Karate kid Billy Pullen set for CBBC stardom on Ed & Oucho show

Nov 14 2009 by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Karate kid Billy Pullen set for CBBC stardom on Ed & Oucho show

KARATE kid Billy Pullen is set forstardom on a top children’s TV show.

The 10-year-old Meltham Cobras black belt beat thousands of other youngsters to a place on CBBC’s Ed and Oucho’s Excellent Inventions – by inventing a machine to help him practice all his karate moves.

The children’s show sees presenter Ed and his cactus friend Oucho travel all over the country making inventions from bits of old rubbish they find in the back of their van

BBC bosses were so impressed with Billy’s ‘Spa Master’ invention – designed to help his karate training – they selected him as one of just 13 youngsters for next year’s series.

The Meltham Moor Primary School pupil, who has been doing karate since he was five, said he came up with the life-size motorised machine to help him practice his kicks and punches and designed it to be controlled by his younger brother Sam, 7.

And he said being a TV star was very exciting and he couldn’t wait for the show to be on TV.

“I was nervous at first but then I got used to it,’’ he said.

“I’ve told all my friends I’m going to be on TV and they’re excited too.”

Billy’s mum Debbie said she and husband Andy were thrilled their two boys were going to be TV stars.

She said: “He likes the two presenters on CBBC, Ed and Oucho.

“He wanted to do an invention and I told him he couldn’t cheat and would have to do it himself if it was going to be on TV.

“We sent it off and it must have landed on their desks at exactly the right time because somebody rang us up the next day and said they wanted to come visit us.

“The series producer then came down to meet Billy and his little brother Sam and it went from there.”

The 25 minute programme, to be aired in early 2010, is all about Billy building his invention with Ed and Oucho.

It keeps going wrong but they eventually do it properly.

Once it is built Sam is able to control it and then Billy spars with it and gets so many points he wins an ice cream.