Blue Peter - Show News, Reviews, Recaps and Photos - TV.com EDIT Blue Peter is the longest running British childrens television show, celebrating it's fiftieth birthday in October 2008. The show airs as part of the CBBC strand of programming on BBC One on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm. It is currently in it's 52nd series. The show began on October 16th 1958, and since then has gone through a cycle of 31 presenters, with Andy Akinwolere, Helen Skelton and Joel Defries currently presenting. The name Blue Peter comes from the blue and white flag which hoists a ship in port when it's getting ready to sail. The logo for the show is a blue and white boat designed by Tony Hart. Blue Peter badges are worn by presenters and different variations of the badge are awarded to both viewers and celebrity guests. The theme tune to the show is a take on the sea shanty Barnacle Bill and was originally composed by Ashworth Hope and has since been re-recorded ten times, the current version is orchestrated by Murray Gold.

Throughout it's first series it ran for 15 minutes on Monday nights. From the 1960s until 1995, the show ran twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, at 4.35pm until the mid 1970s, when it moved to 5.10pm. Throughout 1995 until 2001, three shows aired, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in 2002 the show moved to 5pm and in 2007 remaining in the same time slot, shows aired on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. From September 2007, the show began airing twice a week and from February 2008 moved to it's current slot Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm. The show has many features and traditions that it carry's from series to series. The show always features 'Blue Peter Pets', Petra the dog been the first.

Their's been five dogs, seven cats, four tortoises and a parrot that have all appeared, before the current line up of two dogs - Mabel & Lucy, two cats - Socks & Cookie and a tortoise, Shelley. Another regular feature on the show is the 'Blue Peter Garden', based in the BBC Television Centre were Blue Peter is filmed, alot of features are based in the garden, so their's need for a regular Blue Peter gardener, Percy Thrower (who also originally designed the garden), Chris Crowder and Clare Bradley have all had the job, before Chris Collins took it on. The show has also made an appeal every year since the show began, these range from bring and buy sales been organised and endorsed by Blue Peter or to the more recent, Mission Nutrition campaign, helping kids eat better here and abroad.moreless Blue Peter - Season 2 Reviews - Metacritic No user score yet- Be the first to review! Would you like to write a review? Share this? Summary: Blue Peter is the longest running British childrens television show, recently celebrating it's fiftieth birthday in October 2008. The show will be returning for it's fifty-first series in September 2009.

The show began on October 16th 1958, and since then has gone through a cycle of 31Blue Peter is the longest running British childrens television show, recently celebrating it's fiftieth birthday in October 2008. The show will be returning for it's fifty-first series in September 2009. The show began on October 16th 1958, and since then has gone through a cycle of 31 presenters, with Andy Akinwolere, Helen Skelton and Joel Defries currently presenting. The name Blue Peter comes from the blue and white flag which hoists a ship in port when it's getting ready to sail. The logo for the show is a blue and white boat designed by Tony Hart. Blue Peter badges are worn by presenters and different variations of the badge are awarded to both viewers and celebrity guests. The theme tune to the show is a take on the sea shanty Barnacle Bill and was originally composed by Ashworth Hope and has since been re-recorded ten times, the current version is orchestrated by Murray Gold.

The show airs as part of the CBBC strand of programming on BBC One on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm. Throughout it's first series it ran for 15 minutes on Monday nights. From the 1960s until 1995, the show ran twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, at 4.35pm until the mid 1970s, when it moved to 5.10pm. Throughout 1995 until 2001, three shows aired, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in 2002 the show moved to 5pm and in 2007 remaining in the same time slot, shows aired on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. From September 2007, the show began airing twice a week and from February 2008 moved to it's current, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm. The show has many features and traditions that it carry's from series to series. The show always features 'Blue Peter Pets', Petra the dog been the first.

