Maggie Philbin was part of the iconic kids’ TV show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop and has gone on to have a successful TV career, including presenting Tomorrow’s World
Maggie Philbin, the beloved star of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, is barely recognisable today, 46 years after she first became a household name on children’s TV. Now aged 69, Maggie also became famous for hosting Tomorrow’s World, the BBC’s flagship science programme, starting in 1983.
Her dream came true in November 2018 when she had the opportunity to present Tomorrow’s World once more. The show that captivated viewers with its live demonstrations of cutting-edge gadgets made a surprise return. It came back for a one-off live special, with Maggie rejoining three other original hosts for the 90-minute show.
The revival of the legendary series, which was axed by the BBC in 2003, thrilled none more than Maggie herself. Reflecting on her time with Tomorrow’s World, Maggie likened her fondness for the show to astronauts’ longing for space after their missions, reports OK!.
“Working on Tomorrow’s World is a bit like that. Everyone who has worked on the programme feels the same way,” she shared with the Express. “You just want to be back there having those opportunities to hold groundbreaking technology, meet the people who have studied for years to make it possible.
“Even when we had the first mobile phone – the first truly hand-held mobile – we could only talk on it for 30 minutes and it cost about £3,000. Obviously no video, pics, GPS. I didn’t imagine not only that one day I would have one, that everyone would have one! It’s a huge privilege.”
If it sounds over the top, Maggie’s passion becomes easier to understand when she takes you back to her love of science and technology as a girl – a love that her Leicester convent school simply did not nurture because she was a girl.
Her thwarted scientific ambitions led her to pursue English and drama at Manchester University instead. After earning her degree, Maggie leapt into television, joining the ranks of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop in 1978, where she became part of a legendary line-up alongside the late Keith Chegwin, John Craven, and Noel Edmonds.
Joining the pantheon of TV’s most beloved couples, Maggie wed Cheggers in 1982. The couple had their daughter Rose together before going separate ways in 1993, although they preserved an amicable relationship following the divorce.
Maggie honoured her ex-husband’s memory with a heartfelt public statement after he sadly died from lung disease in 2017. Rose, now 36 and working in tech out in San Francisco, was fortunate to be able to spend six weeks with her father prior to his death. She and her mother planned a low-key remembrance for the anniversary of his passing.
She admitted: “Even now it is still very hard to take in,” acknowledging the difficulty in coming to terms with his departure. “It is just very, very hard to believe. He was an incredible character and a very generous person.”
Maggie never lost her zest for tech, eventually setting up Teen Tech in 2008 to offer engaging events and competitions for kids. She also became a household name presenting Bang Goes The Theory on the BBC.
Yet her time on Tomorrow’s World remains dear to her heart. She spent five days a week on the show, even turning down attractive ad offers. Maggie stated, “I will always do things which I feel are meaningful. I’m not interested in television for television’s sake. The word celebrity fills me with horror.”
Reminiscing about working with Noel, she said: “Noel had one of the first mobile phones. In Swap Shop he came in one day with this massive briefcase and said, ‘Guess what’s in here? ‘”.
“We were all being very cheeky and guessing what might be in the suitcase and inside, was this like radio telephone, enormous! He was like, ‘Look, look, I have a telephone in my suitcase! ‘ And Keith and I were looking around at all the telephones on desks, all over the office and trying to think what the advantage of this telephone in a suitcase could possibly be.”
But history would tell, as revealed on Tomorrow’s World, Noel was actually well ahead of his time.
