Ceallach John Spellman (/ˈkɛləx/ KEL-əkh; born 31 August 1995) is an English actor, writer and presenter best known for playing Matthew Williams in the revival of ITV drama Cold Feet, Harry Fisher in the BBC One school-based drama Waterloo Road from 2010 to 2011 and hosting Friday Download and various other programmes on CBBC. From July 2015 until August 2020, he presented his own show on BBC Radio 1, which aired every Sunday between 16:00 and 19:00 with his co-presenter Katie Thistleton. He is also known for his work as a presenter for Manchester City.[1]
Early life and education
Ceallach John Spellman (known as "Cel"[2]) was born on 31 August 1995.[3] He is of Irish descent.
A Roman Catholic, he attended St Bede's College, Manchester.[4] Subsequently, he attended Sylvia Young Theatre School[5] from the age of 11.
Career
Spellman played Harry Fisher in the BBC One school-based drama Waterloo Road from 2010 to 2011.[6] In May 2011, he started presenting Friday Download on CBBC alongside Georgia Lock, Richard Wisker, Dani Harmer, Tyger Drew-Honey, Aidan Davis, and Dionne Bromfield.[7]
From 19 July 2015, he started presenting his own show on Sunday afternoons on BBC Radio 1,[8] with co-presenter Katie Thistleton.
In September 2016, he began starring as Matthew in the sixth series of British comedy-drama Cold Feet.[9]
On 11 October 2016, it was announced that Spellman would be joining The Voice UK on ITV as social media reporter and online presenter of The V Room.[10] On 15 November 2016, it was announced he would do the same for The Voice Kids UK.[11]
In August 2020, it was announced that Spellman would be leaving his Sunday slots on Radio 1 at the end of that month to focus on his acting and broadcasting commitments. Vick Hope replaced Spellman, co-hosting Life Hacks and The Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1 from the beginning of September 2020.[12]
In 2021, Spellman joined the advisory board of the international organization Awareness 360.[13]
In 2023, he played Donal McHugh in the BBC One crime drama series Better.[14]
Recognition
On 1 July 2016, he was rated as one of "50 Fittest Boys" by Vogue magazine.[15] Spellman is one of nine presidents of Better Planet Education.[16]
Filmography
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2009 | Blue Murder | Tom Lewis | ITV | 19 episodes |
| 2005 | Holby City | Troy Dolan | BBC One | Episode: "Learning Curve" |
| 2008 | The Cup | Malky McConnell | BBC Two | Main role |
| 2009 | Casualty | Daniel | BBC One | Episode: "Watershed" |
| 2010–2011 | Waterloo Road | Harry Fisher | BBC One | Main role |
| 2011–2015 | Friday Download | Himself | CBBC | Presenter |
| 2012–2014, 2017–2018 | All Over The Place | Co-presenter | ||
| 2012–2016 | CBBC | Relief presenter | ||
| 2012, 2015–2016 | Hacker Time | Himself; Various | Series regular | |
| 2012 | Homefront | Sam | ITV | |
| Jedward's Big Adventure | Himself | CBBC | Special guest | |
| Phineas and Ferb | The Hipster | Disney XD | Episode: "Sipping with the Enemy" | |
| 2013–present | How to be Epic @ Everything | Himself | CBBC | Voiceover |
| 2013 | Blue Peter: You Decide | Judge | ||
| 2014–2015, 2018 | Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up | Guest appearances | ||
| 2014 | The Dog Ate My Homework | Panelist | 1 episode | |
| 2015–2017 | CBBC Official Chart Show | Himself | Host | |
| 2015 | At Home with Cel and Dodge[17] | 5 episodes | ||
| Closets | Ben | —N/a | Short film | |
| Cucumber | Adam Whitaker | Channel 4 | Recurring role | |
| Drunk History | Scout | Comedy Central | 1 episode | |
| Hacker's Birthday Bash: 30 Years of Children's BBC | Host | CBBC | One-off special | |
| 2016–2020 | Cold Feet | Matt Williams | ITV | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Operation Ouch! Hospital Takeover Live | Himself | CBBC | Guest |
| Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe | Radio DJ | Television film | ||
| Hacker's Crackers[18] | Himself | Television special | ||
| 2017 | The V Room | ITV Hub | Presenter | |
| Saturday Mash-Up! | CBBC | Guest | ||
| 2019 | Watchdog | BBC One | Presenter | |
| World on Fire | Joe Broughton | Drama miniseries | ||
| Festival of Remembrance | Himself | Reading | ||
| 2020 | Thunderbirds Are Go | Announcer | CITV | Episode: "Icarus" |
| White Lines | Young Marcus | Netflix | ||
| 2022 | Kepler 62F | Dave | Short film | |
| 2023 | Better | Donal McHugh | BBC One | |
| 2024 | Cheaters | Lars | BBC | Series 2 |
| 2025 | The Bay | Bradley Dawson | ITV | Series 5 |
| Wolf King | Drew Ferran | Netflix | Voice; lead role; Executive producer | |
| Swim | Trustafarian | Short film | ||
| 2026 | The Trial | Charlie | Post production | |
| The Blame | PC Callum Drummond | ITV | Pre production | |
| Black Box | Asher | [19] |
Radio
| Date | Title | Role | Director | Station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lost Property: The Year My Mother Went Missing[20] | Vincent | Jessica Dromgoole | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |
| 2015–2020 | Radio 1's Life Hacks and The Official First Look Chart with Katie Thistleton | Himself | —N/a | BBC Radio 1 |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Rest Your Love" | The Vamps | [21] |
| 2018 | "Forever and Ever More"[22] | Nothing but Thieves |
References
- 1."Cel Spellman". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- 2."BBC Radio 1 Profile - Cel Spellman". BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- 3."Ceallach's Personal Download". CBBC. BBC. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- 4.Catholic pupil kicks off festival, catholicherald.co.uk; accessed 11 July 2016.
- 5."Sylvia Young Theatre School - Alumni". www.syts.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- 6."BBC One - Waterloo Road - Harry Fisher". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- 7."CBBC Programmes - Friday Download, Series 1, Episode 1". BBC. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- 8."Cel Spellman to host new Radio 1 show dedicated to number ones". BBC News. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- 9."Ceallach Spellman to appear in Cold Feet reboot". BBC News. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- 10.Wilson, Victoria (11 October 2016). "Cold Feet's Cel Spellman to host The Voice UK's V Room". what's on tv. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- 11."Hooray, our Voice Kids 2017 coaches are confirmed!". Itv.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- 12."Vick Hope to join BBC Radio 1".
- 13."3 distinguished global figures join Awareness 360". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- 14."Interview with Ceallach Spellman who plays Donal McHugh in Better". Pressparty. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- 15."50 Fittest Boys". Vogue.co.uk. July 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- 16."Our Presidents". betterplaneteducation.org.uk. September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- 17."CBBC - At Home With Cel and Dodge, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- 18."Hacker T Dog on Twitter". Twitter.com.
- 19."Ceallach Spellman". HorrorCult. 31 August 1995. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- 20."Radio 4 Programmes - Afternoon Play, Lost Property, The Year My Mother Went Missing". BBC. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- 21.Davidson, Amy (27 November 2015). "The Vamps party hard in their new music video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- 22.NBTVEVO (25 September 2018), Nothing But Thieves - Forever & Ever More (Official Video), archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 17 June 2019