Jun 7 2005
By Beth Neil,
The Evening Chronicle
Ant and Dec are ambassadors for North East when it comes to TV presenting. But now the Geordie girls are coming out of the kitchen. Chief Features Writer Beth Neil met the new lasses on the block.
The last eight months have flashed past in a hazy blur for Lisa Brash (pictured). When she was chatted up by Robbie Williams in a Newcastle hotel last October, the mum-of-two had no idea about the media frenzy their brief relationship would cause. And she certainly didn't think that she, Lisa Brash, probation officer from South Shields, would end up a celebrity.
But that's exactly what has happened. She might not be exactly A list (yet), but Brashy is in demand. So much so that she's preparing to move down to London to pursue her dream of becoming a television presenter. Auction channel Bid Up TV is leading the pack clamouring for her signature.
"I'm still in shock," says the 31-year-old. "I haven't signed on the dotted line yet, but it's looking good. I've got to make sure my children are ok with it. They are only 13 and seven so it's a lot to ask them to move all the way down to London. If they're not happy then we'll not go.
"It's as simple as that. My children have always been my priority. There should be a final decision in the next couple of weeks so watch this space. And if it doesn't work out, I've got quite a few other offers in the pipeline."
Lisa has always harboured secret ambitions to break into TV. She's not so naive that she doesn't acknowledge it is her high profile fling with Robbie which has plonked the opportunities in her lap. But she hopes by taking advantage of what comes her way, she can prove the doubters wrong and show what she's capable of.
"As a little girl and a teenager, I was always into dancing and drama," she says. "And I would dream of being a TV presenter, what little girl doesn't? But I know none of this would have happened if it wasn't for Robbie. As far as I was concerned I was just seeing a lad from Stoke on Trent. I never ever realised it would cause all this fuss.
"But I don't see why I shouldn't take advantage of what's happened and turn it round. I never asked for all this the first time. I know now it's different. Whatever press comes my way, good or bad, this has been my decision."
Lisa impressed producers at Bid Up TV after she guest presented on a recent show. Her Geordie bolshiness charmed the bosses and the wheels were set in motion to draw up a permanent deal.
"I thought I was going to throw up when I went on air," laughs Lisa. "But it went fine. A friend of mine was talking to the producer and he told her that although I was very raw and inexperienced, there was something there. If I stuck at it, I could be a household name."
Lisa won't say whether she's still in touch with Robbie. She's been burned before and is reluctant to use his name for her future success. But she's delighted to be flying the flag for the North East.
"I'm proud to be a Geordie," she says. "I think that's why we're seeing more Geordie girls on TV. We're down to earth and not afraid to say what we think. When I met Robbie, all these girls were stood with their champagne and spritzers. I had a pint of lager and I think that's what he likes.
"And whatever has happened to me over the last few months, I'm still Lisa Brash, beer swigging, cigarette smoking. I'll not change."
Until now ex-Gosforth High School pupil Donna Air and Bedlington's Jayne Middlemiss (pictured) were all we could offer up in the way of female TV presenters.
But there is a wave of other North East beauties currently hijacking our screens. As well as Lisa,
Big Brother's Michelle Bass has just signed a lucrative deal with Television X. A spokesman for the channel said the Wideopen lass, who has just boosted her boobs in a £4,000 operation, was the ideal candidate to take over from previous presenter Abi Titmuss.
He said: "When we were looking for someone new, Michelle's name came up in conversation. She is a gorgeous and really sexy girl and will be perfect for the face of Television X. We did not know she was getting a boob job when she signed the contract, so it will be an added bonus!"
And now new girl Josephine Kime is about to be thrust into the limelight. When she turned up at Tyne Tees for her first day of work experience, little did she know she would end up being the latest star. Producer Wendy Homewood was so impressed by Josephine's sweet nature and so bowled over by her stunning good looks, she asked her to front a brand new lifestyle series.
"I thought I'd go along and do a few days work ex and hopefully get out with a news crew if I was lucky," says the 21-year-old from Durham. "So when Wendy asked me to come and do a screen test I was shocked, it was like a dream. I still can't really believe it."
