Kirsten O'Brien facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirsten O'Brien
|
|
|---|---|
O'Brien in 2007
|
|
| Born |
Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien
23 February 1972 Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, England
|
| Occupation | Presenter, actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Known for | Presenting SMart (1999–2009), and SMarteenies (2002). Current mid-morning presenter on BBC Radio Berkshire. |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Drake (m. 2010) |
| Children | 3 |
Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien (born 23 February 1972) is a well-known English TV and radio presenter, and also an actress. She is famous for her work with the BBC, especially for hosting the popular art show SMart on CBBC from 1999 to 2009. She also presented SMarteenies in 2002, which was an art show for younger kids on CBeebies. Since 2024, you can hear her on BBC Radio Berkshire's mid-morning show.
Contents
Her Journey in TV and Radio
Starting Out in Media
Kirsten O'Brien studied media and communications at the University of Central England in Birmingham. She finished her studies in 1993. Her first chance to work in broadcasting came from her university's student radio station. This led to her first job in 1995 at ITV Tyne Tees. There, she started her presenting career on a children's science show.
Becoming a CBBC Star
In 1996, Kirsten joined the team at CBBC. She presented the links between children's programmes. She worked there for three and a half years. During this time, she became very well known for working with the puppet Otis the Aardvark. Kirsten and Otis often presented together. They even had their own Saturday morning show in 1997 called Saturday Aardvark. The puppeteer, Dave Chapman, often made Kirsten laugh a lot with his funny jokes!
New Adventures in Children's TV
Kirsten left the main CBBC presentation team in 1999. But she continued to be a regular face on children's TV and radio. She co-hosted SMart and its spin-off shows, SMart on the Road and SMarteenies. SMarteenies was made for younger children on the CBeebies channel. On the radio, she was one of the presenters for BBC 7's Little Toe Radio Show.
In 2004, Kirsten played Peter Pan in a pantomime show. That same year, she took part in a lumberjack competition for the BBC series Bring It On. She also performed a comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006. In 2007, she took another comedy show, Kirsten O'Brien - Confessions of a Children's TV Presenter, to Edinburgh.
Exploring New Challenges
Between May and June 2007, Kirsten co-presented Springwatch Trackers. This show was live on BBC Two from a farm in Devon. It featured teams of boys and girls who completed different challenges.
Kirsten has also been a guest on many other TV and radio shows. These include Stephen Merchant's show on BBC Radio 6 Music, Through the Keyhole, and Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive. She decided to move on from SMart and explore new opportunities. She then became the host of the game show Gimme a Break.
From 2009 to 2010, she appeared on the morning show GMTV. She presented live from different locations. On 19 February 2010, she and George Lamb hosted EastEnders: The Aftermath. They interviewed actors about the live 25th anniversary episode of the show. She also took part in a celebrity version of Total Wipeout in 2010.
In 2010, Kirsten and her friend, actor Will Mellor, appeared in The World's Toughest Driving Tests. They traveled the world to learn how to drive huge and difficult vehicles. They wanted to see who was the better driver. In the first episode, Kirsten won by beating Will while driving a Romanian TR-85 combat tank! She won three episodes in total and was the overall winner of the series.
On 31 December 2010, she appeared on BBC1's Celebrity Mastermind. She answered questions about Reeves and Mortimer. She came in third place and donated her prize money to Teesside Hospice. She also appeared on Let's Dance for Sport Relief in 2012. She danced to Van Halen's "Jump".
In 2013, Kirsten became the co-presenter of Heart Wiltshire's Breakfast programme. In 2019, she joined BBC Radio Berkshire as a presenter and newsreader. By 2023, she became the main presenter of their Breakfast Show. In 2024, she started presenting the weekday mid-morning show.
What She's Been In
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-1999 | CBBC | Presenter | |
| 1998 | Get Your Own Back | Herself | Guest Presenter for Christmas special |
| 1999–2009 | SMart | Herself | |
| 2002 | SMarteenies | Herself | |
| 2004 | Bring it On | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2005–2007 | Smile | Herself | |
| 2007 | Springwatch Trackers | Herself | |
| 2007 | The Fanbanta Football Show | Herself | |
| 2007 | Totally Doctor Who | Herself | |
| 2008–2009 | Help! Teach is Coming to Stay | Herself | |
| 2008 | Thank God You're Here | Herself | |
| 2009 | Kirsten's ... Ambition | Herself | Documentary for BBC Three |
| 2009 | Britain's Most Embarrassing Parents | Herself | Documentary for BBC Three |
| 2009 | Gimme a Break | Herself | |
| 2002–2011 | Big Toe Books | Herself | |
| 2009 | We Need Answers | Herself | |
| 2009 | Total Wipeout | Herself | Celebrity Special Episode |
| 2009–2010 | GMTV | Herself | |
| 2010 | The World's Toughest Driving Tests | Herself | Won Series (4–3) |
| 2010 | The King is Dead | Herself | |
| 2012 | Let's Dance for Sport Relief | Contestant | |
| 2019 | The One Show | Reporter | |
| 2023, 2024 | Richard Osman's House of Games | Contestant |
Theatre Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Peter Pan | Peter Pan | Ipswich Regent Theatre |
About Her Life
Kirsten O'Brien enjoys playing tennis. She has also taken part in swimming, abseiling, and netball events to raise money for charity. She is a big fan of Middlesbrough F.C., a football club. She has helped with charity work for the club. Kirsten is married to Mark Drake. They have three children. Their first child, a baby boy named Fox Michael Drake, was born on 15 December 2011. In September 2017, Kirsten shared that she had given birth to twins.
