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.

BLUE PETER BBC CHILDRENS TELEVISION PROGRAM HISTORY AND THE BLUE PETER BADGE BLUE PETER HISTORY On 16 October 1958, a former beauty queen and a former Army officer sat down to introduce the first edition of a program that for over 40 years has been compulsive viewing for any child wanting to learn about life in other countries, about caring for pets or how to make a fully operational Centurion tank out of detergent bottles, toilet rolls and sticky-backed plastic. Christopher Trace and Leila Williams There are a very select group of series that almost magically transcend their original target audience and humble origins to almost accidentally attain the coveted status of treasured and much loved national institution. In the world of factual children's programming that accolade has been bestowed upon one show above all others, a show which, despite more than four decades of continuous transmission, remains at its core as true to the spirit of its original format as on the day of its first broadcast. That programme is Blue Peter, and its story is the stuff of television legend.

Presented by 21 year-old Leila Williams, the previous years Miss Great Britain, and 25 year old former army officer turned actor Christopher Trace, who had been Charlton Heston's stand-in on Ben Hur, Blue Peter began transmission on 16th October 1958 as a seven week experiment in the Children's Television slot. With each show lasting just 15 minutes, and heralded by its jaunty 'Barnacle Bill' theme tune, the programme mainly concerned itself with items on train sets for boys and dolls for girls, and stories of Packi, a little white elephant, told and illustrated by Tony Hart. Due to ill health John Hunter Blair had to retire after two years producing the show and died later in his home whilst watching the show he had created. Leila Williams left Blue Peter in 1962 and was briefly replaced by Anita West, but it was with the arrival of the next female presenter that the show really took off.

Long time editor Biddy Baxter said of Valerie Singleton, "If the studio roof collapsed in the middle of a live programme, Valerie would have stepped out of the rubble and said: 'And now for something quite different', without faltering." Another addition to the show in 1962 (which by now had switched to a thirty minute format), was that of the first Blue Peter pet. Petra was a mongrel puppy who was introduced on the show in a box wrapped in Christmas paper. Unfortunately, two days after making its debut the dog died of distemper and the producers had to look around for an exact replica as replacement, so as not to upset the shows younger viewers. The switch was made and as far as the public was concerned there was only ever one Petra. Petra mark ll died in 1977 and the corporation commissioned a bronze bust of the animal, which was placed at the entrance to the BBC. In 1965 Chris and Val were joined by 31 year-old Yorkshire born actor John Noakes.

Sporting a Beatle haircut, Noakes became an instant hit with the public as he undertook a series of daredevil stunts such as scaling Nelson's Column, and became the first British civilian to make a 25,000ft free-fall by parachute. John also had a pet of his own; a black and white Collie by the name of Shep, the two became inseparable and John's good humoured admonition, "Get down, Shep", became a nation-wide catch phrase, as indeed did the famous "Here's one I made earlier", when referring to one of the many models that the presenters have shown the public how to make out of nothing more than plastic bottles, old toilet rolls, wire coat hangers and sticky-back plastic. Christopher Trace left the show in 1967 to be replaced by former Doctor Who actor Peter Purves, and the show entered, arguably, its golden and most fondly remembered era. Shown twice a week (Monday and Thursday) its trademarks have left an indelible mark on an entire generation of children, each of whom would kill for a coveted Blue Peter Badge, awarded for contributors to the show. The Blue Peter appeals have passed into television legend.

Raising funds for national and international causes but without asking for money, Blue Peter has collected hundreds of toys for underprivileged children (1962), seven and a half tons of silver paper to buy two guide dogs for the blind (1964), 240,000 paperback books which bought four lifeboats (1967), 2,000,000 parcels of wool and cotton which bought three hospital trucks, six emergency vehicles and medical equipment for child victims of war in Biafra (1969), 40,000,000 aluminium cans which bought life support machines for sixty five hospitals (1989), and the Great Bring and Buy sale which raised over ï¿½6,000,000 for Romanian orphanages (1990). These are just examples of the numerous charitable causes that the show has come to the aid of. In 1971 Blue Peter won the royal seal of approval when Valerie Singleton was allowed to accompany HRH Princess Anne (now the Princess Royal) on safari to Kenya, and Prince's Edward and Andrew popped into the studio to meet a lion cub.

The show has not been without its problems, although thankfully most of them have been comical misadventures in front of the camera (the show is still transmitted live) like the time when Lulu, a young Sri-Lankan elephant from Chessington Zoo came to the studio with her keeper, Alec, and 'relieved' herself all over the studio floor, dragging the hapless zookeeper straight through the middle of it. Although Biddy Baxter retired in 1988 the show is still going strong, a third weekly programme was added in 1995 and Liz Barker has joined as the 28th Blue Peter presenter, following such household names as Lesley Judd, Sarah Greene, John Lesley, Anthea Turner and Katy Hill, to name but a few. The stunning, winning, simplicity of the Blue Peter format shows no sign of flagging, even as the show sails confidently into this, the beginning of a new millennium, the secret of Blue Peter's innate magic is perhaps impossible to quantify, and perhaps shouldn't even be questioned. When all is said and done, perhaps the best and only correct answer to the show's juggernaut success story is that the people behind it throughout the years genuinely cared.

