Gilbert the Alien

Gilbert the snot-tastic acerbic green alien from Drill landed on earth in the Summer of 1986. He was one of the co-presenters of Tyne Tees' Saturday morning kids show "Get Fresh". Gilbert presented snot-infested sketches, antics and escapades alongside his human pals Gareth Jones (aka Gaz Topp) and Charlotte Hindle, and his gabbled, gooey ways made him an instant hit with kids big and small. His stream of nonsense was as relentless as the trails of green snot which spilled from his big red nose.

Gilbert was created and voiced by comedian Phil Cornwell, who is currently starring in the top BBC series "Dead Ringers. In a BBC online interview a wee while back, he had this to say about his big green friend: "Very very fond memories of Gilbert. It was a break for me in my career, in a way, and it enabled me to play to my strengths, which was improvisation. And I was basically given carte blanche and I was told I could say what I liked - I made it up as I went along. I have very fond memories of having a go at popstars of the day and trying my best to puncture a few egos. Somebody should have punctured mine!"