Stuart Miles
{{short description|British radio and television presenter (born 1969)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Stuart Miles
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|2|20|df=y}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/presenters/miles.shtml
|title=I Love Blue Peter – Stuart Miles presenter biography|publisher=BBC
|accessdate=2009-06-26}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Television and radio presenter
| known_for = Blue Peter presenter
| title =
| spouse =
| website =[http://www.stuartmiles.co.uk www.stuartmiles.co.uk]
}}
Stuart Miles (born 20 February 1969) is a British radio and television presenter, who has worked on the children's programme Blue Peter.
Career
Miles studied at Bournemouth University where he developed an interest in college radio, followed by a stint on hospital radio.
Stuart Miles gained his TV break working as a journalist for a local Cable TV station covering news and events in South London.
{{cite web
|url=http://www.stuartmiles.co.uk/pages/biog.html
|title=Stuart Miles
|publisher=stuartmiles.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-01-31
|last=Miles
|first=Stuart
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080125104520/http://www.stuartmiles.co.uk/pages/biog.html |archivedate = 2008-01-25}}
From 1993 to 1994, Miles presented Saturday Disney, which led to him joining Blue Peter on 27 June 1994; some of his most memorable moments included joining the RAF Falcons display team and starring in various Blue Peter pantomimes. His last appearance was on 21 June 1999.
Miles controversially decided to leave Blue Peter after declaring that it was 'out of touch' with the then-current generation of children and needed to be modernized, and was frustrated at not being selected for its newly-vacant job of Programme Editor; he also felt that the sacking of co-presenter Richard Bacon had not been handled well.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/274931.stm BBC News], 8 February 1999, Quoted as saying "The show needs to tackle subjects like divorce, or bullying, or eating disorders, or drugs."
{{cite news
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,314750,00.html
|title=Quitting presenter says Blue Peter is out of touch
|work=The Guardian
|date=1999-02-08
|accessdate=2008-01-31
|last=Ahmed
|first=Kamal
| location=London
}}
Stuart presented with Diane-Louise Jordan, Tim Vincent, Katy Hill, Romana D'Annunzio, Richard Bacon, Konnie Huq and Simon Thomas.
Since leaving Blue Peter, Miles has guest-presented such programmes as This Morning, Holiday, and Soap Fever, and took part in When Blue Peter Became ABBA. He has also directed various programmes, and regularly appears in pantomime.
In 2007, Stuart presented on Sky Vegas, an interactive gambling television channel, and started regularly performing his drag act, as a character called Stella Ratner.Reported on his website [http://www.stuartmiles.co.uk stuartmiles.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124103600/http://www.stuartmiles.co.uk/ |date=24 January 2008 }} and listed in Timeout, November 2007, performing fortnightly in Stella's Cellar at [http://www.bar-code.co.uk Barcode] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103191058/http://www.bar-code.co.uk/ |date=3 January 2008 }}, a Soho gay bar [https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/clubs_bars/venue-698.php].
{{cite web
|url=http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/One-gay-Blue-Peter-host.4210625.jp
|title=One gay Blue Peter host, some lippy and a frock – all you need to make your own Fringe show
|publisher=Scotsman News
|accessdate=2008-06-22
}}
{{Blockquote|
I've never made any secret of my sexuality. Sexual frustration can be a powerful thing. I should know after five years on Blue Peter, where you're expected to be like Action Man – smooth all over with no genitals.|Stuart Miles|News of the World, 11 November 2007}}
In January 2008, Stuart joined Gaydar Radio, replacing Sam Vangeen in its lunchtime Your Choice Requests show.{{cite web
|url = http://www.timeout.com/london/gay/features/4134/Stuart_Miles-interview.html
|access-date = 2008-01-24
|first = Paul
|last = Burston
|date = 2008-01-23
|title = Find Out About Gaydar Radio for London's Gay and Lesbian Community As Time Out London Interviews Its New DJ and Ex-'Blue Peter' Presenter Stuart Miles
|publisher = Timeout
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080201094357/http://www.timeout.com/london/gay/features/4134/Stuart_Miles-interview.html
|archive-date = 1 February 2008
{{Cite news
| last =Plunkett
| first =John
| title =Ex-Blue Peter host to join Gaydar Radio
| newspaper =The Guardian
| date =2007-12-19
| url =https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/dec/19/radio1
| location=London
}}
In 2008, Stuart took his live drag stand-up comedy show, "The Adventures of Pink Peter", to the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
{{cite news
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/blue-peter-goes-pink-in-crossdressing-fringe-show-852330.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/blue-peter-goes-pink-in-crossdressing-fringe-show-852330.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
|title='Blue Peter' goes pink in cross-dressing Fringe show
|work=The Independent
|accessdate=2009-06-25
| location=London
| first=Jerome
| last=Taylor
| date=23 June 2008
}}
On 26 April 2010, it was announced that Stuart would be the new Heart 96.6 (Northants) breakfast presenter, along with Natalie Besbrode (Natalie B), starting on 4 May, followed by the reformed Heart Home Counties which started on 16 July. Between February 2015 and July 2017 he co-presented "Heart Breakfast" with his former Blue Peter colleague Katy Hill.{{cite web|url = http://radiotoday.co.uk/2017/07/stuart-and-katy-to-exit-heart-four-counties/|title = Stuart and Katy to exit Heart Four Counties|date = 20 July 2017|publisher = Radio Today|accessdate = 21 July 2017}}
He is also the regular stand in for Andy Collins on the breakfast show on BBC Three Counties Radio.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
Credits
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Production | Broadcast Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Saturday Disney | Presenter | GMTV | |
| 1994–1999 | Blue Peter | Presenter | BBC | |
| 1995 | Schofield's Quest | Presenter | LWT | 3 December 1995 |
| 1996 | To Me, To You! | Himself | BBC | 19 July 1996 |
| 1998 | Dennis the Menace: The Competition | Himself (voice) | BBC | 13 February 1998 |
| 1999 | This Morning | Presenter | Granada Television | 17 February 1999 |
| 1999 | Holidaymaker | Presenter | Meridian Broadcasting | August–September 1999 |
| 2000 | The Phone Zone | Director | UK Play | |
| 2000 | This Morning | Presenter | Granada Television | 19 April 2000 |
| 2001 | Lily Savage's Blankety Blank | Himself | Grundy Productions | 14 January 2001{{cite episode|title=Series 1, Episode 2|series=Lily Savage's Blankety Blank|network=ITV1. Repeated 22 August 2016 on Challenge|air-date=14 January 2001}} |
| 2004 | Simply the Best | Himself | Carlton Television | 21 August 2004 |
| 2005 | When Blue Peter became ABBA | Himself/Benny | RDF Media | 20 September 2005 |
| 2008 | Your Choice Requests | Presenter/DJ | Gaydar Radio | 2 January 2008 – 25 April 2010 |
| 2010 | Breakfast | Presenter | Heart Four Counties | 4 May 2010 – 21 July 2017 |
| 2017 | Drive Time | Presenter | Sam FM | 19 June 2017 – Present{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} |
Footnotes
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0587247}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Stuart}}
Category:Alumni of Bournemouth University
Category:British children's television presenters
Category:British television presenters
Category:British LGBTQ broadcasters
Category:British gay entertainers