That its devoted audience continue to genuinely care is both a foregone and heartening fact. Blue Peter is one of British television's longest running programmes, regularly reaching 5-6 million children and teenagers. It takes its name from the blue and white flag hoisted by a ship leaving port on a voyage. The originator of the programme wanted this to suggest the voyage of discovery that it would provide for its young viewers. The programming has a magazine format that involves a combination of studio presentation, interview, and demonstration with additional film report items. It is transmitted live from the BBC's Television Centre after hectic rehearsal. The programme was launched with its catchy "Barnacle Bill" signature tune in 1958 as a fifteen-minute slot, involving two presenters, described by Barnes and Baxter as "Chris Trace playing with trains and Lelia Williams playing with dolls." It became a twice-weekly, 30-minute programme in 1963. A third presenter was later introduced and its Monday/Thursday slots were changed to thrice weekly transmission (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) in 1965. Blue Peter runs for a 40-week season from autumn to early summer with a ten-week break in which special overseas items are filmed.

The programme is broadcast between 17:05 and 17:35 hours, a bridging slot taking teenagers into an Australian soap opera and into "adult" early evening news. it has won over twenty major television awards including BAFTA, The Sun Television, and the National Viewers and Listeners Association for excellence in children's programming. It is successful as a programme because it has remained true to the basic format of its original creator, John Hunter Blair, but has accommodated itself to the social change that has taken place over two generations of television viewing. Editorial continuity was achieved by the singular influence of long-standing editor Biddy Baxter, who worked on Blue Peter between 1962 and 1988. Baxter was a liberal, inventive, but demanding leader of the programme team with a very shrewd sense of how the developing medium could best be harnessed for a young audience. In the best tradition of British public service broadcasting, Blue Peter aims to inform, educate, and stimulate its target viewers with entertaining content and it remains one TV programme that parents encourage their children to watch.

In the 1960s many of the programme's innovations were quickly imitated by rivals or adapted in later programmes such as ITV's Magpie, aired from 1968 to 1980. In 1965, for instance, Blue Peter introduced a puppy to the programme and then asked its viewers to send in suggestions for its name. Petra became the nation's first TV pet. Phenomenally popular, other pets, including cats and tortoises, were added to the programme so that respect for animals and pet care tips could be passed on. The programme actively encouraged the participation of its viewers by instituting a Blue Peter badge scheme (awarded for appearances on the programme or special achievements), regular competitions and an annual Christmas Appeal to raise money for charity. The studio items very often involve presenters trying new hobbies, cooking, making home-made toys from household rubbish (washing-up liquid bottles, wire coat-hangers, and "sticky-backed plastic" being favoured materials) or bringing talented youngsters into the studio to make their achievements more widely known.

The overall ethos of the programme encourages children by the example of the adult presenters to "have a go", to try something new and be inquisitive about the world around them. Blue Peter presenters with strong personalities involved in unforgettable exploits have impressed themselves on the popular memory of television viewers. The phrases of their scripted cookery demonstrations ("here's one I made earlier") and idiosyncratic expressions ("get down, Shep!") have become clichï¿½s and are parodied in pop songs. The show remains "live" which means that unplanned incidents occur, much to the delight of the viewers. One such moment has gone down in British television lore. It involved a baby elephant ("Lulu") departing from the script by defecating in the studio and running amok with its elderly zoo keeper as the transmission came to a close. Today's presenters follow in a long line of enthusiastic personalities who have played no small part in shaping the views of generations of viewers. Critics of the programme suggest that Blue Peter's format, content and presentation epitomise a "safe" agenda of middle-class attitudes, is patronising towards young people, and replicates a dominant ideology.

The programme's own audience research would suggest that on the whole its target audience do not feel patronised. Given the centrality of Blue Peter to its scheduling area, it is not surprising that it tends to reflect the values and aspirations of the institution from which it originates. It is more accurate to see Blue Peter as a barometer of social values and cultural change in Britain over the extended period of its existence. Like all successful programmes Blue Peter has had to deal with change and be flexible to a degree, but this has been uneven. Lewis Bronze, who succeeded Baxter in 1988, introduced Diane-Louisi Jordan, a Black presenter in 1990. The editorial team was quietly accepting and supportive of the unmarried status of Janet Ellis, who became pregnant, but shaken to find out that one of its ex-presenters, Michael Sundin, turned out to be gay. The significance of Blue Peter within British television history resides in its longevity, continued popularity, and institutional centrality.