Their's been five dogs, seven cats, four tortoises and a parrot that have all appeared, before the current line up of two dogs - Mabel & Lucy, two cats - Socks & Cookie and a tortoise, Shelley. Another regular feature on the show is the 'Blue Peter Garden', based in the BBC Television Centre were Blue Peter is filmed, alot of features are based in the garden, so their's need for a regular Blue Peter gardener, Percy Thrower (who also originally designed the garden), Chris Crowder and Clare Bradley have all had the job, before Chris Collins took it on. The show has also made an appeal every year since the show began, these range from bring and buy sales been organised and endorsed by Blue Peter or to the more recent, Mission Nutrition campaign, helping kids eat better here and abroad.… Expand Genre(s): Variety Shows, Kids Season 2 premiere date: Oct 4, 2004 Episode Length: 25 BBC - Press Office - Network TV Programme Information Week 42 Blue Peter Feature Programme copy (Blue Peter At 50) The Beginning 1. Blue Peter first aired on 16 October 1958 and transmitted for 15 minutes. 2.

The first presenters were Christopher Trace and Leila Williams. Christopher Trace was the stand-in for Charlton Heston in blockbuster Ben-Hur and Leila Williams had been crowned Miss Great Britain the previous year. 3. Blue Peter was created by John Hunter Blair. Throughout the programme's 50-year history, there have been just six editors: Biddy Baxter, Lewis Bronze, Oliver Macfarlane, Steve Hocking, Richard Marson and the current editor Tim Levell. 4. The 50th anniversary edition of the show on 16 October will be programme number 4,406. Ships and Songs 5. Blue Peter is named after the blue and white flag hoisted when a ship is ready to set sail from port. The reasoning for the choice is that the programme is intended to be a voyage of adventure and discovery for the viewers, constantly covering new topics. 6. The ship's symbol, the Blue Peter Galleon, was designed by much-loved TV artist Tony Hart, who received just £100 for his work – which is worth an estimated £1,537 in today's money. Had he been paid royalties they would have made him a millionaire. 7.

The theme tune is called Barnacle Bill. There have been nine versions of the theme tune, and the latest arrangement was introduced for this year's series. The Faces 8. There have been 34 Blue Peter presenters, including this year's new recruits, Helen Skelton and Joel Defries. 9. The longest-serving presenter was John Noakes, who presented the series for 12 and a half years and was 45 when he left. On one famous occasion, John was asked to drop his trousers for the show to show the bruises he had sustained during a bobsleigh film. According to his recollection, he realised that he was wearing his wife's underwear which he had put on by accident in the dark! On 17 May 1976, John Noakes collapsed in the studio due to exhaustion and Lesley Judd had to take over. 10. John Noakes's famous catchphrase was "Get Down Shep". In 1978, pop group The Barron Knights released a single of the same name which reached No. 44 in the charts. 11. Peter Duncan is the only presenter to do two stints on the show.

He became a gold badge holder after he was made Chief Scout in Feb 2007. 12. Yvette Fielding was the youngest-ever presenter. She was 18 when she joined the series. 13. Sarah Greene met her husband, former TV presenter Mike Smith, through Blue Peter whilst being filmed learning to dive on the Mary Rose wreck. 14. The shortest-serving listed presenter was Anita West, who lasted for just four months before returning to her acting career. 15. The following stars applied to be become presenters but didn't make it: Kevin Whately, Sally James, Howard Stableford, Gail Porter, Jake Humphrey, Todd Carty and Sidney Sloane. 16. The famous Blue Peter badge was launched on 17 June 1963. 17. There are six types of badges – Blue, Green, Silver, Gold, Purple and Orange. Blue can be won by viewers sending in an interesting letter, poem, picture or story, or by appearing on the programme. Silver is for viewers who already have a blue but have to do something different to win one. Green is the environmental award, for viewers who make contributions on "green" subjects.

Orange is given to viewers who have been either a winner or runner-up in a Blue Peter competition. The Gold badge is Blue Peter's highest award and is only given to people who have shown outstanding bravery and courage, or have represented their country in an international event. Introduced in 2006, the Purple badge is awarded to "Team Player" children who take an active role in the show, either by reviewing it, suggesting ideas for items or helping with audience research. 18. Famous Gold badge winners include Her Majesty The Queen, who received one in 2001, David Beckham, JK Rowling, Torvill and Dean and Bonnie the Blue Peter dog, who was given one on her retirement in 1991. It has also become tradition to present a leaving presenter with a gold badge on their final show. 19. In 45 years of the badge scheme it is estimated that the programme has awarded half a million badges. 20. Every guest who comes on the show gets a badge.

