It’s been twenty years since the Teletubbies first bounced onto British television, and the show holds a special place in the heart of one young woman from Medway.

Back in 1997, nine-month-old Jess Smith was selected to be the giggling Baby Sun who looks over Teletubbyland.

Last night, the 21-year-old was back on TV appearing on the BBC’s The One Show which was looking back at 20 years of the programme.

Guest Holly Willoughby was asked by presenters Matt Baker and Michelle Ackerley to pick the laughing tot out of the audience.

Confident in her choice, the presenter appeared to head straight for Jess but picked a man standing two rows behind her.

When asked who her favourite teletubby is, Jess said she couldn’t have a favourite as that would not be fair.

KentOnline's sister paper, the Medway Messenger, spoke to Jess back in 2014 after she revealed on Facebook that she was the Baby Sun.

At the time, Jess was 19 and had just started studying dance education student at Canterbury Christ Church University.

She said it was not something she had really talked about as she was quite a shy child and “everyone knowing would have been a bit scary”.

The former Chatham South and Horsted Primary School pupil made the decision to tell people during her first week at university, when they all had to say something about themselves that no one else would guess.

In 1996, her mother, Anji Smith, took her to Edenbridge Hospital to be weighed and a health visitor, who had been asked by Ragdoll Productions to find smiley babies, put Jess’s name forward.

Mrs Smith said it was never intended to be a big thing: “It was just something a bit different to do and we didn’t expect it to be as big as it was.

“They just sat her in front of a camera and she just laughed and smiled at her dad. We didn’t hear anything until we got a letter when she was 18 months old saying she’d been picked. It was really weird seeing her on television.”

And as no one could predict the success of the show, Jess was paid just £250 for filming and given a box of toys to take home.