The new HOW presenters are…
Published
The new HOW presenters are…
Following the news of the return of the iconic children’s television show HOW, the presenting team are now revealed with Vick Hope, Sam Homewood and Frankie Vu in front of the camera along with a welcome back, for Fred Dinenage.
Produced by Terrific Television (TT), the new series will be shown on CITV and simulcast on ITV from November and available on ITV Hub.
Vick (The X Factor), Sam (Scrambled), Frankie (Disney Channel) and Fred bring a mix of freshness, experience and familiarity to HOW’s target audience. Nic Ayling and Driana Jones, Founders of Terrific Television, say the line-up of presenters brings together a great team worthy of the HOW brand, which occupies a unique place in children’s television.
Vick Hope - As backstage presenter and of ITV’s The X Factor 2019, Vick Hope will be known to HOW’s young audience. A former Capital Breakfast presenter, she has also presented Crufts, The Voice UK, Trending Live, FYI Daily on ITV2 and was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018. A multi-talented TV and Radio presenter, Vick is also a journalist and published author.
Sam Homewood - As well as presenting numerous programmes for adults, Sam is a familiar face in children’s television. He fronts ITV’s CITV flagship kids weekend breakfast show, Scrambled and presented Use Your Voice Live – an online campaign to encourage young people to vote in the last election.
Frankie Vu - An obsessive sports fan, tech geek and music lover. A live sports presenter and regular on CBBC and Disney XD, he is your go-to guy for playful, intelligent TV presenting. Frankie appeared on Disney Channel US, taking audiences behind the scenes on the sets of the latest Disney blockbusters in Movie Surfers.
Fred Dinenage MBE – Television presenter, broadcaster and author Fred has earnt himself status as a UK national treasure having celebrated his 50th anniversary as reporter/presenter with ITV in 2014. Fred has presented the regional news for ITV in the south for 36 years and been a TV Presenter non-stop for 56 years.
Fred is part of the fabric of HOW and will be the only presenter to have appeared on all three versions of HOW. Fred has been a household name Co-Presenting ITV Meridian since 1993 and presented programmes including Tell the Truth, Pass the Buck, World of Sport, Gambit and appeared on Tiswas.
Commissioned by Paul Mortimer, ITV Controller of Digital Channels and Gemma John-Lewis, Assistant Commissioner ITV Entertainment, this exciting redevelopment of HOW has been created to resonate with today’s young audiences. As one of the first raft of commissions to be announced last year as part of the BFI’s Young Audience Content Fund (YACF) funding, HOW a new life and the knowledge shared through HOW will spark interest from a whole new generation of children who want to know everything.
Nic and Driana have worked closely on the project with children’s TV royalty, Nigel Pickard, and found his input invaluable for re-visualising HOW pulling on his vast experience and hugely successful career, including the creation and launch of, amongst others, the BBC's children's channels, CBBC and CBeebies and Director of Programmes at ITV. The project is one with gravitas; re-visualising one of televisions’ best loved children’s programmes for the digital generation. Part funded by YACF, HOW will be aimed at children in the 6 -10 year-old age group. Nigel Pickard said: “This iconic brand is being reborn to appeal to a generation who are used to researching information on the internet themselves so we must ensure we reflect their wider knowledge and wow them.”
The idea of having a presenters ‘Hub’ has been retained with presenter led witty banter and healthy competition, but the new HOW will see presenters mainly outside of the studio – behind the scenes coming up with some of the most astonishing, entertaining and informative hacks and facts in children’s television.
TT founders Nic and Driana said: “We are keeping the DNA of HOW, which everyone loved, and making it contemporary. HOW is simply the best factual show and children still have the same thirst for knowledge today about how to do things as when the original show started in 1966”.
Presenter quotes:
Vick Hope: “I’m so excited to be part of the team which is bringing HOW back to ITV. I remember watching HOW 2 growing up, so it’s pretty cool to be taking over where absolute legend Carol Vorderman left off! I love science, chemical reactions and the odd massive explosion, so not only is the show educational, but it’s super fun!”
Frankie Vu: “Having watched HOW throughout my childhood, I'm honoured and delighted to be joining a show with so much history and heritage. It's so important to bring fun and laughter into learning, and the team have worked wonders to achieve this with an added wow factor. There are some jaw-dropping moments in every episode, and I can't wait for everyone to see what we've been up to.
I hope audiences will have as much fun watching as we've had making the show”
Sam Homewood: I’m so excited that How is back and even more so that I get to be a part of it. I loved How2 when I was younger, and now I’m older I love learning hacks and blowing stuff up. The team behind the show is incredible and I can’t wait for people to see what Vick, Frankie, Fred and I have been up to. There are plenty of surprises in store.”
Fred Dinenage: “Having appeared in every one of the hundreds of HOW? and HOW2 programmes over more than thirty years, I am thrilled to be a part of the new series of HOW. The wheel will have turned full circle! I am now just about the happiest tv presenter in Britain - though also, sadly, one of the oldest! But my energy and enthusiasm are undimmed - and so is my desire to show, once again, younger viewers - HOW!”
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Notes to Editors
The original series of HOW ran from 1966 – 1981 and then brought back as HOW2 from 1990 – 2006.
About the Young Audiences Content Fund:
Managed by the BFI, the Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF) supports the creation of distinctive, high-quality content for audiences up to the age of 18. Up to £57 million over a three-year pilot, will support the creation of distinct, high-quality content for children and young audiences to be broadcast on free-to-access, Ofcom regulated television channels and online platforms.
Financed by UK Government as part of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Contestable Fund, the YACF aims to provide new avenues for creators of original content and bring new voices to the market, and back content which entertains, informs and reflects the experiences of young people growing up across the UK today. www.bfi.org.uk/yacf