Celebrities with badges include: Madonna, Tony Blair, Mr Bean, Morph, Ewan McGregor, Dawn French, David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Gordon Brown, Uri Geller (who did his first fork-bending on Blue Peter), David Cassidy, ABBA, Elton John, Carrie Fisher and Pele. Bryony Stokes, 2008 Olympic medallist, wore her Blue Peter badge as she windsurfed to her Bronze medal victory. 21. A Blue Peter badge and certificate will get children of 15 years and under free admission into 200 venues up and down the country. Blue Peter and the Doctor 22. Peter Purves was a Doctor Who assistant before he joined the children's series. 23. Sophie Aldred's Dr Who character, Ace, wore Blue Peter badges which were Sophie's own. 24. A competition to design a Blue Peter monster in 2005 generated 43,920 entries. The winning monster was the Abzorbaloff, which appeared in the story Love & Monsters. Blue Peter pets 25. Blue Peter's pets are almost as well-known as its presenters.

There have been eight dogs, five tortoises, nine cats and two parrots. 26. George the tortoise is the longest-serving pet. He made his first appearance in 1982. When he died in 2004 he was around 81 years old. He is the only pet buried in the Blue Peter garden. He once became amorous with a pair of Sarah Greene's shoes, thinking they were another tortoise… 27. Another tortoise, originally named Fred, had to be renamed Freda when it was discovered he was, in fact, a she. The Trips 28. From Morocco to Mexico and Japan to Jamaica, there have been 43 Blue Peter summer expeditions covering every continent on the globe. 29. During a Blue Peter expedition to Egypt, presenter Tina Heath was caught short with a dodgy tummy and had to use her script as toilet paper! Here's One I Made Earlier 30. In 1962, a housewife named Margaret Parnell sent in the idea for the first "make" and spent the best part of the next 40 years creating them, designing over 700. 31.

Early makes included the classic Christmas Advent crown, doll's hammocks and bird-seed cakes. Recent makes include a Tardis pencil case. 32. The most popular make was Tracy Island, which received 100,000 requests for the Factsheet in 1993. Anthea Turner still has the Tracy Island she made on the show. Helping Out 33. The Blue Peter Appeals started in 1962 when viewers were asked to collect postage stamps to raise money for homes for the homeless. 34. It's estimated that, across the 46 appeals, children have raised the equivalent of over £100m in today's money. The 14 Bring & Buy Sales have raised the equivalent of an estimated £57m. Other items collected by the appeal include over 948,025,000 stamps, 19m aluminium cans, 800 tons of wool and over 1,450,000 pairs of shoes, including David Beckham's boots. 35.

Between 1962 and 2007 the appeals have raised money to buy, amongst others, the following: two guide dogs, 25 life boats, eight flats for homeless people, 32 ponies , 57 lorries, three caravans, two day centres, six bungalows, 12 houses in Romania, 8,350 lavatories and three schools. 36. The Blue Peter lifeboats can still be found at seven lifeboat stations around the country. They've been launched over 4,600 times and have saved, up to 20 March 2008, 1058 lives. Blue Peter and Green Fingers 37. The Blue Peter Garden was launched on 21 March 1974. Percy Thrower was the first gardener and was awarded his gold badge in 1988. The second gardener was Chris Crowder, followed by Clare Bradley and, currently, Chris Collins. 38. The Blue Peter Garden was vandalised three times – in 1978, 1980 and 1983 – before security cameras were eventually fitted. 39.

