Play School presenter and Carry On actress Julie Stevens has died aged 87, her daughter has confirmed.
The children’s TV presenter, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, died on Thursday, December 5.
In a statement to the PA news agency, her daughter, the radio presenter and podcast host Rachel New, said: “Julie Stevens will be remembered for her joyful spirit, her ability to make every child feel seen, and her lasting legacy in the world of children’s television.”
Born on December 20 1936, in Prestwich, Lancashire, Stevens winning a talent contest aged 20 led to a contract with the former broadcaster ABC Television Limited.
She joined the cast of spy series The Avengers in 1962 as nightclub singer Venus Smith, who would help Patrick Macnee’s character John Steed in his missions, before picked to play Gloria in 1960s comedy film Carry On Cleo.
In 1964, her daughter said she was heavily pregnant with her first child Daniel when she auditioned for children’s programme Play School.
The popular children’s programme made its debut on BBC Two’s launch on April 21 1964, and ran for 24 years, until March 1988.
It shaped the childhood of millions and catapulted many of its presenters to fame, including Rick Jones, Brian Cant, Johnny Ball, Toni Arthur, Floella Benjamin, a presenter, actress and writer and now a Liberal Democrat peer.
Stevens was also known for comedy shows Girls About Town and Cabbages And Kings as well as Play Away, a series for older children, and appeared on Holby City.
She worked for a spell as Welsh comedian and Oliver! actor Sir Harry Secombe’s personal assistant and then manager, and lived between Provence, France and London for a time.
She was married to presenter John White, whom she divorced in 1974, and actor and theatre director Michael Hucks, who she was married to from 1980 until 2001.
In 2016, she moved back to the UK to be near her daughter, who said “the last few years were difficult for Julie, but she faced it as she did all challenges, with good humour and great charm”.
Ms New added: “She leaves behind her two children, four grandchildren, three great grandchildren.”
