Sam and Mark
Encyclopedia
Sam Nixon
and Mark Rhodes
, known collectively as Sam & Mark, or simply Smark, are an English
popular music
and television presenting duo
. They previously competed on the second series
of Pop Idol
in 2003, where they finished third and second, respectively, behind winner Michelle McManus
. Since then, Sam & Mark have had a successful career as TV presenters, hosting various BBC
programmes such as TMi
and Top of the Pops Reloaded
. Also they presented, and still do, a show called Sam and Marks' guide to dodging disaster.
, the man behind the Spice Girls
' fame. They quickly released as a single a cover of The Beatles
' song "With a Little Help from My Friends
", released on Fuller's label 'S'. The song entered the UK Singles Chart
at #1. The follow-up single "The Sun Has Come Your Way
" released by UMTV
, only reached Number 19 in the charts. Consequently, the pair were dropped from their record label.
, most notably Saturday morning children's shows TMi
and Top of the Pops Reloaded
. They made their national television debut on ITV1
. Sam & Mark hosted CBBC
's weekday morning breakfast show, Level Up
for four months from 3 April 2006 to 1 September 2006. On 16 September 2006, they hosted the first episode of TMi, a new Saturday morning TV show for the BBC on BBC Two
and the CBBC Channel
, alongside presenter Caroline Flack
. The third series of the show ended in December 2008 and the BBC
have confirmed a fourth series of the Saturday morning series for CBBC
. In 2007, Sam & Mark presented a show on CBBC
called Do Something Different
. In 2008 and 2009, they appeared on Hole in the wall (UK game show) on different teams as contestants (Series 1 Episode 4 and Series 2 Episode 7). Beginning on 3 January 2009, Sam and Mark's Who Wants to be a Superhero?
began to air where children had to compete to be a new superhero for Stan Lee
. They were also asked to perform on Children In Need
2007. They now (2010) host their newest show, Copycats. Which is a game show on CBBC
In January 2010, they began a new show called Jump Nation which is similar to Skate Nation. They were also on a celebrity special of Total Wipeout
. Neither won, losing out to glamour model
Danielle Lloyd
. They currently appear on Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster
for CBBC in non-speaking roles with a voice over by Hugh Dennis
. They also present the competition segment of This Morning
on ITV1. Also on This Morning on Wednesday 28 April 2010 Sam and Mark presented a "On The Box" segment where they reviewed the latest TV shows, DVDs and movies. They are now on a new show on CBBC called Copycats
and are presenters on Skate Nation
. Lately, they have started a new show, similar to the TMi series, but called Sam and Mark's TMi Friday. The first series has been going on since September 2010.
From September 2011 every Friday they have their own series called "Sam and Mark's Big Friday Wind Up". It is like a prank show, with celebrity guests each week, including Ronan Parke
, The Wanted
and Pixie Lott
.
in Birmingham
and networked on Orion Media
stations Wyvern
, Beacon and Mercia
on Sunday Mornings 11:00AM – 1:00 PM. They also hosted BRMB
's live 2010.
Sam Nixon
Sam Nixon 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 Mark Rhodes.-Early life:...
and Mark Rhodes
Mark Rhodes
Mark Thomas Rhodes is an English singer and television presenter.-Career:...
, known collectively as Sam & Mark, or simply Smark, are an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and television presenting duo
Duo
-Arts:*Duet , a musical piece performed by two people*Duo, a musical ensemble composed of two musicians*Comedy duo, also known as a double act*Duo , 2008*Duo , 1991...
. They previously competed on the second series
Pop Idol (series 2)
The second series of British reality television show Pop Idol was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom during the autumn and winter months of 2003. The show was a singing competition for singers aged 16–26, with the winner receiving a £1 million recording contract to release their debut album...
of Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
in 2003, where they finished third and second, respectively, behind winner Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol....
. Since then, Sam & Mark have had a successful career as TV presenters, hosting various BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programmes such as TMi
TMi
Sam & Mark's TMi Friday was a British children's television show that was presented by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes . It originally aired on Saturday mornings on BBC Two from its launch on 16 September 2006, until the end of its fourth series on 19 December 2009. Sam & Mark were joined by Caroline...
and Top of the Pops Reloaded
Top Of The Pops Reloaded
Top of the Pops: Reloaded is a weekly children's music show broadcast as part of the Saturday morning CBBC schedule on BBC Two. It was based on the show, Top Of The Pops, following on from its predecessor Top of the Pops Saturday....
