Guest presenters
City Hospital's most recent series had a slightly different format to past programmes. Each week patients, staff, and viewers were treated to a new celebrity face alongside its main presenters Nadia and Matt....and what fine cameo performances they gave! Read below to see who turned up to our hospitals each week.
Duncan James
Duncan James is former singer with one of the UK’s most successful boy bands, Blue. By 2005, Blue had achieved 40 Number 1 singles worldwide, sold 13 million records, had three sell out tours, won ‘Best Pop Act’ at the Brits, two MTV awards including MTV Asia – ‘Best International Group’ amongst many other awards.
In 2005, Duncan embarked on a solo career. His first track reached Number 2 in the charts.
Ulrika Jonsson
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Ulrika Jonsson first appeared on screen in May 1989 as Weather Presenter for TV-am. In 1992 she went on to present LWT’s Gladiators and has gone on to host many prime time programmes ever since – most notably BBC1’s Dog Eat Dog, ITV’s Home On Their Own and How Do I Look? going on to join Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on BBC2’s highly successful comedy quiz show Shooting Stars.
Ulrika published her autobiography ‘Honest’ in 2002 which was an instant bestseller.
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is one of this country’s best known actors. The son of a South Yorkshire coal miner, Brian trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before beginning a distinguished career in theatre, television and film.
Brian created the role of ‘Old Deuteronomy’ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats, and also starred in the musical Metropolis. A member of the Royal Shakespeare company, he played ‘Claudius’ in Hamlet, ‘Exeter’ in Henry V and ‘Hastings’ in Richard III.
Television roles, amongst many, include: ‘Augustus Caesar’ in I Claudius, PC Fancy Smith’ in Z Cars and ‘Richard IV’ in Black Adder. On film, Brian has co-starred with Katherine Hepburn in Trojan Women and also played ‘Vultan’ in the popular Flash Gordon.
Brian is also a best-selling author and has written five books. He is married to actress Hildegard Neil and they have one daughter.
Aled Jones
Aled Jones was born in Llandegfan, Anglesey, and has been singing since the age of two. At the age of nine, he joined Bangor Cathedral Choir where he a local record company and the BBC took an interest in him. Television performances and album deals followed and Aled achieved international stardom.
He turned professional at the age of 12 but had to take a break from singing when his voice broke at 16. He was advised not to sing for five years to allow his voice to mature, so Aled instead concentrated on tennis and became a county level player. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Six weeks after leaving theatre school he was cast by Andrew Lloyd Webber in a production of Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In 2004 Aled Jones was voted Religious Broadcaster of the Year in the Churches Media Council's Andrew Cross Awards for his work with Songs of Praise.
Aled Jones is an established presenter on BBC TV's Songs of Praise. He also presents Good Morning Sunday on Radio 2 and The Choir on Radio 3.
Christopher Timothy
Christopher Timothy’s numerous television appearances include ‘Mac Maguire’ in the BBC daily drama series Doctors, which he has also directed, and ‘James Herriot’ in the long running BBC Series All Creatures Great And Small. He also was guest starred in four episodes of Casualty as ‘Karl Ackerman’. Other television appearances include Hamlet, Holby City, The Bill, Vet School & Vets in Practice.
Christopher has also acted extensively in the theatre, including Alan Bennett’s Forty Years On with Tony Robinson and Tony Britton and The Three Musketeers; He also appeared in Dangerous Corner in Chichester which transferred to the Whitehall Theatre in London before touring the UK; and as ‘Pop Larkin’ in a UK tour of Darling Buds Of May.
Melinda Messenger
Melinda Messenger has been the host of ITV West’s daytime show Beat The Dealer and co-host of Living TV’s first major talk show commission Loose Lips.
Melinda hosted Channel 5’s action game show Fort Boyard for four highly successful series and in 2001 she presented I Love 1997 for BBC1 and was a contributor on the BBC1 current affairs programme 4x4. Melinda was a guest presenter on Wish You were Here and has presented a documentary for ITV Melinda Hits Hollywood during which she was auditioned for “FRIENDS” and offered a part in Baywatch. At the end of 2002 she proved a hugely popular housemate in Celebrity Big Brother.