Children's television presenters stopped using anti-terrorism powers while filming

Two children’s television presenters, Anna Williamson and Jamie Rickers, were stopped by police under anti-terrorism powers while filming a stunt using hairdryers as pretend weapons.

The pair, who host ITV show Toonattik, said they were approached by four policemen and had their details taken under the Terrorism Act while they were filming with a crew on London’s Southbank. The officers said that they were suspicious after seeing the pair running around wearing flak jackets and utility belts.

However the presenters told the officers that all they were carrying were hairbrushes, plastic walkie-talkies and blue “spangly” hairdryers, as they recreated a scene from the popular children’s how Dork Hunters.



Miss Williamson, 28, who was a member of a girlband before moving into children’s television roles, said: "We were filming a strand called Dork Hunters, which is to do with one of the animations we have on the show. "We were out and about doing 'dork hunting' ourselves on the streets of London.

"Jamie and I were kitted out in fake utility belts, we had the whole bulletproof flakjacket thing, we've got hairdryers in our belt, a kids' £1.99 walkie-talkie, hairbrushes and all that kind of stuff, and we were being followed by a camera crew and a boom mike and we get literally pulled over by four policemen and we were issued with a warning 'under the act of terrorism'."

Mr Rickers, 32, who is a martial arts enthusiast, added that it was one of the most memorable moments from their time on the show in the past five years. "We were stopped, not arrested, but they had to say 'we are holding you under the Anti-Terrorism Act because you're running around in flak jackets and a utility belt', and I said 'and please put spangly blue hairdryer' and he was, like, 'all right'."