They previously competed on the second series of Pop Idol in 2003, in which they finished third and second, respectively, behind winner Michelle McManus.

After Pop Idol, they decided to form a duo, and signed with manager Simon Fuller.

Consequently, the pair, while working for CBBC, were informed that they were no longer allowed to release music, as Sam and Mark had signed a deal with Fearne Cotton for a period of two years to perform both live and pre-recorded shows.

This resulted in Fuller signing the duo out of their label and contracts, as they were concentrating on children's shows on CBBC.

First, they hosted Saturdays 10am-1pm, and Sundays 11am-3pm on Gem, before moving to weekdays 9am-1pm on 6 June 2005, with the chance to interview the biggest stars on their show.

Sam & Mark hosted CBBC's weekday morning breakfast show, Level Up for four months, from 3 April 2006 to 1 September 2006.

In Sam and Mark's Guide to Dodging Disaster for CBBC, they were in non-speaking roles, with a voice over by Hugh Dennis.

On Wednesday 28 April 2010, Sam and Mark presented an On The Box segment for This Morning, in which they reviewed the latest TV shows, DVDs and movies.

[2] For Red Nose Day 2011, the two presented a series called Comic Relief does Glee Club, which had five 45-minute episodes, four of which were live, on BBC One.

[7] In 2013, Sam and Mark co-hosted a Channel 5 special, The Great Christmas Toy Giveaway, alongside Myleene Klass.