Within Children's BBC, Blue Peter is still, in the words of Anna Home, Head of Children's Television, "very deliberately chosen as one of the foundation stones upon which the rest of the schedule can be built." BLUE PETER SUMMARY Blue Peter is a popular, long-running BBC television programme for children. It is named after the flag hoisted by ships in port when they are ready to sail. The theme tune, in recognition of the origin of the title, is a sea shanty called Barnacle Bill, and the programme's motif is a stylised sailing ship, based on an original design by Tony Hart. The programme, edited for many years by Biddy Baxter, was first shown in October 16, 1958, the original presenters being Christopher Trace and Leila Williams. The format consisted mainly of the two presenters demonstrating how to make toys and useful household objects, with the male presenter concentrating on traditional "boys'" toys such as model aeroplanes, and the female restricting herself to domestic tasks, such as cookery. Over the years the programme changed to reflect the times. Originally it was a 15-minute weekly programme; currently it is 25 minutes and is shown three times a week.

New presenters came and went, the best known being the 1960s team of Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves. Enduring features of the programme include the annual charity appeal, which involves young viewers by asking them to collect items that can be recycled or sold to raise money for the chosen cause. The team of presenters keeps various pets, the first of which was a dog named Petra; subsequent famous pets include Shep and George the tortoise . Children (and occasionally adults) who appear on the show or achieve something notable may be awarded the coveted Blue Peter badge. See below for details. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Blue Peter was placed 6th.

Blue Peter Featured Links Blue Peter by • Kids TV , TV Shows - 1950s , TV Shows - 1960s , TV Shows - 1970s , TV Shows - 1980s , TV Shows - 1990s 1 9 5 8 - Current (UK) On 16 October 1958, a former beauty queen and a former Army officer sat down to introduce the first edition of a programme that for over 40 years has been compulsive viewing for any child wanting to learn about life in other countries, about caring for pets or how to make a fully operational Centurion tank out of detergent bottles, toilet rolls and sticky-backed plastic. She was 21-year-old Leila Williams, the previous year's Miss Great Britain, and he was 25-year-old actor Christopher Trace. The show was Blue Peter. The show was created by a genial eccentric called John Hunter Blair, who was known to put lighted pipes in his pockets in moments of excitement (and who later died from Multiple Sclerosis while watching an episode of his brainchild).

Originally just a seven-week experiment, it began as a once-a-week 15 minute programme for five to twelve-year-olds, with items on trains (for boys) and dolls (for girls), and soon grew into the show we know and love today. Under the ever-vigilant eye of the show's (now retired) Editor Biddy Baxter, numerous presenters have encouraged viewers to raise millions of pounds in the famous Blue Peter Appeals. Instead of sending in money, children have been urged to collect old clothes, used stamps, paperback books or milk bottle tops, and by 1971 it was estimated that 7½ tons of silver paper had been sent in. I can't remember how many Blue Peter Appeals there have been, but as a child, every lifeboat I ever saw while at the seaside had a Blue Peter sticker on it. Some 3,000 letters poured into the production office each week, and when the show held a competition to design a train of the future, there were 110,000 entrants ranging in age from two to 72. Christopher Trace got the job of presenter as a result of his expertise at building model railways.

"It was while constructing the layouts that I invented the phrase 'Here's one I made earlier' because we didn't have instant glue in those days". Chris's layouts were a feature of the show - and a source of entertainment for others, as he once discovered to his cost; "I remember a particularly complicated layout that I had gone through in great detail with the director . . . before we went for a tea break. It was planned down to the last detail - all the points were set and so on." "But when we did the show, trains were coming from everywhere except the places I was expecting. It was chaos. I just couldn't understand what had happened. Then I discovered that during the tea break someone had sneaked in from the next studio and had been playing with all the trains. There was a big enquiry. The culprit was . . . Richard Dimbleby". Leila Williams left in 1962 following a row with the new producer who wanted the presenters to write all their own material. She protested, they had a big argument, and he sacked her. She gave up the television industry and stayed at home to look after her husband Fred Mudd (of The Mudlarks singing group) and their young daughter Debra.

She and Fred eventually moved into the pub business, running The Liverpool Arms at Kingston-Upon-Thames and the Royal Oak at Surbiton. Such is the esteem in which Blue Peter has always been held that in 1971 Princess Anne took part in a Blue Peter Royal Safari to Kenya with Valerie Singleton. Ah, Val . . . the mere mention of her name conjures up days of an innocent childhood. Valerie Singleton, hyperactive Yorkshireman John Noakes and Peter Purves (pictured above) were like family when I was a kid. These three regularly shared their giant stamp albums with us and taught us how to make a nuclear reactor out of milk bottle tops. Without Blue Peter I would have never have known how to make Christmas decorations from coat hangers and candles (pictured below), I would never have realised that you can make guide dogs for the blind simply by collecting big balls of silver foil, and I would never have realised we needed seven hundred thousand Lifeboats on the British coast . . . The 'makes' became an important ingredient to the success of Blue Peter, and "Here's one I made earlier" is now a national catchphrase. For many years, the 'makes' were masterminded by Margaret Parnell.