TV executive Edward Barnes "nicked" the idea for the garden from rival series Magpie. Blue Peter babies 40. In 1968 it was decided that Blue Peter would feature a baby on the programme, to show viewers what it was like to have a little brother or sister. On 30 September of that year, baby Daniel made his first appearance at just 14 weeks old and made regular appearances over the next two years. 41. Presenters who had babies during the time they worked on the programme were Tina Heath, who had Jemma, and Liz Barker who had Dexter. In 1987, presenter Janet Ellis was the focus of national scrutiny when she had baby Jack out of wedlock. Incontinent Elephants and Beautiful Knockers 42. Peter Purves attributes the blame for Lulu the incontinent elephant to editor Biddy Baxter, who allegedly asked Lulu's keeper to do without the stick he used to keep her under control. The ensuing chaos saw Lulu pee, poo and generally misbehave around the studio, dragging her gamekeeper through the mess. 43.

Other memorable moments include Simon Groom's innuendo-laden: "What a beautiful pair of knockers", when commenting on a replacement for Durham Cathedral's historic door knocker; Mark Curry knocking the head off a LEGO model; and Diane-Louise Jordan falling flat on her face whilst covering John Leslie's run in the London Marathon. The Competitions 44. A competition to design a frock for presenter Caron Keating solicited responses from 69,928 debut dressmakers. In 1981 a competition to design a Christmas stamp generated 74,000 responses, and a contest to design a character for Aardman Animations in 2006 attracted 47,268 budding Nick Parks. Miscellaneous 45. Children who appeared on the show and have gone on to be famous include: Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton and popstar James Blunt (then James Blount). Konnie Huq also appeared in 1989 with the National Youth Theatre before she went on to become the programme's longest-serving presenter.

Richard Deverell, the current Controller of BBC Children's, appeared on the show in 1976 as part of a troupe of knitting scouts. 46. Blue Peter has many Royal friends. A young Prince Edward visited Blue Peter in 1969 and, in 1970, Valerie Singleton and HRH Princess Anne filmed their Royal Safari in Kenya. Her Majesty The Queen visited the studio in 2001 and was given a gold badge. Blue Peter's current presenters and a specially selected number of former presenters and production staff have been invited to The Palace to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the 50th anniversary. 47. There have been four Blue Peter time capsules. The first was buried at BBC Television Centre in 1971 and the second in 1984, when the first box had to be moved because of development at Television Centre. Another was buried in 2000, which will be opened in 2029. There is also one hidden under the Millennium Dome/02 Centre which will be opened in 2050. 48.

Blue Peter is the longest-running children's TV series in the world and the programme and its presenters have earned themselves countless records. John Noakes's Long Fall gave him a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest delayed drop by a civilian; Janet Ellis jumped 20,000 feet – a European record for a civilian woman; and Matt Baker's tandem hang-gliding also made the record books. 49. Blue Peter has won 40 awards, including two Baftas, a National Television Award and an RTS Award. 50. If you sat down and watched every episode of Blue Peter ever made, back to back, it would take around two and a half months – about the same amount of time needed to drive four times round the world. Tony Hart - Telegraph Obituaries Tony Hart Artist who created the Blue Peter logo and went on to inspire millions of children through his own television programmes.

Tony Hart's television career spanned more than fifty years Photo: BBC 12:01AM GMT 18 Jan 2009 Tony Hart, who has died aged 83, used his immense creative range to sow the seeds of artistic interest in generations of children as a presenter of several hugely popular and long-running television series. Whether using paints, clay, textiles, foodstuffs or a cast-off object of almost any description, Hart had the magical ability to produce competent, entertaining pieces of work at impressive speed and in an unpatronising fashion. His avuncular, mildly eccentric manner made him the ideal host for children of all ages; indeed, at the height of one of his popularity in the mid 1980s, Hart’s request that viewers send in their own pictures to exhibit in “The Gallery”, a large wall showcasing their efforts, generated 6,000 submissions a week. In a television career which spanned more than fifty years, the majority of them spent on the screen wearing his trademark cravat, Hart demonstrated artistic techniques both elementary and advanced while never forgetting his motto “Show them don’t tell them”.

