biggest stars from t4

Here’s a list of all the biggest TV stars who started out on T4

Remember when T4 on the Beach had Weston-super-Mare looking like Ibiza??


Kids of that sacred era between 2006 and 2012 will probably remember the thrill of waking up late on a Sunday morning, switching your Bratz TV to Channel 4 and sneakily watching Hollyoaks and Friends while your parents went out shopping. This is thanks to T4, the mother of all weekend TV slots.

T4 gave us exactly what we needed on a drowsy weekend morning, let’s be honest. It had live music; it had drama; it had Simon Amstell. I’d give up a left lung just to watch Jameela Jamil take us through her wardrobe before a Big Bang Theory repeat, to be honest.

With all this entertainment, it’s no wonder many of the presenters went on to have iconic careers elsewhere in TV. So, here’s a full rundown of all the *biggest* telly stars who started out on T4:

Dermot O’Leary

biggest stars from T4

Photo via Channel 4/ITV

Dermot is obviously a household name nowadays, but did you know he started out as one of T4’s very first presenters, all the way back in 1998? For perspective; I was BORN in 1998. This man has been on TV my entire lifetime. But, I digress.

After leaving the magazine show in 2001, his next biggest gig was presenting Big Brother’s Little Brother for seven years. He hosted The X Factor soon afterwards, becoming known for his lovely demeanour and quirky little dances. As of 2021, he hosts the Friday edition of This Morning alongside Alison Hammond.

Ben Shephard

ben shephard

Photo via Channel 4/ITV

Ben hosted T4 alongside Dermot O’Leary for just one year, before moving on to bigger and brighter things. Two years later, in 2000, he got his big break hosting a segment of early-morning show GMTV (an absolute relic), as well as the main show from 2005. He fronted The Xtra Factor for three series between 2004 and 2006; as well as This Morning and The Krypton Factor.

Nowadays, he infamously presents Tipping Point and co-anchors Good Morning Britain.

Vernon Kay

vernon kay

Photo via Channel 4/ITV

Our survey says: iconic!!

Vernon Kay started out on T4 in 2000 and presented it for five years. Just one year after he left, he became the (most memorable, if you ask me) host of All Star Family Fortunes. After handing the baton to Gino D’Acampo, the TV legend came third in I’m A Celeb during its first series in Wales.

Steve Jones

steve jones

Photo via Channel 4/ITV

For seven years, Steve Jones presented T4 and absolutely OOZED sex appeal. Remember when his main role on Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging was to just walk around topless and make Georgia think her mum was having an affair? Pfft, yeah. Me neither…

Since leaving T4, Steve presented the tragic first series of X Factor USA, eventually giving way to Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez. In his presenting prime, he also hosted A Night With Beyoncé and got to meet the literal Queen of Pop herself.

For the last six years, he’s presented Channel 4 F1, once again becoming a main staple of Sunday afternoons.

Simon Amstell

simon amstell biggest stars from T4

Photo via Channel 4/YouTube

The legend that is Simon Amstell actually started out on T4. Little did he know, this gig was just a warm-up for the most historic event in TV.

I am, of course, talking about the big Preston storm-off of ’07. During Simon’s run as host on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, he infamously read out Chantelle Houghton’s autobiography to the audience – prompting her then-husband, Ordinary Boys frontman Preston, to walk out.

Since then, Simon has excelled in pretty much every other field of entertainment. He wrote a series of short films starring Olly Alexander, published a book in 2017 and released his first stand-up special on Netflix, back in 2019.

Rick Edwards

rick edwards

Photo via Channel 4/Comedy Central

Rick Edwards was one of the latter T4 presenters, running his course until 2011. He was also one of the main hosts of legendary-bigger-than-Glasto music festival T4 On The Beach, as well as the Hollyoaks Music Show and Freshly Squeezed (SO MUCH TEEN NOSTALGIA).

His presenting career has since gone from strength-to-strength, fronting his own BBC quiz show Impossible, alongside his role on the UK version of Drunk History.

Alexa Chung

biggest stars from t4

Photo via Channel 4/YouTube

Sorry, but who didn’t want to *be* Alexa Chung back in the day? She went from being the quirky, Zooey Deschanel-esque sidelined presenter to a fashion designer, model and columnist. Alexa even hosted a Netflix show with Tan France back in 2020.

Nowadays, she has a successful YouTube channel with almost 500,000 subscribers.

Jameela Jamil

jameela jamil

Photo via Channel 4/NBC

Jameela could be one of the biggest success stories from T4 altogether. After leaving the show in 2012, Jameela presented the Radio One Official Chart Show, taking over from Reggie Yates. In 2015, she made the risky move to Hollywood in order to pursue her acting career – and it paid off. She famously starred as Tahani in The Good Place, as well as Rugrats, Star Trek and She-Hulk.

Nick Grimshaw

nick grimshaw

Photo via Channel 4/Comedy Central

Nick was one of T4’s last presenters, staying with the show until it ended in December 2012. Post-T4, he hosted BBC Three show Sweat The Small Stuff, as well as Children In Need and The X Factor. Nowadays, you’ll probably recognise him as a star of Celebrity Gogglebox alongside his niece, Liv.

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Featured image via NBC, YouTube and ITV before edits.