released a single called "Glasses" as a spin-off from the programme, to raise money for Comic Relief.

He then presented Fully Booked with Tim Vincent and Gail Porter for a few years.

He has appeared on many other TV shows including Short Change, Exclusive, Playdays and Soap Fever.

Jarvis was one of the original lineup of CBeebies presenters, alongside Pui Fan Lee, Sidney Sloane, and Sue Monroe every day.

Since 2001, he has written and directed many of these pantomimes as well.

From March 2007 until his departure on 2 January 2009, he presented alongside Lee from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with Discover and Do, then the Bedtime Hour from 6:00 pm and again on BBC Two in the mornings.

He also starred in Step Inside as Mr Mopple and voiced characters in Underground Ernie.

In 2009, he and Lee left the channel's main presentation to create Show Me Show Me.

Show Me Show Me is still broadcast on CBeebies today.

The first 40 half-hour episodes were broadcast on the CBeebies channel, BBC One and BBC Two from Monday 6 July 2009 every weekday at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm.

Since 2010, Jarvis and Lee have toured the UK with The Chris and Pui Roadshow.

As an actor Jarvis has appeared in The Demon Headmaster and ChuckleVision, and played Mr Mopple in early CBeebies story-telling programme Step Inside.

He also presented Maths Mansion.

Jarvis hosts family concerts for the London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jarvis has been involved with several televised pantomimes on CBeebies, including 2012's Jack and the beanstalk which he wrote and starred Dame Trot, 2011's Strictly Cinderella which he co-wrote, and starred in as Baron Hardup, 2010's Aladdin (in which he plays Emperor Sho Mee) and 2009's Jack & Jill (which he wrote and appeared in a cameo).

Jarvis grew up in Billericay and Brentwood.

He is the godfather to one of fellow CBeebies presenter Pui Fan Lee's sons.

Series 5 was filmed on location near Manchester in 2013.

In 2019, he started a radio station for children called Little Radio.