Norman Anthony Hart was born at Maidstone on October 15 1925. His father was a local government official whose own artistic leanings were actively discouraged by his parents; his mother was an amateur singer. Their mutual devotion to the arts meant that they adopted a liberal attitude to their children’s careers. “My father always said to me don’t work in an office,” Hart once recalled. “So not working in an office became very important to me.” After attending a London choir school with Dickensian attitudes to discipline (beatings routinely took place on Sundays), and then Clayesmore in Dorset, the seventeen year old Hart applied to be an air gunner with the RAF. A minor eye defect prevented him being assigned flying duties, however, so he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Indian Army instead, training for a commission with the 1st Gurkha Rifles. It was throughout his four years in India that Hart first nurtured serious ideas of becoming a professional painter: dazzled by the colours and patterns of the subcontinent, he spent much of his off-duty periods at an art school in Madras.

Related Articles Tony Hart dies aged 83 18 Jan 2009 Following India’s independence in 1947, Hart returned to England and took up a place at the Maidstone College of Art, from which he graduated in 1950. He then moved to London where he worked briefly as a window display artist at a department store on Oxford Street before turning his hand to freelance graphics work for cinema, television and newspapers. He was happy to paint murals on restaurant walls in return for free meals. A chance meeting with a television producer at a party in 1952 resulted in a BBC interview which took place over lunch. At the end of the meal Hart was called on to demonstrate his draughtsmanship by drawing a picture of a fish on the napkin which accompanied his coffee. The deftness of this sketch was enough to secure him a job. Initially he worked on an early Eamonn Andrews show, before advancing to the position of graphics artist on the Tonight programme. Soon after he was engaged as resident artist on the children’s show Saturday Special. He stayed on it for two years before moving to another programme for the young, Playbox, which ran until 1959.

Throughout this time Hart also worked on the original Blue Peter programmes, the first of which was broadcast in October 1958. In the weekly transmissions he told and illustrated stories, invariably about a little white elephant called Packi. His loose involvement with Blue Peter continued into the 1960s with the creation of the galleon which became the programme’s well-known logo . Aware of Blue Peter’s enormous popularity, Hart asked for a penny for every time his design was used. His request was turned down and he was paid a flat fee of £100 instead. Stints on Ask Your Dad, Disney Wonderland and Stories in Pictures followed, and led to Hart’s first appearance on the long-running puppet programme Titch and Quackers, in which he operated the latter. Then, in 1964, came his breakthrough programme, Vision On. Originally screened for the deaf, Vision On was a milestone in children’s television and gave a platform to Hart’s natural vivacity.

Whether drawing a huge profile on an empty beach with the wheel-tracks of a motorcycle or making a 180ft picture of a tractor on a Sussex hillside using 144 roller towels, this quirky and sometimes surreal programme soon successfully stretched the boundaries of every child’s imagination – regardless of their ability to hear. Vision On ran for over twelve years and introduced the world not only to “The Gallery” , but also to the groundbreaking talents of artists Peter Lord and David Sproxton, the former of whom went on to co-create the Wallace and Gromit series. By the time Vision On ended in 1977 it was being screened around the world and Hart’s genial manner was winning international acclaim. The following year, Hart was given his first solo vehicle, Take Hart. It too was an instant success whose overwhelming attraction lay in the presenter’s inclusive approach and positive attitude at the drawing board. Hart’s desire to encourage by example and by humour meant work of all standards appeared on the wall of “The Gallery” – from children as young as four to that of older teenagers. It was during this series that Morph, a six inch Plasticine figure created by Lord and Sproxton, was born.

As his name suggests, Morph was capable of extraordinary and amusing feats of metamorphosis. The cleverness of his creation was that the seemingly unintelligible language he spoke in fact made perfect sense and he and Hart could converse with each other. Morph was later joined in his adventures by his irascible friend Chas and a host of other miniature creations. Morph was granted two series of his own in the early 1980s and continues to enjoy enormous popularity. Tony Hart was awarded his first BAFTA for the series in 1984. Unaware that he had won, he did not attend the ceremony because his wife, Jean, had not been invited to it with him. It was only as he sat at home watching the BAFTAs on television that he realised he should have been there, a fact that always amused him. Hart Beat, a variation on the same theme as Take Hart, followed. It ran between 1985 and 1994 and continued to show “The Gallery” and to chart the fortunes of Morph. Mr Bennett, an accident-prone caretaker, was introduced as a character to add some comedy value.

