All aboard the nostalgia bus! Stars of past and present to join special Platinum Jubilee parade

Their faces and voices were part of childhood for generations. In honour of the Queen, Britain’s beloved stars of television and radio will now return to the public eye for a nostalgic performance for the Platinum Jubilee.

Actors and presenters including Newsround’s John Craven, and Blue Peter favourites Peter Purves, Peter Duncan and Valerie Singleton, will join the Jubilee pageant to weave their way through London on buses recapturing each decade of the Queen’s reign.

The Telegraph can reveal a list of public figures who have signed up to appear on the open-topped buses, from the 1950s right up to the present day.

The “Time of Our Lives” section of the pageant will star the all-singing, all-dancing cast of Mamma Mia! the Musical, who will appear on their own float between the 1970s and 1980s.

A source said more and more national treasures are signing up to take part as the Jubilee draws closer, with the pageant taking place on the afternoon of Sunday, June 5.

Already confirmed to join the end of the route, ready to sing the National Anthem outside Buckingham Palace for the Queen, are Sir David Jason, Lord Seb Coe, Jeremy Irons and Sir Steve Redgrave.

Sir Cliff Richard is to take part in the fourth Jubilee of his career, part of the first bus bringing to life the 1950s.

He will be joined by Carry On actress Anita Harris, singer and actress Bonnie Langford, boxer Chris Eubank, opera singer Lesley Garrett and broadcaster Gloria Hunniford.

They will be followed in the 1960s on a bus led by Tony Blackburn, the first DJ to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 as the new voice of a generation in 1967.

Blue Peter’s Purves, Duncan and Singleton will be joined by Anthea Turner, who presented the BBC children’s show in the 1990s but was born in 1960. They will be joined by Bill Roache, who played Ken Barlow on Coronation Street since its first episode in December 1960.

The bus will be filled with those who chose the 60s as their favourite era to dress up for, including gardener Alan Titchmarsh, singer Katherine Jenkins, actress Caroline Quentin, presenters Holly Willoughby and Kate Garraway, and Matthew Kelly, best known for Stars In Your Eyes.

Representing the 70s is Debbie McGee, who began working as the glamorous assistant to magician Paul Daniels in 1979 and went on to marry him, as well as broadcaster Chris Tarrant, Dame Esther Rantzen, Johnny Ball, Stephanie Beacham, Noddy Holder and chef Rick Stein.

Torvill and Dean will capture the 1980s, with Gary Lineker, the era’s star footballer, Daley Thompson, Tony Hadley, Simon Callow, Peter Waterman and breakfast television’s Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

Towards the end of the pageant, seven “Dames in Jags” will be seen driving down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

Dame Arlene Phillips, Dame Darcey Bussell, Dame Floella Benjamin, Dame Joan Collins, Dame Twiggy, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Dame Prue Leith will each be joined by a friend for the journey, which will end in a rendition of the National Anthem for the Queen.

The pageant will take place on Sunday, June 5 from 2.30 pm, with members of the public welcomed to line the route or watch on television.

Members of the Royal family are expected to join the occasion, likely viewing the spectacle at the end of the route and appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a final moment to thank the public for their efforts in the Jubilee celebrations.

Adrian Evans, Pageant Master, said: “In all our history there has never been an opportunity to celebrate a seventy-year reign.

“We aim to make this a most magnificent occasion, one in which the nation can show its affection and appreciation to the monarch.

“The Platinum Pageant is then, a ‘thank you’ to The Queen, a thank you from us all.”

David Zolkwer, Show Director, added: “It will be all about how, through the recollections and stories and experiences we share we can see how we are all connected – through time; to each other; and to The Queen.”