The idea of utilising old kitchen rubbish, toilet paper rolls, washing-up liquid bottles etc. was ahead of its time in conservation terms, although there were occasional criticisms that not all viewers could afford the large quantities of sticky-backed plastic required. Blue Peter made an especially great viewing trifecta on Mondays and Thursdays with Jackanory and Captain Pugwash . Blue Peter even had it's own cartoon comic strip called Bleep and Booster . The Outer Space-dwelling Bleep and Booster were created by William Timym, the sculptor who also created a statue of Petra. He wrote the stories and drew the pictures, and Peter Hawkins (who also provided the voices of The Flowerpot Men and Captain Pugwash ) provided the narration and voices. Pets were an important element of the show since 1962. The first puppy died after its first appearance on the show and, unknown to the viewers, was replaced with a look-alike whom they duly named Petra. Other famous dogs were Bonny, Honey, Patch and presenter John Noakes' Shep. In later years, Noakes went on to complain bitterly about his BP days (and the salary he was paid).

Many other people have since joined Biddy Baxter's army and presented BP over the years, but to millions of kids in Britain, Blue Peter will always be Peter, John and Valerie. They never talked down to us and there was always an Alsatian (Petra), a duck or an elephant to run riot in the studio. In one of the most often requested clips of film from British TV history, Lulu, a young misbehaving Sri Lankan elephant from Chessington Zoo visited the Blue Peter studio in 1969 with her keeper, Alec. Lulu had already left a deposit on the studio floor before peeing rather too close to Val's foot. This turned the floor into a skating rink, and hard as he tried, the handler was unable to prevent Lulu dragging him across the studio until he eventually slid ignominiously through the lot. As John Noakes cheerfully said goodbye, he stepped back unaware of what his foot was about to land in. His parting words were "Oh dear, I've trodden right in it".

On 16 October 1998, Blue Peter was 40 years old and on 4 January 2000 they finally dug up the time capsule they had buried in the 1970s (I remember it as though it were just . . . er . . . in the 1970s). Unfortunately most of the contents had turned to slush. Former presenter Caron Keating died in 2004 after losing a seven-year battle with breast cancer. The 41-year-old died at 1815 GMT on Tuesday 13 April at the home of her mother (Gloria Hunniford) in Sevenoaks, Kent. AUDIO Me and my money: Peter Purves says Blue Peter was no money-spinner | This is Money Peter Purves, the former Blue Peter presenter Peter Purves, the former Blue Peter presenter, would scrap income tax on pensions if he could. He also says the BBC was ‘miserly’ in the 1960s when he was working there, which means he is left with a less than adequate pension.

Purves, who lives on a £1million country estate with his six dogs, first went into TV as an actor, playing an early time-travelling companion to Doctor Who in 1965. He began co-presenting Blue Peter with John Noakes and Valerie Singleton in 1967 and ended up hosting the show for 11 years. A keen supporter of dog charities, he has presented and commentated at Crufts since 1976. He is also a celebrated pantomime director with more than 30 productions under his belt. Now 76, he lives with his wife, the West End actress Kathryn Evans, in Suffolk. What did your parents teach you about money? Not a lot. It is deeply ingrained in me not to have debt, if you can avoid it. But I was never particularly aware of money as a child. We never seemed to go short of it. We lived in Blackpool and my dad was a master tailor. How much pocket money did you get? I started getting one shilling and sixpence a week when I was nine years old. What was the first paid work you ever did?

When I was 18, I was cast in a play called The Rainmaker. I played the sheriff. I got £4.50 for the rehearsal week and £5 for the performance week. RELATED ARTICLES Have you ever struggled to make ends meet? Oh yes, often. I never had money as a young person at all. What was the toughest time in your life, financially? When I moved to London in 1963 and did not have any work. My then wife was pregnant and we lived in a flat that was up 95 stairs in Maida Vale. I signed on at the Labour Exchange for three or four months, on and off. How much did you have to live on? About £4.50 a week. My rent was £4.05, so things were difficult. We struggled to make ends meet. Have you ever been paid silly money per hour for a job? Unfortunately no. I’ve never been paid what I should have been paid. The BBC were miserly in the 1960s and 1970s. One or two people seemed to feather their nests but I could never work out how that happened.

