A much-loved party entertainer has detailed the struggles of navigating his role as Mr Tumble and his daily life.
Liam Mitchell, originally from Anfield, has a job, not like many others, and one which he said he “was born to do”. The performer is regularly booked for everything from birthday parties to christenings, and regardless of the event, children are always left with “magical and precious” memories.
However, portraying a famous character for the majority of the week can come with its challenges. The 30-year-old said that when it comes to dating he is still trying to learn how to navigate it into conservations and how to show potential suitors that he is his own person.
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Liam, who now lives in Halewood, told the ECHO : “I’ve never really been open to people about what I do straightaway because some people are unsure and could think that it is weird. People just don’t accept it as much as you would think compared to other jobs.
"I’ve always been a little bit guarded and a little bit closed off with it because of this. But, having said that, the people I have let in and told, it didn’t affect them that much.
“I am a different person even if I do have my own character and persona that I use. Even I would say it's weird if I was to come home and still do the voice and nose honking. I have been going on dates but it’s definitely something I am still learning to approach, especially knowing when is the right time and when I am comfortable sharing it.”
Although Liam knows how to turn off the character when he is on a date, he said he struggles not to become Mr Tumble when he is out and about. He added: “For a lot of children, it's their dream to meet Mr Tumble. I work with a lot of special educational needs kids and they are the ones who blow my mind.
"When I am in the room with the toddler and their family are standing around watching us sing and sign together, it makes it all worthwhile and brings me back down to reality. It makes me realise that this is what I want to do and what I want to achieve is little magical and precious moments for families. It makes you think ‘Wow’ when you know you can help make this happen for them.”
Liam has always worked with kids whether it be as a youth worker or on holiday camps. However, he first got involved with the children’s entertainment industry after the price of other performers left his family with no entertainer for his nephew’s birthday. Not wanting to disappoint his nephew, TJ, Liam pulled out all the stops and got a friend to create a “Scouse version” of Mr Tumble’s instantly recognisable outfit.
He said: “I was a bit of a troubled teen, I was struggling with who I was and my sexuality and because of it I was getting kicked out of schools and going through a rocky patch. So, when I got to college and found somewhere I was happy and accepted, I thought about the people who were there, helping and supporting me and wanted to be that for others.
“My nephew has a speech impediment so growing up we were trying to help him in many ways, trying to get him to talk and communicate. One way we found was Something Special on the TV, he enjoyed it and we could use it as a tool to communicate with him. All of his mates used to call me Tumble so it grew from there.”
As the Mr Tumble actor, Justin Fletcher, moves on to other programmes like Justin’s House, Liam has been left wondering what will happen next for his business if the younger generations are no longer growing up watching the programme.
The former youth worker added: “This year in the summer I felt like a hit a brick wall so I bought mascot costumes to give me another leg to stand om if the business was to dry up. I’ve always said that I never expected this journey to take off as much as it did and to be known as much as I am in the city, so for it to be still happening three years later blows my mind. But, I am under no illusion that it could stop at any minute.”
For now, Liam has his sights set on the North West Business Awards - an event which has been described as Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ answer to the Oscars. Shortlisted for the Young person in Business award, Liam will be up against the likes of Oliver Jude, a bullying victim, from St Helens, who took back control after releasing a positive clothing line.
Asked what it would mean for him to win, he said: “To be recognised as a small business owner is amazing and blows me away. To win this one, and to be LGBTQ+, is another notch on the belt. It’s a nod to myself to know that I am being recognised in a different way and that people are buying into me, who I am, how I work and my business. To win would be boss.”
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