Stephen Daniel Mulhern is an English television presenter, magician, and comedian. He began his television career on

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

, presenting the children's shows ''

Finger Tips ''Finger Tips'' is a British children's television series that aired on CITV and was broadcast from 3 September 2001 to 14 December 2008. It was produced by The Foundation. Format ''Finger Tips'' is an arts and crafts series that centres around ...

'' (2001–2004) and ''

Tricky TV ''Tricky TV'' is a British television show that aired on CITV from 2005 to 2010, presented by magician Stephen Mulhern. The show featured street magic, pranks, illusions, and step-by-step how-to guides for magic tricks. Format The show featur ...

'' (2005–2010). Mulhern has presented various television shows for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

, including ''

Britain's Got More Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'' (2007–2019), ''Animals Do the Funniest Things'' (2007–2011), ''This Morning's Hub'' (2011–2014), ''

Catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

'' (2013–present), ''

Big Star's Little Star ''Big Star's Little Star'' is a British game show that began on ITV on 4 September 2013 and is presented by Stephen Mulhern. The show sees three celebrity contestants and their children or grandchildren answering questions about each other to w ...

'' (2013–2018), '' In for a Penny'' (2019–present), and '' Rolling In It'' (2020–2021).

Early life and education

Mulhern's parents were market traders. He attended

St Bonaventure's St Bonaventure's, known informally as St Bon's, is a voluntary-aided Catholic secondary school for boys aged 11–16 in Forest Gate, London Borough of Newham, England, with a mixed gender sixth form for 16–18-year-old students. It is under th ...

Forest Gate Forest Gate is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. The town ...

, East London.

Career

Magic

Mulhern gained his interest in comedy and magic from his father, who taught him tricks when he was 11 years old. The family spent their holidays at

Butlin's Minehead Butlins Resort Minehead is a holiday camp operated by Butlins, located in Minehead in Somerset, England. It opened in 1962 and remains in use today. It was known as Butlin's Minehead until 1987, and as Somerwest World from then until 1999, wh ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, where Mulhern began performing in public. He became the youngest member of The Magic Circle, which brought about an appearance on ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...

'' in a piece about

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

. Mulhern was later suspended from The Magic Circle for revealing a magic trick on the children's television programme ''

''. The suspension was eventually lifted. After leaving school, he created a magic show under the title ''Stephen's Mega Mad Magic Show''. Turned down at age 18 by

Michael Barrymore Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952), known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English actor, comedian and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s ...

for '' My Kind of People'', he won another television talent show called ''The Big Big Talent Show'' which was hosted by

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...

, and as a result, in 1997 was invited to take part in the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

at the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

. Mulhern has appeared on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

and then on

alongside

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsi ...

on ''Saturday Showdown''. His television credits since have included '' The Quick Trick Show'' and more recently ''

''. In 2005, Mulhern created and presented the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

magic show ''Freaky''. In 2006, he performed a magic routine in an episode of ''

The Slammer ''The Slammer'' (also known as ''The Slammer Returns'' for its final two series) is a children's talent show sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One and CBBC from 22 September 2006 until 26 July 2014. Set in a fictional prison called HM Slammer, ...

'' and came in second place. The dance group Flawless, who went on to perform on ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'' (a spin-off show of which Mulhern presents), came first. Mulhern's 2010 entertainment show '' Magic Numbers'' featured magic and illusions during the phone-in process. For his ''Tricky TV'' series, he used glamour models and bodybuilders, or viewers of the programme and their mothers. He also often uses female celebrities. Most notable of these is his former ''Saturday Showdown'' co-host

, who has assisted him on many occasions in a variety of illusions including being sawn in half and beheaded with a guillotine. Other celebrity assistants have included the singers Katherine Jenkins,

Rachel Stevens Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9 April 1978) is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album '' Funky Dory'' in Se ...

Louise Redknapp Louise Elizabeth Redknapp (née Nurding, born 4 November 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and media personality. She was a member of Eternal, an R&B girl group which debuted in 1993 with their quadruple-platinum studio album '' Always & ...

and the actress

Mischa Barton Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born 24 January 1986) is a British-American film, television, and stage actress. She began her career on the stage, appearing in Tony Kushner's ''Slavs!'' and took the lead in James Lapine's '' Twelve Dreams'' at Ne ...

Radio

On 5 August 2012, Mulhern began co-presenter of Sunday breakfast from 9am to 12pm with

Emma Willis Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM.

across the

Heart Network Heart is a British radio network and brand of 13 adult contemporary music, adult contemporary Independent Local Radio, local stations operated by Global Media & Entertainment, Global throughout the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local an ...

. The duo occasionally present the Heart London Breakfast show when regular hosts,

Jamie Theakston James Paul Theakston (born 21 December 1970) is an English television presenter, producer, and actor. He co-presented the former Saturday morning BBC One children's show ''Live & Kicking'', alongside Zoe Ball between 1996 and 1999. He co-hosted ...

and

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...

are away.Stephen Mulhern and Emma Willis
Heart In 2021, Mulhern began presenting shows on

Virgin Radio UK Virgin Radio UK is a national Hot Adult Contemporary radio station in the United Kingdom that launched on 30 March 2016, owned by Wireless Group which is itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is the second incarnation of Virgin Radio in the UK: t ...

. He covered

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...

in the weekend morning 9:30am to 12:30pm slot in August and also presented a week of the Chris Evans Breakfast Show in December. Mulhern then returned to Virgin to host a week of Chris Evans Breakfast Show again in April 2022.

