In 2021, George Webster started his current job as a presenter for CBeebies, which has seen him win a BAFTA Award for Best Children’s Presenter, and he was part of the Dick Whittington pantomime for the channel and the TV special Christmas in the CBeebies House alongside Mr Tumble/Justin Fletcher. For Strictly Come Dancing‘s 2022 Christmas Special, George was partnered with professional dancer Amy Dowden, and his further screen work has included playing Josh Milner in an episode of Casualty, being part of the The Railway Children Return with Sheridan Smith, the upcoming Series 2 of World on Fire and short films Bebe A.I. and S.A.M, the latter of which won him the Best Actor Award at Oska Bright Festival. Earlier this year, George released his first book This Is Me, which was inspired by a poem by Claire Taylor, and having already done signings in schools and bookshops, George appeared at the Hay and Edinburgh Literature Festival this week. Upcoming projects for George include Jamie Oliver’s School Food Project, where he’ll be part of a panel, and for CBeebies, he will be attending Camp Bestival Shropshire. George recently spoke to us about being a presenter on CBeebies, his time as a contestant on the 2022 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and the release of his first book This Is Me.

Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d be joining CBeebies as one of their presenters in 2021?

My dad did a video of me getting the news and I squealed with excitement! The BBC used that when I was announced and it went viral! I was buzzing to start presenting on CBeebies.

What do you enjoy most about being a presenter on the channel and do you have any stand-out highlights so far?

I love presenting on CBeebies because I love working with new people, making new friends and having loads of fun. A couple of highlights are filming the Christmas Special and being in the CBeebies panto of Dick Whittington. I also love the feedback from families and children.

Can you tell us what it is like working with Dodge and filming together?

I love working with all the presenters. Working with Dodge is so much fun, Dodge is very funny and very mischievously cheeky – especially off camera!

How was it hearing you had won a BAFTA Award for your presenting work?

Going to the awards ceremony was amazing! The award was presented by Dani Harmer, who I loved watching as I am a big fan of Tracy Beaker. I do feel very honoured and super proud to win the BAFTA for Best Children’s Presenter.

You appeared in the TV special Christmas in the CBeebies House, can you say about this?

We usually film short links, which are great fun, but I also loved filming the CBeebies House Christmas episode. It was so much festive fun, with all the presenters together – we usually film in twos or threes – and Mr Tumble/Justin (Fletcher) was there too. Doing the longer pieces is great.

You’ve released your first book This Is Me earlier this year, how did the book come about and what was it like to work on?

This Is Me is inspired by a poem that Claire (Taylor) wrote when I was launched on CBeebies. Publishers got in touch about books and we thought that expanding the themes into a book would work well.

I loved working on This Is Me, it was fun collaborating with Claire on the text, and with Tim (Budgen) and Kayt (Bochenski) on the illustrations. We used photos of me and my sister when I was little, as well as my real friends, to help Tim. Scholastic have done a great job!

How did it feel seeing the finished book for the first time and having it released in bookshops?

I first saw the finished book the day after my BAFTA win and I couldn’t believe how brilliant it was! It feels so surreal and very proud to have an important book like This Is Me to be out in the bookshops. I have done signings in schools and bookshops and meeting the families and children and seeing the response online has been amazing.

The key message in the book – that we are all unique and talented in our own special ways – seems to be appreciated by so many different and diverse people.

Last Christmas, you were a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, what was this like to be involved with?

I loved being involved in the Christmas Special of Strictly. It was a massive dream come true for me – I have watched every single series and remember the past contestants and dances. Me and my sister used to dance along when we were little. All the cast and crew were really lovely and dancing with Amy (Dowden) was so much fun. Dancing on the dancefloor was electric! The audience went wild and I loved every single moment.

How was it appearing on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and learning the choreography with your dance partner Amy Dowden?

It was amazing to appear on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, it was incredible to meet Janette (Manrara) and be revealed as a dancer on the special.

I loved dancing with Amy, Amy is very lovely and an incredibly talented dancer and teacher. We practiced for a few days a week for three or four weeks. The Charleston was a really fun dance!

We understand you filmed for an episode of Casualty as Josh Milner, can you tell us about your character and what it was like on set?

My character Josh Milner is a bit of a drug dealer but very complex as he only wanted to make new friends and it goes wrong in a bad circumstance. I absolutely loved working on Casualty, it was another massive dream come true as it’s one of my favourite TV drama series.

Do you have any favourite memories from being in the cast of The Railway Children Return?

I loved filming my scene with Sheridan Smith, Sheridan is very lovely and down to earth. Getting dressed up in a period uniform and into the role was cool. I also loved going to the world premiere in Keighley, it was very exciting to watch the whole film, to see the cast, and both directors.

Having worked on short film Bebe A.I., what are short films like to work on and what are some of your other acting roles on screen and stage?

Short films are fun to work on. They are often used to tell very important stories and are a good way to explore different world issues. There aren’t many feature films that do this. The themes in S.A.M – which won the Audience Prize at the IRIS Festival and for which I got a Best Actor Award at the Oska Bright Festival – and also in Bebe A.I. haven’t yet made it to the mainstream. I hope they will as representation is so important.

A few other examples of work include Separate Doors National Ensemble, Les 7 Soeurs piece Back to Reality, World on Fire Series 2 which is coming out this year, and the Awakening for Leeds 2023.

I also love dancing with Yorkshire Dance, Talent Hub and Meshdance.

Where does your love of acting and presenting come from and was it something you always wanted to do?

When I was little, me and my sister Lauren used to love to put on a show with mum and dad as the audience. I then joined a local theatre group called Stage Door. I always wanted to perform, act and present on TV.

What are some of your favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch and how do you like to spend your time away from your career?

Some of my favourite things to watch are Marvel films such as Guardians of the Galaxy, horrors such as Speak No Evil, Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders, Doctor Who and Merlin. I also love musicals such as Wicked, Les Misérables, Oliver! and Jersey Boys.

I like to run with my club Hyde Park Harriers and parkrun, play on my Xbox, listen to music mainly musicals and sometimes rock, dance, and singing. I also enjoy going out with my friends and family and going on holiday!

Do you have any upcoming projects you can say about and what are you hoping 2023 brings you?

I’m part of a panel for Jamie Oliver’s School Food Project, Camp Bestival Shropshire for CBeebies, and Hay and Edinburgh Literature Festivals for This Is Me.

I’d love to be in a Marvel film, Doctor Who, more serious TV acting, EastEnders, more Casualty, James Bond, and something hilarious like Only Murders in the Building!