Doing Blue Peter, we were not allowed to do any ancillary work, which was weird. Luxury: In 1968, Purves treated himself to a 1952 Bentley Mark VI – for £750 How much did you get paid by Blue Peter? In my first year, 1967, I was paid 35 guineas [£611 in today’s money] a programme and we did two a week. When I left the show in 1978, I was earning £95 a programme [the equivalent of £528 today]. I wasn’t terribly well paid but it amounted to a reasonable income at a time when many people were not earning much money. It enabled me to buy my first house. What was John Noakes like with money? He was cleverer than I was. I’ve never been any good with money. With me, it was easy come, easy go. With Johnny, it was: never let it go! He was careful, bless him. I love him dearly. He’s been a really good mate. I was saddened to hear he was ill, and then that he had gone missing.

I hadn’t realised quite how bad it had got for him. Luckily, he was found and has recovered now. Did you save into a pension? I did for nearly 30 years. I’m receiving that now. It’s a small pension and it’s not adequate. But at the time, when you’re putting money away, you think you’re paying plenty. There was no occupational pension for me – you don’t get a pension from the great BBC when you’re a self-employed person. We weren’t looked after, to be honest. 'Not terribly well paid': Purves with Blue Peter’s Valerie Singleton and John Noakes in 1971 What was the best year of your life in terms of the money you made? In 1985, I hosted a game show on London Weekend Television called Babble, and I got paid £36,000 for doing a 13-programme series. What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought yourself just for fun? A 1952 Bentley Mark VI, in 1968. It cost me £750. What is the biggest money mistake you have ever made?

Accepting a buy-out of my video production company in the late 1980s. The whole thing went wrong and in the end we had to buy back our company which cost us quite a lot. It was a badly managed affair, not my fault – well it was in that I should have understood the deal better. I was naive. And your best money decision? I bought a four-bedroom house in Rugby, Warwickshire for £201,000 in 1987. It was a former rectory and at the time an expensive purchase. I took the biggest mortgage I could. Its value rocketed and we sold it for almost double what we paid. Did you trade up the property ladder? Yes. We bought a derelict old rectory in Northamptonshire for just under £200,000. We spent over £100,000 on it and made it into a magnificent £600,000 house. After six years, I fell off the roof, broke both my heels and I couldn’t work for a year. We ended up broke and I had to sell the house. Do you own any property now?

Yes, my current home, a timber-framed farmhouse in Suffolk with seven acres of land. It is currently valued at £1million and we have been mortgage-free for years. It gives me a feeling of security. There will come a time when we will have to move into something smaller. But for the moment, we’re surviving here and it’s heaven – a beautiful part of the country. Do you pay off your credit cards in full? I don't have a credit card. I’d be too tempted to build debt. Who's who: Purves in 1965’s The Time Meddler How much cash do you typically carry? Usually about £50. I try to pay cash for everything. What’s your one luxury you treat yourself to? First-class air travel. It stems from the fact that we travelled the world in the 1960s and 1970s on Blue Peter. Never once did we fly anything but economy. If you were Chancellor of the Exchequer, what’s the first thing you’d do? I don't think it’s right that income from pensions should be heavily taxed, so I would remove income tax on pensions. It’s money that you’ve saved and worked for.

I think it’s unfair that you have to pay a wodge of it back to the Government. I feel badly done by. Is it important to give to charity? Yes. I give when I can, especially time. I am president of the Canine Supporters’ Charity and vice-patron of Dogs for Good. What is your number one financial priority? To survive and keep my head above water. Peter Purves was talking to Donna Ferguson BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Fifty facts about Blue Peter at 50 Fifty facts about Blue Peter at 50 Advertisement Watch some of the most memorable highlights from the past 50 years As Blue Peter celebrates 50 years on air, we look back at some of the show's highlights and institutions. IN THE BEGINNING • Blue Peter, the longest-running children's programme in the world, was first broadcast - for 15 minutes - on 16 October 1958. It was originally supposed to fill a six-week gap in scheduling. • The show is named after the blue-and-white flag flown on a ship's yard arm to show it is ready to go to sea - suggesting a voyage of discovery for viewers.

ADVENT CROWN COMPONENTS Wire coat hangers Four candles (not fork handles) • Although Blue Peter was the brainchild of producer John Hunter Blair in 1958, it was only following the 1962 arrival of Biddy Baxter - together with new director Edward Barnes - that things like appeals, foreign trips, competition, pets and sticky-backed plastic began to appear. • Housewife Margaret Parnell sent in the first idea for the "here's one I made earlier" section in 1963 - and ultimately spent nearly 40 years devising more than 700 "makes". • The Thunderbirds Tracy Island model remains the show's most popular make with more than 100,000 viewers requesting a factsheet. Presenter Anthea Turner still owns the original she crafted on the show in 1993. Another favourite was the Christmas advent crown made from coat hangers and fireproof tinsel. • On 30 July 1968, ITV launched Magpie - a rival show made by Thames Television which launched on the new licensee's first day of broadcast.