Hart was also helped over the course of these shows by a series of young female artists. Throughout the 1990s Hart continued to present other television programmes, the most recent of which include Morph TV and Smart Hart. In 1998 he was awarded a second BAFTA, in this case a lifetime achievement award acknowledging his contribution to children’s television. Tony Hart was active in a large number of charities throughout his life. Among the beneficiaries of his efforts was the Gurkha Welfare Trust to which Hart donated pictures which were later auctioned for “substantial” amounts of money. Hart once described himself as “a loner who can’t wait to get back to my squirrel’s nest”, referring to his cottage in Shamley Green, deep in the Surrey countryside, where he lived for many years. In the years after his retirement in 2001, his health began to fail and he suffered two strokes, which robbed him of the use of his hands. In an interview in 2006 he described no longer being able to draw and paint as “the greatest cross I have to bear”. Tony Hart, who died on January 18, married Jean Skingle in 1953.

She predeceased him, and he is survived by their daughter, Carolyn. Search Results - Entertainment Entertainment You are using an older browser version. Please use a supported version for the best MSN experience. Search Results for 'tony hart' Search Results for 'tony hart' - MSN hart Tony Hart Artist who created the Blue Peter logo and went on to inspire millions of children through his own television programmes. Tony Hart, artist and inspiration ... Search Results - Entertainment blue peter The new MSN, Your customizable collection of the best in news, sports, entertainment, money, weather, travel, health, and lifestyle, combined with Outlook, Facebook ... Search Results - Entertainment - MSN road Search Results for 'blue road' Search on Bing. MSN Results. Search Results for 'blue road' - MSN. road ... Tony Hart - Wikipedia Norman Antony "Tony" Hart (15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009) was an English artist and children's television presenter. He started off as an officer in a Gurkha ... Tony Hart - The Official Tony Hart Website - Television Artist Tony Hart - 1925-2009.

An inspiration to several generations of artists, animators, graphic designers and teachers, children´s TV artist Tony Hart was best known for ... Reports of Tony Hart's second death are greatly ... People expressed their condolences as the news of Tony Hart’s death swept social media six years after it actually occurred, leading to mockery by other users Tony Hart, artist and inspiration for children, dies at 83 ... The veteran children's television show presenter and artist Tony Hart died yesterday, aged 83. He had suffered from ill health, including two strokes in recent years ... Piers Morgan duped by Tony Hart death 'hoax' - Telegraph Piers Morgan duped by Tony Hart death 'hoax' Tony Hart, the much-loved children's TV presenter and artist, died in 2009 (and not this week, as some people ... Blue Peter | Cartoon Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Share Blue Peter was first aired on 16 October 1958.

It had been commissioned to producer John Hunter Blair by Owen Reed, the head of children's programmes at the BBC, as there were no programmes in existence that catered for children aged between five and eight.[1] The name "Blue Peter" was thought up by Hunter Blair; the Blue Peter flag , used as a maritime signal, indicates the vessel is about to leave, and Hunter Blair intended the name to represent "a voyage of adventure" on which the programme would set out. Hunter Blair also pointed out that blue was a child's[ who? ] favourite colour, and Peter was the name of a child's[ who? ] friend. The first two presenters were Christopher Trace , an actor, and Leila Williams , winner of Miss Great Britain in 1957. The initial format mostly involved the two presenters demonstrating different activities, with Trace concentrating on traditional "boys' toys" such as model aeroplanes and trains, and Williams concentrating on dolls and traditional female tasks, such as cookery. They were supported on occasion by Tony Hart ,[2] an artist who later designed the ship logo,[3] who told stories about an elephant called Packi (or Packie).

