From Blue Peter Team to Paranormal “Scream Queen”- A Look at the Career of Yvette Fielding

Fiona Dodwell takes Medium readers on a journey of the TV star’s career so far…

Yvette Fielding: she is, quite simply, one of Britain’s most loved television stars. She made a name for herself at the tender age of 18 years, after becoming one of Blue Peter’s youngest ever hosts on the classic BBC show. During her role on the popular daytime programme, Fielding soon became one of the all-time favourite presenters to regular viewers. Her time on Blue Peter began in the summer of 1987, and launched what was to become a legendary TV career that has stood the test of time.

Born in Manchester on the 23rd September 1968, Yvette Fielding spent her formative years in Bramhall, where she received her education and nursed ambitions to act and present on national TV. Her warm, friendly and good-humoured personality soon garnered attention as Fielding set about attending auditions and applying for numerous roles. She soon landed herself a major role in 1983, when she was cast in the show, Sea View — a British children’s production. The programme went on to become a success and Fielding remained with it for two well-received seasons on the BBC.

Fielding was soon much sought after and landed her much-loved role on Blue Peter, making her one of the show’s youngest ever presenters. Not content to sit still on her successes, Fielding also starred in What’s Up Doc? — an ITV children’s entertainment show — and went on to also star in The Heaven and Earth Show and City Hospital.

It was back in 2002 that Fielding broadened her horizons in surprising directions, by forming a new production company with her husband Karl Beattie — Antix Productions — and launching a new show: Most Haunted.

It was Most Haunted that finally cemented Fielding as one of Britain’s most loved TV personalities. From the early 2000s and up to the present day, Fielding has been travelling all over locations across not just the UK, but also several other countries, exploring historical sites and their legends of hauntings and paranormal activity. Doing this with her partner, Karl Beattie, her cousin Stuart Torevell, host Glenn Hunt and several notable paranormal figures including demonologist Fred Batt, the show has become a cult classic with a following of die-hard fans. These “haunties” as they are lovingly called, follow their idol’s footsteps and attend Most Haunted Events where they can experience a taste of the spooky alongside their favourite stars.

The show, which was initially shown on TV channel Living, was broadcast on the station for many years before eventually landing on Most Haunted’s own online channel. The show, still as popular today as ever, trends in the top 10 via Twitter regularly, and sees fans live-tweeting along with the action.

Fielding also launched her own comedy Podcast with her husband Beattie and radio/tv presenter Glenn Hunt, called the Anytime Podcast, and starred in ITV’s popular I’m A Celebrity survival show.

With a career spanning decades, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly why fans have been so drawn to the star. Fielding’s sense of humour, off-the-cuff wit and warm, down-to-earth personality have kept audiences tuned in and following her public roles with devout attention. Not many television stars have achieved the longevity that Fielding has, especially with her popularity still high and fans tuning in to see her in whatever she puts her hand to.

From her early beginnings in the 80s, when she turned her attention to acting, right up to today where she explores the biggest questions about the mysteries of life in Most Haunted, Yvette Fielding stands out from her contemporaries. It is not just her awards and achievements that make her stand out — of which there have been many — but it is, quite simply, her. Her personality that shines through her work, which keeps audiences smiling and following a public journey that has taken her from small studio dramas to some of the most historical locations across the globe.

She’s almost impossible to catagorise, but she has quickly become embraced as one of the nation’s television treasures. Her fans wait with eagerness to see what the future holds for this Mancunian star.