Josephine had always fancied a career in TV presenting, but decided to get a good degree behind her first. She sat her final exam in Philosophy and Sociology at Durham University last Friday and is now not only nervously awaiting those results, but also her television debut later this month. Hot Hotels tells the stories behind some of the country's leading hospitality hotspots, all in the North East.
The hotels featured include Langley Castle, Malmaison, Seaham Hall and The Rose and Crown in Durham. When Wendy spotted Josephine with her long blonde tresses, slim figure and pretty face, she reckoned she fitted the bill perfectly. "It's a glossy, glamorous series with exclusive, luxury hotels and Josephine looks so fantastic we thought she would be ideal," explains Wendy.
"She had no presenting experience but she's been modelling since she was 13 and was confident in front of the camera. As the series goes on you can see her confidence grow."
Filming started in January and Josephine learned to juggle her screen appearances with her heavy revision load. She even managed to finish her dissertation during her lunch break at Matfen Hall.
"It actually worked out better in the end," says Josephine. "Cramming everything in made me more organised. I started my dissertation in the Christmas holidays because I knew that time could be tight later on."
So what's next? Josephine is determined to try and carve out a presenting career on the back of Hot Hotels and is currently sending her show reel off to various agencies.
"I'd love a career like Kate Thornton's because she's always doing something new," she says, with a swish of her blonde mane. "I like Cat Deeley as well and I'd love to present Big Brother, but I think that show IS Davina McCall now."
Whitley Bay girl and star of QVC, Alison Young thinks she knows why Geordie lasses are so in demand.
"I think Northern girls are very blunt, to the point and call a spade a spade," she says. "I know a lot of my Southern colleagues will sit round being all nice and polite to each other, while I'll say exactly what I think. I'm proud of that."
Alison grew up in Whitley Bay before moving to Cleadon and attending Whitburn Comprehensive. Now 40 and based in Surrey, she moved "under great sufferance" down South at the age of 18 to pursue a career in beauty therapy.
After training in Chichester, Alison found work in several exclusive health farms, treating celebrities (Jenny Agutter, Jane Asher, Sir Anthony Hopkins) and even royalty. But she'll not name-drop the Windsors.
"I'll never talk about the royal family," she says. "I don't like what people have done to them. It's almost become like a soap opera or a reality TV programme and as a very pro-royal, that saddens me. I've worked on a royal wedding, yes, but I'm not prepared to say which one. I can't talk about it further than that, sorry."
Just over 10 years ago, a chance meeting in a petrol station was to change Alison's life. She got chatting to a bloke who just so happened to be Mike Lemon, associate of Peter Ridsdale, latterly of Leeds United chairmanship fame and then chief executive of QVC.
Alison told him what she did, chanced her arm and suggested a few programme ideas. Lemon liked what he heard and Alison has been a QVC stalwart ever since. Working seven days a week, sometimes anchoring four hours of live TV in one go, Alison, who is married to ex-Crystal Palace footballer Simon Rodger, is kept busy all the time. And it doesn't stop when she comes off air - that's when she starts sifting through the six hundred emails sent to her every day.
"I love it," she smiles. "I enjoy my work more and more all the time. I never get nervous or stressed before a show, I just have a great time. It's weird when I get recognised though. People will notice me even if I'm in a baseball cap and jodhpurs. They'll recognise my voice or my nails and ask me loads of beauty questions. But I love all that, that's what I'm there for. When I'm on air I honestly see into people's living rooms and try and talk to them personally."
Alison has fond memories of visits to Northumberland and Mike Neville on Look North.
"Is he still going?" she gasps in disbelief. "When I first moved South I thought everyone was abnormal. I'd come from the North East where everyone was a Mod or a punk. Suddenly I was surrounded by people in corduroys and hacking jackets.
"No-one could understand a word I said. They saw the blonde hair, blue eyes and heard the funny accent and just presumed I was Scandinavian. I think I might start a campaign to move QVC to Newcastle. That way I could finally come home."
*Hot Hotels starts on ITV Tyne Tees on Tuesday June 28 at 7.30pm
*Catch In The Salon With Alison each week. QVC is available on Sky Digital, channel 630, Cable and Freeview, channel 16.