It was broadcast every Monday for fifteen minutes on BBC tv (which later became BBC One).[2] Blue Peter was popular from the outset, and over the first few months, more features were added such as competitions, documentaries, cartoons, and stories. Early programmes were almost entirely studio-based, with very few external films being created. In 1961, Hunter Blair became ill, meaning he was often absent from the show. After he produced his last show on 12 June 1961,[4] he was replaced by Clive Parkhurst the following September.

He did not get along with Leila Williams, who recalled "he couldn't find anything for me to do", and in October Williams did not appear for six editions leaving Christopher Trace on his own or with one-off presenters.[5] Parkhurst was replaced by John Furness ,[4] and Anita West joined Christopher Trace on 7 May 1962.[6] She featured on just 16 editions, making her the shortest serving presenter, and was replaced by Valerie Singleton ,[7] who presented regularly until 1972,[8] and on special assignments until 1981.[8] Following Furness's departure, a new producer who was committed to Blue Peter was required, so Biddy Baxter was appointed.[4] However, at the time, Baxter was contracted to schools' programmes on the radio so was unable to take up her new post until October 1962. It was suggested that Edward Barnes ,[9] a production assistant,[4] would temporarily produce the show until Baxter arrived, at which point he would become her assistant.

This suggestion was turned down, and a more experienced producer, Leonard Chase , was appointed with Barnes as his assistant.[10] Baxter eventually joined Blue Peter at the end of October 1962.[9] During this period, many iconic features of Blue Peter were introduced.

The first appeal took place in December 1962, taking place of the previous practice of reviewing toys that children would ask for themselves.[11] Blue Peter's first pet, a brown and white mongrel dog named Petra was introduced on 17 December 1962.[12] Features such as "makes" (normally involving creating something such as an advent crown out of household junk) and cooking became regular instalments on Blue Peter and continue to be today.[13][14] The Blue Peter badge was introduced in 1963, along with the programme's new logo designed by Tony Hart.[3] Baxter introduced a system that ensured replies sent to viewers' letters were personal ones; as a girl, she had written to Enid Blyton and received a standard reply twice which had upset her.[15] The following year, from 28 September 1964, Blue Peter began to be broadcast twice weekly, with Baxter becoming the editor and Barnes and Rosemary Gill (an assistant producer who had joined as a temporary producer while Baxter was doing jury service) became the programme's producers.[16] The first Blue Peter book, an annual in all but name, was published this year and have

 been nearly every year since.[17][18] A third presenter, John Noakes , was introduced at the end of 1965 and became the longest serving presenter.

A complete contrast to Trace, Noakes set the scene for "daredevil" presenters that has continued through the generations of presenters.[19] Trace left Blue Peter in July 1967,[20] and was replaced by Peter Purves in November. The trio of Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves lasted five years, and according to Richard Marson were "the most famous presenting team in the show's history".[21] In 1965, the first "Summer Expedition" (a filming trip abroad) was held in Norway, and have been every year since all over the world.[22] The first colour edition of Blue Peter aired on 14 September 1970, with the last black and white edition on 24 June 1974.[23] A regular feature of the 1970s were the Special Assignments, which were essentially reports on interesting topics, filmed on location.

Singleton took this role, and in effect became the programme's "roving reporter".[24] Blue Peter also offered breaking news on occasion, such as the 1971 eruption of Mount Etna , as well as unique items such as the first appearance of Uri Geller on British television. In May 1976, presenter Lesley Judd interviewed Otto Frank , father of Anne Frank , after he had agreed to bring his daughter's diaries to Britain.[25] In 1974, the Blue Peter garden was officially opened in a green space outside the television centre restaurant block.[26] By this time, Blue Peter had become an established children's programme, with regular features which have since become traditions. Its theme music was updated by Mike Oldfield in 1979, and at the end of the decade a new presenting team were brought in, consisting of Simon Groom , Tina Heath and Christopher Wenner .