Television

Mulhern began presenting on

in 1998. He co-hosted four series of ''

'' with

Fearne Cotton Fearne Wood ( Cotton; born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author''.'' She began her career in the late 1990s presenting various children's television shows for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. In 2007, she presented '' The Xtra Factor'', ...

from 2001 until 2003 and with

Naomi Wilkinson Naomi Laura Wilkinson (born 30 June 1974, in Bristol, England) is an English television presenter and actress. Career Wilkinson was a presenter of ''Milkshake!'', the early-morning programming block for young children on Channel 5 and ''Fi ...

in 2004. He presented children's show ''

'' from 2005 to 2010. He also co-hosted ''

Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown ''Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown'' (previously titled ''Ministry of Mayhem'' and ''MoM'') was a British children's entertainment programme, which was broadcast on ITV (later CITV) from 10 January 2004 to 1 July 2006. Overview ''Ministry ...

'' (originally called ''

Ministry of Mayhem ''Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown'' (previously titled ''Ministry of Mayhem'' and ''MoM'') was a British children's entertainment programme, which was broadcast on ITV (later CITV) from 10 January 2004 to 1 July 2006. Overview ''Ministry ...

'') with

from 2004 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, Mulhern hosted the

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...

spin-off ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

: Defrosted'', while

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...

and Holly Willoughby hosted the main show. From 2007 to 2019, Mulhern hosted ITV2 spin-off ''

'', which aired immediately after the main

show, which is hosted by

Ant & Dec Ant & Dec are a British television presenter, television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as chil ...

. Since 2013, Mulhern has become associated with the word 'unbelievable' which slowly became his catchphrase, usually used on ''Britain's Got More Talent'' as he walks offscreen at the end of a section, with Ant & Dec often mimicking him and is also known for saying "doosh!". From 2009 to 2011, Mulhern narrated the ITV entertainment show ''Animals Do the Funniest Things''. Mulhern regularly presented inside 'The Hub', a small segment on the ITV daytime show '' This Morning''. He most recently hosted the segment on Thursday and Friday mornings although had previously hosted on Wednesdays and Thursdays until the departure of Matt Johnson in the summer of 2013. Mulhern has occasionally presented the main show, standing in for the regular presenters. In 2010, he hosted primetime game show '' Magic Numbers'' on ITV. Mulhern has hosted numerous episodes of '' The Big Quiz''. Since April 2013, Mulhern has presented a revived version of ITV game show ''

''. In September 2013, Mulhern began presenting ITV's ''

'', a show which sees celebrities and their children compete to win up to £15,000 for charity. On 27 October 2013, Mulhern began hosting a live Sunday morning show called '' Sunday Side Up'' on ITV. On 21 December 2013, Mulhern hosted entertainment special ''The Illusionists'' on ITV. On 14 September 2014, Mulhern guest hosted an episode of ''

Sunday Night at the Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End theatre, West End. Originally produced by Associated Television, ATV for the ITV (TV network), ITV network ...

''. In early 2015, Mulhern presented the primetime ITV reality series ''

Get Your Act Together ''Get Your Act Together'' was a British talent show that began airing on ITV on 18 January 2015, hosted by Stephen Mulhern. The show features celebrities learning various different acts, such as juggling, singing, impressions and escapology, and p ...

''. On 5 February 2015, he began presenting

panel show ''

Reality Bites ''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, in his directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and St ...

'' . In 2015, he presented '' The Magic Show Story'' a one-off special for

and '' The Saturday Night Story'', a two-part series focusing on Saturday night television. In 2015, Mulhern presented ''

Pick Me! ''Pick Me!'' is a British game show that aired on ITV from 19 October to 20 November 2015 and is hosted by Stephen Mulhern and voiced by Roy Walker, both of whom have presented ''Catchphrase''. Format Mulhern picks three contestants out of th ...

'', a daytime game show for

as well as ITV's annual charity telethon ''

Text Santa ''Text Santa'' was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been h ...

''. In March 2015, Mulhern became a victim of the Ant & Dec Undercover segment on ''

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, created and presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), an ...

''. In February 2016, Stephen became the presenter of the 'Ant vs Dec' segment on ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' after replacing

Ashley Roberts Ashley Allyn Roberts (born September 14, 1981) is an American singer, dancer, and media personality. She is a member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls. Roberts released her debut solo studio album, ''Butterfly E ...

. In 2016, Mulhern presented '' Go for It'', and co-hosted ''The Next Great Magician'' alongside

Rochelle Humes Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes (née Wiseman; born 21 March 1989) is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in British pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV entertainment se ...

for ITV. On 12 April 2018, it was announced that Mulhern would host ''

The National Lottery Draws ''The National Lottery Results'' (previously ''The National Lottery Live'', ''The National Lottery Draw'', ''The National Lottery Stars'' and ''The National Lottery Draws'') is the television programme that broadcasts the drawing of the Natio ...

'' on ITV. In 2019, Mulhern presented '' In For A Penny'', which is based on a segment he presents on ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' of the same name. In August 2020, Mulhern began presenting a new game show on ITV, '' Rolling In It'', featuring both contestants and celebrities. In February 2022, Mulhern guest presented ''

Dancing On Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

'' whilst

self-isolated from COVID-19. In January 2023 it was reported that a reboot of the show

Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...

would be hosted by Mulhern.

Filmography

Television

Radio

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mulhern, Stephen Living people Butlins Redcoats English game show hosts English magicians English male musical theatre actors English people of Irish descent English television presenters Heart (radio network) People educated at St Bonaventure's Catholic School People from Minehead People from Stratford, London Year of birth missing (living people)