Jamie Theakston's Factfile

Personal Life
Jamie was born on 21st December 1971 in Ditchling near Brighton. His father was a computer software salesman and his mother owned a tea-room. He says he had “a very happy and unremarkable childhood”. He was brought up on a farm and “used to go out and shoot pigeons, rabbits and pheasants.” Apparently he can skin a rabbit in less than a minute.

He now divides his time between his London flat and his country cottage in Ditchling near his parents.

Jamie claims that there was no outward sign of his early ambition apart from “a natural empathy towards showing off in classrooms”

He joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13 and, he says, “was always good at it”. “I was in the National Youth Theatre and did a lot of acting right up until the age of 18. Acting is essentially my first love and I've always had half an eye on getting back to it. But I wanted to wait for the right thing to come along.”


Did You Know?

Jamie left school with nine O-Levels and one GCSE in Maths “I failed my maths O Level so many times that I eventually had to take it as a GCSE.” Then at 18 he moved to London to study Business Studies at London Poly. He graduated with a First.

Jamie is 6ft 4ins tall. "Any taller and I’m bordering on freak height. I just miss it. I think freak height is 6ft 5ins. I’m on the cusp of freaky.”

Jamie has got one of the most popular noses amongst men who have nose jobs.
“Apparently, plastic surgeons have said that men are coming in with pictures of my nose, and asking for "The Theakston." Yeah. My nose! Can you believe it? It's quite flattering. But I'm sure there are more attractive noses to pick! Excuse the joke!


Cool Credentials

Jamie is a Brighton and Hove Albion fan.

Given the chance Jamie would double the TV licence fee. “I can't understand why when someone suggests we raise the licence fee by pounds 10, people are up in arms. These are the same people who pay 40 quid a month for their Sky package. The BBC and the NHS and our general welfare state, despite what everyone says, are things we can be very proud of.”

Jamie has recently started to subtly change his image. Claiming that he has “always been good at acting” and wanted to make the move from presenting he started in the best place - the West End.