The programme, which had a mascot called Murgatroyd the magpie, aimed to be hipper than its BBC counterpart. Blue Peter eventually saw it off in 1980. Blue Peter has won 40 awards in its 50-year history • There have been only six editors in the show's 50-year history. The first was Ms Baxter who stepped up from producer into the newly-created role in 1965. She was followed by Lewis Bronze, Oliver Macfarlane, Steve Hocking, Richard Marson and current editor Tim Levell. • The programme blazed a trail for many subsequent BBC shows by breaking out of the studio and making full use of BBC Television Centre as a location. Initially, this prompted a memo from BBC management warning that "Television Centre is not a place of entertainment". • Blue Peter has won 40 awards, including a special award at the TV Baftas in 1998 for "outstanding contribution to children's television". PRESENTERS • According to Biddy Baxter, Blue Peter creator John Hunter Blair had two passions - 00 gauge railways and attractive women.

The first presenters of the show were 00 gauge railway enthusiast Christopher Trace and 21-year-old Leila Williams, crowned Miss Great Britain the previous year. Daredevil Peter Duncan was a favourite with viewers • Yorkshireman John Noakes presented the programme for 12 and a half years between 1965 and 1978. He left at the age of 45, making him the longest-serving of the 34 Blue Peter presenters. • Anita West had the briefest stint, spending four months on the show - from 7 May to 3 September 1962 - before returning to her acting career. • Yvette Fielding, who was 18 when she joined the show in 1987, was its youngest-ever presenter. • The classic line-up of John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves presented the show for five years from 1967 to 1972. • Peter Duncan, who wore trademark green-and-white checked outfits, is the only presenter to have had two stints on Blue Peter - between 1980 and 1984, and 1985 and 1986.

He was awarded a gold Blue Peter badge in February 2007 in recognition of his work as Chief Scout. Caron Keating presented between November 1986 and January 1990 • Like John Noakes, whose "long fall" earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest freefall parachute jump by a civilian, Peter Duncan became associated with daredevil stunts. He went on to host Duncan Dares after quitting Blue Peter. • In January 1990, Diane-Louise Jordan became Blue Peter's first black presenter. Louise-Jordan, who stayed in the show for six years, now hosts Songs of Praise. • Presenters who became more well-known after leaving the show include John Leslie, who had a relationship with Catherine Zeta Jones while he was in Blue Peter, Sarah Greene and the late Caron Keating. BLUE PETER ON iPLAYER Blue Peter: Craziest Moments • Greene, who fronted the show from 1980 to 1983, met her future husband, former TV presenter Mike Smith, while she was being filmed learning to dive at the wreck of sunken ship the Mary Rose.

• Keating, who hosted the show from 1986 to 1990, died tragically at the age of 41. The daughter of TV presenter Gloria Hunniford, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 and died at her mother's home in April 2004. IN ANOTHER LIFE • Prior to working on Blue Peter, Peter Duncan appeared nude in the British film The Lifetaker. He also briefly starred in the cult film, Flash Gordon, in which he was killed by a tree monster. Peter Purves (right) previously starred as Doctor Who's assistant • Singer James Blunt - then James Blount - appeared on the show as a child, as did Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and presenter Konnie Huq. • Household names who applied to become Blue Peter presenters before they found fame include Gail Porter, Morse star Kevin Whately, The Bill's Todd Carty and Tiswas presenter Sally James. • Peter Purves, who appeared between 1967 and 1978, previously starred as the doctor's assistant in early episodes of hit BBC show Doctor Who.

GAFFES AND SCANDALS • Host John Noakes was famously asked to drop his trousers after a bruising adventure on a bobsleigh. At which point, he realised he was wearing his wife's underwear which he had put on by accident in the dark. Richard Bacon, pictured with Tim Henman and a fan, was sacked in 1998 • Simon Groom, who appeared on the show for eight years from 1978 to 1986, along with his dog Goldie, once said on the show: "What a beautiful pair of knockers." He was commenting on replacements for the historical door knocker at Durham Cathedral. • In 1987, it was revealed that Janet Ellis was an unmarried mother. The presenter - who left the show following the birth of her second child, Jack - already had a daughter, the future pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor. • Richard Bacon became the first Blue Peter presenter to be sacked, in October 1998, after he admitted taking cocaine, following reports in a tabloid newspaper. Lorraine Heggessey, then head of BBC Children's programmes, apologised on air.

• In 2007, presenters were forced to apologise after faking the results of a phone-in competition. A technical problem led to a visiting child posing as a competition winner. "We let you down," Konnie Huq told viewers. APPEALS • In the programme's early years, Christopher Trace presented Christmas toy reviews. The first appeal began with the idea of giving, rather than receiving toys - with the audience asked to send in toys for members of the audience who would not be receiving any. Totalisers, to tot up donations, are a mainstay of Blue Peter appeals • It is estimated that, across 46 Blue Peter appeals, the equivalent of more than ï¿½100m in today's money has been raised, while 14 Bring and Buy Sale initiatives have netted the equivalent of about ï¿½57m.

