Name Rick Jones Role Television presenter | TV shows Fingerbobs | |
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Rick Jones is a Canadian-born television presenter and musician, best known for his work in BBC children's television programmes during the 1970s.
Biography
Jones began his TV career as a co-presenter of Play School, a daily programme for pre-school-age children, in which he played guitar and sang. In 1972, he became the host of Fingerbobs, another show for younger children, in which he created characters from finger puppets made of paper.
He was also one of a number of well-known entertainers who took turns to present We Want To Sing, a musical variety series made by BBC Manchester, in which a young live audience was invited to sing along with songs performed by the host and various guests such as The New Seekers, The Settlers, and cabaret trio The New Faces. Other BBC children's TV programmes in which he appeared included Watch and Play Away.
Subsequently, Jones had success as a musician (keyboards/vocals) fronting the British country rock band, Meal Ticket. Songs featuring him included "Snow", "Last Port of Call", and "Laughing Daughter". The song "Better Believe it Babe" featured as the theme for the BBC television Play for Today episode The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980) and its sequel Another Flip for Dominick (1982). After Meal Ticket broke up, Jones wrote and appeared in the musical Flash Fearless vs. The Zorg Women in Los Angeles. In 2001, he reunited with Meal Ticket for a one-off gig at a London pub.
Jones is currently living in San Francisco, United States, with his wife, Valerie. In collaboration with Roger Penycate, he wrote a stage musical based on the songs and lyrics of Meal Ticket (originally written by Rick Jones and Dave Pierce) entitled Laughing Daughter. It had a three-week run at the Indian Head Center for the Arts, Southern Maryland, United States, from 3 September 2009.