. Also they presented, and still do, a show called Sam and Marks' guide to dodging disaster.
Music
After Pop Idol, they decided to form a duet and signed with Simon FullerSimon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, the man behind the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
' fame. They quickly released as a single a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "With a Little Help from My Friends
With a Little Help from My Friends
-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
", released on Fuller's label 'S'. The song entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #1. The follow-up single "The Sun Has Come Your Way
The Sun Has Come Your Way
The Sun Has Come Your Way is a song written by Peter Agren and Tobias Karlsson and produced by David Eriksen. The song was recorded by Pop Idol contestants Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, under their collective name Sam & Mark and was released as a single in May 2004...
" released by UMTV
UMTV
Universal Music TV is a London-based record label that was formed in 1998.Owned by Universal Music Group, UMTV specialises in producing compilation albums and occasional single releases...
, only reached Number 19 in the charts. Consequently, the pair were dropped from their record label.
Television
Despite this reversal, the two have managed to carve a successful television career for themselves, hosting various programmes on the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, most notably Saturday morning children's shows TMi
TMi
Sam & Mark's TMi Friday was a British children's television show that was presented by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes . It originally aired on Saturday mornings on BBC Two from its launch on 16 September 2006, until the end of its fourth series on 19 December 2009. Sam & Mark were joined by Caroline...
and Top of the Pops Reloaded
Top Of The Pops Reloaded
Top of the Pops: Reloaded is a weekly children's music show broadcast as part of the Saturday morning CBBC schedule on BBC Two. It was based on the show, Top Of The Pops, following on from its predecessor Top of the Pops Saturday....
. They made their national television debut on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
. Sam & Mark hosted CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
's weekday morning breakfast show, Level Up
Level Up
Level Up was a UK children's TV programme that was broadcast on CBBC. It was launched on the 3rd April 2006, replacing Xchange. The show was an hour long and during the school year broadcasting from 7:30am until 8:30am...
for four months from 3 April 2006 to 1 September 2006. On 16 September 2006, they hosted the first episode of TMi, a new Saturday morning TV show for the BBC on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and the CBBC Channel
CBBC Channel
CBBC is a BBC television channel aimed at 6 to 12 year olds. It complements the CBBC programming that continues to air on BBC One and BBC Two. Launched on 11 February 2002, it broadcasts from 7am to 7pm on Freeview, cable, IPTV and digital satellite, occupying the same bandwidth as, but a different...
, alongside presenter Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack
Caroline Louise Flack is a British television presenter. She is known for presenting I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2008 to 2010....
. The third series of the show ended in December 2008 and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
have confirmed a fourth series of the Saturday morning series for CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
. In 2007, Sam & Mark presented a show on CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
called Do Something Different
Do Something Different
Do Something Different is a show produced and broadcast by CBBC. It is hosted by music duo Sam and Mark. Sam and Mark are aiming to get one million children to try out new things; literally to "do something different", also referred in the programme as 'DSD-ing'. A child who completes a DSD is...
. In 2008 and 2009, they appeared on Hole in the wall (UK game show) on different teams as contestants (Series 1 Episode 4 and Series 2 Episode 7). Beginning on 3 January 2009, Sam and Mark's Who Wants to be a Superhero?
Who Wants To Be A Superhero? (UK TV series)
Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is a UK children's reality show hosted by Sam Nixon, Mark Rhodes and Stan Lee, based on the NBC Universal/Sci Fi Channel series of the same name...
began to air where children had to compete to be a new superhero for Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
. They were also asked to perform on Children In Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
2007. They now (2010) host their newest show, Copycats. Which is a game show on CBBC
In January 2010, they began a new show called Jump Nation which is similar to Skate Nation. They were also on a celebrity special of Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on 3 January 2009. Each week 20 contestants compete in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challenges are based in large pools of water or mud and generally involve large...
