biography

John Reginald Hamblin (18 March 1935 - 21 September 2022) was a British-born Australian children's television presenter and actor of stage and screen who appeared in theatre productions, soap operas and made-for-TV films. He was known affectionately as "Funny John" or "Naughty John". Hamblin began his time on the iconic children's show, Play School, in 1970s and soon became a fan favourite. He would go on to star in more than 350 episodes of the program, across a 30-year period. After his retirement from the show in 1999, Hamblin returned for a special guest appearance as part of Play School's 50th Anniversary special in 2016.