• Blue Peter appeals have raised money to help buy: 8,350 lavatories, 57 lorries, 32 ponies, 25 lifeboats - some of which can still be found at seven lifeboat stations around the UK - 12 Romanian houses, eight flats for homeless people, six bungalows, three caravans, three schools, two guide dogs and two day centres. THE BLUE PETER GARDEN • Following the launch of the garden at BBC Television Centre in 1974, gardener Percy Thrower became a household name alongside the show's presenters. He retired in 1988, and was followed by Chris Crowder, Clare Bradley and Chris Collins. Blue Peter gardener Percy Thrower became a household name • In November 1983, the garden was devastated by vandals, leaving Thrower in tears. • In 2000, footballer Les Ferdinand, who was brought up close to Television Centre, told reporters he had been involved in the raid on the Blue Peter garden. But last year, he told the Guardian newspaper that, under pressure from journalists, he had made the story up as a joke.

• George the tortoise, Blue Peter's longest-surviving pet who died at the age of 81, is the only animal to have been buried in the Blue Peter garden. • Three time capsules have been buried around BBC Television Centre. The first, buried in 1971, had to be moved because of building development. A second was buried in 1984, and another in 2000 - scheduled to be opened in 2029. • Another millennium time capsule was hidden under the building that is now the O2 arena in south-east London, as part of the build up to 2000, and will be opened in 2050. BADGES • Introduced in 1963, the Blue Peter badge was Biddy Baxter's idea. She wanted to generate fresh ideas for the programme and offered the badges as an incentive to eager young viewers to write in. Lesley Judd, brought into the show in 1972, gives a badge to a viewer • The badge allows free admission into 200 venues around the UK.

However, in 2006, the scheme was briefly suspended when the badges were found to have been auctioned on the eBay website. • There are six types of badges now in existence - blue, green, purple, orange, silver and gold. • The Gold Blue Peter Badge is the show's highest honour and is awarded to those who have displayed, among other things, exceptional courage, or have represented their country in an international event. • Famous gold badge winners include the Queen - who visited the studio in 2001 - author JK Rowling and footballer David Beckham. • Olympic bronze medallist Bryony Stokes wore her Blue Peter badge as she windsurfed to victory at the Beijing Olympics 2008. ANIMALS • Among the Blue Peter pets there have been eight dogs, five tortoises, nine cats and two parrots. Presenters Michael Sundin and Simon Groom with tortoise George in 1985 • Fred the tortoise, who first appeared on 21 October 1963, had to be renamed Freda, after it was discovered, four years later, that he was actually a girl.

• Bonnie, a much-loved golden retriever, was given a Gold Blue Peter badge on her retirement in 1991. • John Noakes' catchphrase, "get down Shep", used to control his canine companion, was incorporated into a pop song of the same name by The Barron Knights in 1978, reaching number 44 in the charts. • And finally, in 1969, Lulu the elephant famously defecated, urinated and dragged her keeper through the mess in the studio. During the chaotic scenes, the keeper could be heard shouting for someone to fetch "me stick". Lulu the elephant is one of Blue Peter's most fondly-remembered guests As Peter Purves explains: "During rehearsals, anytime he wanted the elephant to do anything, he had a chain around its neck and he'd pull it, the elephant wouldn't go and he'd bonk it on the head with a stick and Biddy thought it looked cruel. "She said, 'Would you please do it without a stick,' - so he did.

The elephant went wherever it liked - end of story." Axing Blue Peter from BBC One fragments family life, says Valerie Singleton - Telegraph BBC Axing Blue Peter from BBC One fragments family life, says Valerie Singleton The BBC has been accused of "fragmenting" family life by moving Blue Peter and other children's programmes off mainstream television channels. Image 1 of 3 Valerie Singleton and Christopher Trace with Blue Peter animals Petra and Moss, among others, in 1965. Photo: © Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy 'Shep' and the Blue Peter team in the studio in 1977 Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Richard Alleyne 9:30PM BST 16 May 2012 Critics also warn that the move will make it harder for parents to regulate their children's television viewing. The corporation announced that all shows aimed at children will be moved off BBC One and BBC Two and onto digital channels dedicated to young viewers. They claim the move will save money while at the same time maximise audience figures for both the flagship and children's channels.

