An Interview with Justin Fletcher

I have to hold my hands up and say I am not a big Justin fan. I mean don’t get me wrong I think what he has done to make Makaton more mainstream and kids more accepting is fantastic and I really enjoy some of his characters from GiggleBiz but I have never connected with him as a person. We have met a few times in my line of work and unlike all the other Cbeebies presenters I know he has always seemed to be the one who least wanted to talk to people. However, when I got the chance to meet and interview him last week he was fabulous and the whole interview went really well. Having now worked with Cirque Du Hilarious I came to realise that the only time I had seen him was after a show and he puts so much into his performances that he more than likely had nothing else to give.I interviewed Justin Fletcher as part of a panel of other bloggers at the Toy Fair in London and it was a really lovely chance to get different questions posed to him.

The most popular question was regarding Justin’s three special things that he always takes with him and it didn’t take him long to think of an answer. Justin’s love of music especially movie soundtracks help to inspire him when creating characters so he always ensures he has his iPod with him. He also loves escaping inside a good book and apparently no journey will be complete without one of Aunt Polly’s cakes!

I asked Justin who his favourite character was and it was no surprise to hear that Mr Tumble was top of the list. Justin went on to explain how shocked he was by the impact that Mr Tumble has on adults and children alike and how he is always in awe at the response he gets on the live shows.

Justin has used many props in his shows and I asked him which one was his favourite. However, it seems there are too many to choose from although the mini bikes and bathtub are high up on the list, Justin’s 4 1950s bumper cars are regulars in his programmes. Justin spoke fondly of his bumper car collection and how they were restored. One of them is used as Captain Adorable’s car in GiggleBiz and the others have all featured in Something special over the years.

It was a real pleasure to meet Justin Fletcher and get to know the man who is keeping slapstick comedy alive for the younger generation. I wish him the best of luck as he continues to grace our tv screens with his hilarious characters but I am also a bit glad that my kids have nearly outgrown Cbeebies!