They were, however, overshadowed by the success of the previous two decades, and failed to make an impact.[27] Heath decided to leave after just a year when she discovered she was pregnant, but agreed to have a live scan of her baby, something which had never been done on television. Blue Peter was praised for this by the National Childbirth Trust who told the BBC that in "five minutes, Blue Peter had done more to educate children about birth than they'd achieved in ten years of sending out leaflets".[28] Wenner was unpopular with viewers, so left along with Heath on 23 June 1980.[29] Sarah Greene and Peter Duncan both joined in 1980, and a new producer, Lewis Bronze , joined in 1982.[30] The 1980s saw the Blue Peter studio become more colourful and bright, with the presenters gradually wearing more fashionable outfits, in contrast to the more formal appearance of previous decades.[31] Several videos of Blue Peter were released from 1982, the first being Blue Peter Makes, and an omnibus comprising the two weekly editions of the show appeared in 1986 on Sunday mornings.

On 27 June 1988, Baxter took part in her final show, after nearly 26 years involvement,[32] and Bronze took her place as editor.[33] Around this time, Blue Peter became distinctively environmentally aware and introduced a green badge in November 1988 for achievements related to the environment.[34] In the 1990s, a new version of the theme tune was written, and due to falling ratings, BBC1 controller Alan Yentob suggested airing a third edition of Blue Peter each week. This meant that the third show was pre-recorded; Joe Godwin , the director, suggested that the Friday show should be a lighter version of Blue Peter, which would concentrate on music, celebrities and games.[35] A fourth presenter, Katy Hill , was introduced in 1995,[36] but unlike earlier decades, there was little stability in the lineup, with resignations and new additions made almost every year of the decade. The 1990s also saw many more live broadcasts on location, with many shows shot entirely away from the studio.[35] Blue Peter was also one of the first television shows to launch a website.

There were also two changes of editors: Oliver Macfarlane replaced Bronze in the mid-1990s,[37] and moved on in 1999 soon after Blue Peter celebrated its 40th anniversary.[38] It was at this time Richard Bacon was sacked following reports in News of the World that he had taken cocaine .[39] Steve Hocking was then appointed as editor in what was believed to be a difficult period for the show.[40] However, the 2000s started off successfully, when two time capsules that had been buried on Blue Peter were opened up. The former presenters were invited back to assist, and the rest of the programme looked at life in the 1970s when the first capsule was buried.[41] With Hill's departure and replacement by Liz Barker in 2000, the new team of Konnie Huq , Simon Thomas , Matt Baker and herself made the programme strong and consistent for the next five years, which had been somewhat lacking in the 1990s.

The Friday edition of the show, as in the previous decade, featured games and competitions, but additionally there was a drama series, The Quest, which featured cameos from many former presenters. Basil Brush also made several appearances on Fridays. It was at this time that the new controller of BBC One, Nigel Packard , asked for Blue Peter to be broadcast all year round. This was achieved by having two shows per week instead of three during the summer months, and using pre-recorded material.[42] The early 2000s also introduced Christmas productions, which the presenters took part in.[43] In 2003, Richard Marson became the new editor, and one of his first tasks was changing Blue Peters output on the digital CBBC Channel , which for the first year of the channel's launch consisted of repeated editions, plus spin-off shows Blue Peter Unleashed and Blue Peter Flies the World.[44] This new arrangement involved a complex schedule of live shows and pre-recorded material, being broadcast on BBC One and the CBBC Channel .

Marson also introduced a new set, graphics and music,[45] In February 2008 the BBC One programme was moved from 5:00 pm to 4:35 pm to accommodate The Weakest Link , and as a result of the move, Blue Peters ratings dropped to as low as 100,000 viewers in the age 6–12 bracket but are now steadily improving. Over 4000 shows have been produced since 1958, and almost every episode from 1964 onwards still exists in the BBC archives. This is extremely unusual for programmes of that era, and is a testament to the foresight and initiative of editor Biddy Baxter , as she personally ensured that telerecordings and, from 1970, video copies were kept of the episodes.

Question: Which artist designed the logo for UK television children’s show ‘Blue Peter’?
Answer: Tony Hart