A star of iconic ITV gameshow Fun House now works in Wetherspoons after ditching fame.
Children of the 1990s will have fond memories of the quiz show, in which general knowledge questions generally took second place to wild go kart races and torrents of gunge.
But these same children, now easily old enough to get served in pubs, might do a double take when they walk into a Wetherspoons and see one of the stars of the show behind the bar.
Melanie Grant, one of the twin blonde cheerleaders helped Fun House host Pat Sharp put the kids through their paces on the show is now working behind the bar in a Wetherspoons.
Melanie, now 51, says that lots of punters recognise her from her 90s kids TV heyday. Her boss at at the Royal Victoria Pavilion pub – the country's biggest Spoons in Ramsgate, Kent – was a fan of the kids programme and was completely starstruck when he got her CV.
Melanie said: “I love working at the pub. It’s perfect for me as I grew up around here and I’m a real people person and always love a chat with the customers here.
“A lot of customers know me and recognise me from the show, and we have a lot of laughs and memories about it.”
Before Wetherspoons bought the pub – which opened in 2017 – it was used as a nightclub under two different names, Peggy Sue’s and then Nero’s.
Local girl Melanie has fond memories of both clubs. She added: “I used to come here in those days, so I have a great connection with the building.”
Pub manager Chris Whitbourn said: “To have Mel here is superb. I used to watch Fun House as a kid and then found myself interviewing her for a job here. She is a great staff member and an asset to the pub.”
Melanie rose to fame on the ITV show alongside twin sister Martina when they were just 16. Child contestants on the programme hosted by mullet-haired Pat had to complete challenges in the soft play house. The cult gameshow ran for a decade from 1989 to 1999.