. Neither won, losing out to glamour model
Glamour photography
Glamour photography is a genre of photography whereby the subjects, usually female, are portrayed in a romantic or sexually alluring way. The subjects may be fully clothed or seminude, but glamour photography stops short of deliberately arousing the viewer and being pornographic photography.Glamour...
Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd is an English glamour model. The former Miss England 2004 and Miss Great Britain 2006, she first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain 2006 title after posing for nude pictures featured in the December 2006 edition of Playboy magazine and her alleged...
. They currently appear on Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster
Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster
Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster is a children's television programme shown on CBBC. The programme features Sam and Mark in non-speaking roles, with Hugh Dennis providing a voice-over. The programme is filmed using chroma key techniques....
for CBBC in non-speaking roles with a voice over by Hugh Dennis
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis is an English actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist, best known for his work with comedy partner Steve Punt. He is also known for his position as a permanent panelist on the TV comedy show Mock The Week...
. They also present the competition segment of This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
on ITV1. Also on This Morning on Wednesday 28 April 2010 Sam and Mark presented a "On The Box" segment where they reviewed the latest TV shows, DVDs and movies. They are now on a new show on CBBC called Copycats
Copycats
Copycats is a gameshow on CBBC presented by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, which first aired on 23 November 2009. It involves two family teams, each of six contestants, battling against each other in a series of games. Each episode consists of a number of rounds. Three of the rounds are based on...
and are presenters on Skate Nation
Skate Nation
Skate Nation is a British children's television programme presented by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes broadcast by CBBC on BBC Two in 2009. It was an eleven-part series in which fourteen teams of roller skaters competed for a trip to the World Games in Taiwan...
. Lately, they have started a new show, similar to the TMi series, but called Sam and Mark's TMi Friday. The first series has been going on since September 2010.
From September 2011 every Friday they have their own series called "Sam and Mark's Big Friday Wind Up". It is like a prank show, with celebrity guests each week, including Ronan Parke
Ronan Parke
Ronan David Parke is an English singer from Poringland, Norfolk, UK who came runner-up in the fifth series of ITV show Britain's Got Talent, despite being the bookies' favorite to win. After the show, it was reported that Ronan had signed a joint record deal with Sony Music...
, The Wanted
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band based in London, England. The band consists of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes. Their debut single, "All Time Low", was released in July 2010 and reached number one in the United Kingdom for one week...
and Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
.
Radio
The duo also present a radio show on BRMBBrmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and networked on Orion Media
Orion Media
Orion Media is a UK commercial radio group run by radio veteran Phil Riley and backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital. It was created from the enforced sale of several radio stations in the English Midlands owned and operated by Global Radio.-History:...
stations Wyvern
Wyvern FM
Wyvern is a radio station broadcasting to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. Wyvern is predominantly music-based, playing pop from the 1980s through to the present day...
, Beacon and Mercia
Mercia FM
Mercia is an Independent Local Radio station serving Coventry and Warwickshire. The station, owned and operated by Orion Media broadcasts from studios shared with BRMB at Broad Street in Birmingham.-History:...
on Sunday Mornings 11:00AM – 1:00 PM. They also hosted BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
's live 2010.
Singles
- "With a Little Help from My FriendsWith a Little Help from My Friends-Joe Cocker version:Joe Cocker's version was a radical re-arrangement of the original, in a slower, 6/8 meter, using different chords in the middle eight, and a lengthy instrumental introduction...
" (S) February 2004 - Number 1 UK
- Tracklisting:
- "With a Little Help from My Friends"
- "Measure of a Man"
- EnhancedEnhanced CDEnhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
content: "With a Little Help from My Friends" video and a picture gallery
- "The Sun Has Come Your WayThe Sun Has Come Your WayThe Sun Has Come Your Way is a song written by Peter Agren and Tobias Karlsson and produced by David Eriksen. The song was recorded by Pop Idol contestants Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, under their collective name Sam & Mark and was released as a single in May 2004...
" (UMTV) July 2004 - Number 19 UK
- Tracklisting
- "The Sun Has Come Your Way"
- "I'm Gonna Be With You"
- "These Days"
- "I Gotta Go My Own Way"