About Steph
Born and bred in Manchester combined with growing up in pubs in the country, Steph quickly became interested in listening to the tales from the locals! (whose conversations she was always found listening in to and joining in with from the end of the bar at the age of 4) . Naturally fascinated by the countries working heritage, history and countryside with such an early introduction to the retail and leisure world, as well as living in the worlds first industrial city, she went on to study a Retail Marketing Degree for 4 years at one of Manchester’s leading business universities where she gained a first class honours degree learning the intrinsics of global branding, marketing, logisitics, consumerism, business markets and manufacturing for the retail world.
With a love for exploring places, people, history and heritage her presenting career has spanned from fronting ITV Granada’s ‘Go North West’, the history travel magazine show, Channel M’s ‘I Love Manchester’ , a 50 episode series that she devised, scripted and developed unearthing the local heritage, museums, factories, working characters, trivial facts, countryside, industrial revolution, technological and scientific developments, prominent landmarks of architectural significance, stately homes and outdoor activities which last year earned her a nomination for the Pride of Manchester Award for her achievements.
With her down to earth, warm inquisitive nature and northern banter she loves to get involved with the places and the people to illustrate her journeys. Steph has been seen riding a steam locomotive, a canal boat on the worlds first canal system, spinning cotton to make silk in the old cotton mills of Lancashire, riding a penny farthing, taking part in conservation projects at Stately Homes to exploring some of Brtian’s factories – such as the Bury Black Pudding factory (whilst getting her hands dirty in boiled blood).
With her ability to have the banter and bring out the best in people Steph was an entertainment correspondent for Sky News covering the red carpet premieres, press junkets and high profile interviews with Janet Jackson on the death of Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage on Manchester Tarts, Maltloaf on meatloaf, Ronnie Wood on giving up the drugs to covering the Ivor Novello Music Awards and countryside-heritage features such as how Hollywood directors are boosting UK Tourism.
With a strong background in journalism she has also been working for The BBC’s The One Show in production creating the current affairs films. Steph has written for Sky News online and the Guardian’s Manchester Evening News travelling to The Gambia to report on its ‘eco tourism’ carbon off set scheme, Serbia to experience the scars of its bloody wars and Austria snowboarding. She wrote her own column ‘Table Talk’ interviewing high profile figures over dinner, from internationally recognised architects to soap stars.
Steph also presents the British Supermoto Motorbikes Championships and Superlites Cars Championships. With a passion for all things scientific, environmental, discovery led and taking on challenges Steph is to date one of the only TV presenters to allow two motorcyclists to race around and above her at 80mph inside a 12ft globe. Steph also presents features for the RFL Rugby League’s Superleague TV from doing judo with the Warrington Wolves players to taking part in a training regime with the RFL’s only female referee.
She began her presenting career on regional television in 2004 in the North West on ITV Granada’s live studio entertainment show ‘Talk of the Town’, live studio show ‘The Afternoon Show’ andwent on to anchor the 3 hour daily live studio breakfast show for the Guardians Manchester station, Channel M interviewing on health, business and lifestyle. Steph also presented the ‘City Life Comedian of the Year Competition’ series, famed for catapulting Peter Kay to stardom.
Steph’s TV career started out working in TV production prior to her move onscreen, with programmes and documentaries celebrating the heritage of the country. From starting as a runner she worked her way through to researcher and assistant producer working on journalistic programmes such as ‘That’s Rich’ (ITV) interviewing Britain’s most successful business men and women following the lives of the owner of moneysupermarket.com to the Shere Khan food group, ‘The Way We Were’ (ITV) the history archive series detailing the way we were in the 30s to the 70’s on areas of shopping, transport, entertainment, war times and working lives to RTS award winning current affairs documentaries ‘2004’ investigating areas of date rape and the struggle of asylum seekers to countryside/studio entertainment/fashion/lifestyle shows.
Steph also worked on many projects during her ‘retail marketing’ years from being an internet marketing consultant during the original dot com boom, undertaking a research project for Tesco’s investigating the effects of edge of town and out of town supermarkets on the vitality and viability of the traditional British town centres (a report which was so successful it was used as a blueprint for future planning investigations) as well as freelancing for PR companies consulting on how to get national brands TV and media coverage. Steph is also a great corporate presenter, most recently for the premier league club Bolton Wanderers F.C and the retail giant Matalan.
Steph landed her first role in TV as a runner in the Granada newsroom in 2001 checking the post for anthrax after the terror of 9-11 with merely a pair of latex gloves and a mask….fortunately she never found any and hasn’t looked back since!
