Can you tell us a little bit about life as a presenter on CBeebies?
Katy Ashworth
Well life as a presenter on CBeebies is very, very funny and very bold, too. And it can be surreal at times!
For budding presenters out there, do you have any tips or advice?
Just be yourself and really get to know you as a person. I think if you enjoy being 'you' then you'll be more comfortable on screen. Try and do as many fun and interesting things with your life as all that experience shines through when you present. I talk to lots of people all the time and I think that makes it easy to talk to a camera. So get lots and lots of experience. I think I've become very good at presenting. I was terrible when I started - awful and awkward and horrible to watch - but I just did it a lot and I've done hundreds of hours of it and I think that's what makes me good at it now. Practice. Practice. Practice.
You work on CBeebies show I Can Cook - can you tell us a little bit about a typical day filming the show and what goes on behind-the-scenes?
Wake up about 7'o'clock, go to the studio at 8 and get in the make-up chair. At 9.30 you are in the studio all mic-ed up and ready to go. Then you get the script and stuff but it depends what I'm doing. If I'm doing likes I get 30 odd links to do and each link will sometimes take 10 minutes, to up to half an hour. Between links the presenters get to chill. We have a good old catch up or we'll just be really stupid and chatting about random stuff and falling about laughing. As we're all pre-school presenters, we all have a very silly sense of humour and we just laugh a lot! You have a lunch break at 1'o'clock and we finish about 6.30. And that's your day! It's very fun and very cool.
You've taken on a variety of different roles during your career, as you say 'a dancing lobster' or a 'bedtime story-reading fairy' - is there one you've not done yet you think would be a lot of fun?
I'd love to play a character on screen which Ive not done yet. For example, I recently played a Northern grandma in Stig Of The Dump in the West End in London this summer, in a theatre production, and I loved it. I love to get my teeth into a silly character. I'd like to do more of that.
You're bringing the Best Ever Christmas Show to UK arenas - what should those coming to the show expect?
They can expect the story of Jack Frost with a brilliant new sparkling, dazzling, twist and lots of your favourite children's TV presenters from different channels. Expect lots of dancing, lots of songs to sing along with, a giant snowman, Santa Claus with his magical sleigh, a nasty Snow Witch - and lots and lots of special effects. It's the perfect Christmas show!
Andy Day, Cat Sandion, Jen Pringle, Naomi Wilkinson and Dave Benson Philips are all also a part of the show - what do you think it's going to be like touring with these guys?
I imagine it's going to be absolutely hilarious and brilliant fun! And good for the soul, I imagine, as they all absolutely wonderful people and are all very good friends as well. So I reckon it will be a wonderful experience and a really nice way to spend my Christmas.
What are you usual Christmas plans?
I always work at Christmas. I have done for the last seven years actually apart from when I had my little boy (he was born in the October.) Prior to that I was chilled, get together with family, hang out and have a meal, open presents and play some games, have a drink and have a nice chilled time together really. That's the way Christmas has always been for me.
How do you like to spend the festive holiday season?
I'd like to do something different one year: maybe go abroad and experience it completely differently. I'd love to go somewhere snowy - really, properly, snowy! I'd like to try somewhere where it's really hot too to experience Christmas in a different way.
What would be your ideal and least favourite Christmas presents this year?
I'd really like a new bike with a trailer. I like riding with my son so I'd like to go on some more 'off road' tracks with him in a trailer. We love going out on rides together: it's a nice 'mother son bonding' thing that we do. I've got a city bike with this baby seat on the back which we are massively growing out of! So a bike and trailer would be great. Least favourite: would be a book, as I have about seventy books that need reading, so I need no more! Oh and I have lots of socks. No more socks please!
Finally, what's next for you in the coming weeks and months?
I am having a really relaxed Autumn so far: I've got some bits of presenting, a few things I'm filming, a few live shows and a food festival. Oh, and I've got lots of weddings to go to! I'm enjoying having some down time as I had a really busy summer. I'm enjoying having a little bit of time for just me being a mum for four or five days a week whilst doing various projects (in their very early stages) on the other free days.
The Best Ever Christmas Show will be in an arena near you in December! Visit www.thebesteverchristmasshow.com for more information!