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Sam Nixon

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Samuel Nixon
Sam Nixon in 2015
Born (1986-03-21) 21 March 1986 (age 38)
EducationHolgate School
Barnsley College
Occupation(s)Singer, television presenter
Years active1998–present
Known forPop Idol
Top of the Pops Reloaded
TMi
Copycats
Crackerjack
Spouse
(m. 2012)
Children2

Samuel Nixon (born 21 March 1986) is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the Pop Idol television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being fellow Pop Idol contestant Mark Rhodes.

Early life

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He was originally a catering student from Barnsley College in South Yorkshire.[citation needed] He attended Holgate School, Barnsley from 1997 to 2002 and is still living in Barnsley.[citation needed]

Career

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Television

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Nixon's first television appearance was on popular children's game show Fun House presented by Pat Sharp. Nixon and fellow contestant Rosie Feast didn't manage to answer the final question to win the grand prize.

Nixon began a television presenting career, co-hosting Top of the Pops Reloaded. He then formed a presentational double-act on the BAFTA winning CBBC show Level Up, with Mark Rhodes, from 3 April 2006 until 1 September 2006. He worked on the children's Saturday morning show, TMi, on BBC Two, which started on 17 September 2006.[1] The series finished on 7 February 2007. Sam returned to television at the beginning of the Easter holidays 2007 in a show called Do Something Different which he presents with Rhodes and Ayesha Asantewaa to attempt to get 1 million children to "try something new". Sam (along with Mark Rhodes) is the presenter of TMi Friday on the CBBC Channel. Sam and Mark are now hosting Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up, which features mainly trivia, as well as playing a prank on families.

Sam and Mark took part in two episodes of Hole in the Wall airing on 11 October 2008 and 14 November 2009 and were contestants on a celebrity version of TV show Total Wipeout which aired on 2 January 2010.[2]

In 2012, Nixon took part in the seventh series of Dancing on Ice. He was voted out of the show on 26 February 2012. In 2015, he participated in Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One.[3]

Music

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Sam & Mark had a No. 1 UK chart hit with their cover of The Beatles tune "With a Little Help from My Friends". Their second single "The Sun Has Come Your Way" debuted in the UK top 40 at No. 19, but they were dropped from their record deal after this release.

Nixon also performs in a band called Mason. Mason performed their first gig on 2 June 2007 at the "Burn down the Disco" night at The Arches in Barnsley, supported by local band MUNICH, and also headlined a local mini music festival at Darton, Barnsley a month later. They continue to perform local gigs as and when Sam's TV schedule allows.

Radio

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Sam & Mark present a Sunday show on Midlands based radio station Free Radio.

Theatre

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In 2019, Nixon appeared as Jack in Theatre Royal Wakefield’s version of Jack and the Beanstalk.[4]

In 2021, Nixon returned to perform at the Theatre Royal Wakefield in their version of Beauty and the Beast.

Filmography

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Television
Year Title Notes
1998 Fun House Contestant
2003 Pop Idol Contestant, came third place
2004–2006 Top of the Pops Reloaded Co-presenter
2006 Level Up Main presenter
2006–2010 TMi Main presenter
2007 Do Something Different Main presenter
2008 SMart Guest presenter
2008 Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster Main presenter
2008, 2009 Hole in the Wall Contestant
2009 Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
2009 CBBC Continuity presenter
2009 Skate Nation Main presenter
2009–2016 Copycats Main presenter
2010 Jump Nation Main presenter
BBC News Channel Entertainment correspondent/anchorman
2011— Comic Relief Does Glee Club Main presenter
2011—2019 Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up Main presenter
2012 Dancing on Ice Contestant
2014–2015, 2018 The Dog Ate My Homework Contestant; 3 episodes
2015 Celebrity MasterChef Contestant, finalist

Pop Idol performances

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Discography

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Singles

  • "With a Little Help from My Friends" – Sam & Mark (March 2004)
  • "The Sun Has Come Your Way" – Sam & Mark (May 2004)

References

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  1. ^ "BBC – CBBC – TMi – Next on". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Total Wipeout celebrity special press pack: episode two celebrities". BBC. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  3. ^ Sam Nixon. "BBC Blogs – TV blog – How To Survive Celebrity MasterChef: Heat two with Sam Nixon". TV blog. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Jack and the Beanstalk comes to Theatre Royal Wakefield". Wakefield Express. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.