But the decision has been attacked by former presenters and parent groups who claim it "ghettoises" television viewing making it much less likely that parents and children will watch together. Valerie Singleton, who presented Blue Peter from 1962-1972, said it was a further blow to communal family viewing. Related Articles Blue Peter goes digital 17 Dec 2011 "It is a shame," she said. "The idea of sitting around and watching one channel together at the end of the day has gone sadly. "Families are just becoming so fragmented that they will be watching different programmes in different rooms all the time." The decision to move Blue Peter off BBC One means for the first time in its 53-year history it will not be on a flagship channel. It comes as part of a cost saving process in which the BBC has committed to saving billions of pounds from its budget after the annual licence fee was frozen at £145.50 for six years. The BBC Trust, which ratified the plans, also agreed to all other children's programmes including Newsround and Horrible Histories being moved after the digital switchover.

A BBC Trust spokesman said that children’s programmes remained "absolutely fundamental" to the corporation. "Only a very small percentage of children still solely watch these programmes on BBC One and BBC Two alone," he said. "Moving them to digital channels is merely following current viewing patterns and reflects the fact that CBeebies and CBBC will be universally available from the end of this year." But parents and children groups said there was more at stake than just ratings and audience shares. Margaret Morrissey, of the parent group ParentsOutloud, said having children's programming on BBC One along with adult shows provided a good routine for children. "It gave them a designated time that at the end of which they would go and do something else," she said. "The temptation now will be to spend hours watching programme after programme." She said that by grouping all children's programmes together it would mean less family viewing. "It is ghettoising children's television," she said. "It is a sad and dangerous thing that we are doing. If the main television channel at that time in the evening cannot be dedicated to children and the family watching something together, then what can be dedicated to it. "We are just divorcing ourselves from our children.

It won't be long before every child will be locked away in their room watching one programme while the adults watch something else in their living room. "You would have thought that of all the channels the BBC would be trying to keep the family together." Greg Childs, of the Children's Media Foundation, said that there was also a danger that by marginalising children's programming it would leave them open to cuts. "There will be less communal watching of children's programmes which could mean that they are open to budget cuts in the future," he said. One mother on the parents' forum Mumsnet said: "Having a selection of shows on BBC One or Two helped mums to regulate how much TV their little ones watched. "Once we started watching CBeebies it was easy to just leave it on and for DD to become something of a telly monster. "I liked the fact that there was a short selection for each age group and once that was done you switched off the TV and did something less boring instead (as the show used to say!).

"I honestly think it is too easy now for the TV to be the "Telly Sitter" whilst we all sit on Facebook and Mumsnet!" Helen Goodman, Labour culture spokesman, said it represented a "downgrading" of the priority given to children's viewing. "Pushing children's programmes down in this way does not fit with the BBC's public service mission," she said. Petra the Blue Peter dog was a fake - Telegraph News Petra the Blue Peter dog was a fake Blue Peter's first ever pet was a fake, the veteran former editor of the programme has disclosed in a new book. Petra sits beside a statue of herself on the Blue Peter set By Nick Allen 1:57PM BST 01 Sep 2008 Petra the dog was an emergency stand-in drafted on to the show because the original animal died two days after its first, and only, appearance. The replacement dog then spent the next 15 years appearing on Blue Peter, becoming known to millions of children, and no-one ever spotted the difference.

The show's former editor Biddy Baxter, who oversaw the programme from 1962 to 1988, discloses the secrets of Blue Peter's first pet in a new book. She recalls how on the last episode before Christmas 1962 the head of children's television Owen Reed appeared on the screen with a large cardboard box covered with Christmas paper and ribbons. He presented it to Christropher Trace and Valerie Singleton who cut the ribbon, opened the box and revealed a tiny eight-week-old black and brown mongrel puppy. Baxter said: "It was the dog's first and last TV appearance. Two days later she died of distemper." Blue Peter bosses were thrown into a quandary and faced an agonising choice. They could either upset millions of children by revealing that the new puppy was dead, or find a lookalike and hope none of the viewers noticed. Baxter said: "It was unthinkable to traumatise our youngest viewers by giving them the sad news, so the producer Edward Barnes and I set off in his Mini to trawl London for the dead pup's loookalike. "It wasn't until we reached Lewisham that we struck lucky.

In a dingy shop window there was one small brownie-black puppy, shivering in the corner of a pen. Not a single viewer spotted the swap." The replacement dog, which they named Petra, was a hit with viewers and appeared on Blue Peter until 1977. She had several puppies, including Patch who also became a Blue Peter pet. A bust of Petra now stands in the Blue Peter garden. The deception resulted from a desire not to upset children and seems more excusable than the recent "Socksgate" scandal that engulfed the programme. Presenters had to apologise for fixing an online poll which had asked children to name the show's new cat. Those in charge of the show had rejected the viewers' choice of Cookie, fearing it had sexual connotations, and opted instead for Socks. In another scandal editor Richard Marson left last year after the show misled viewers when it asked a girl who had been visiting the studio to pose as the winner of a phone-in competition. The BBC was fined an unprecedented £50,000 by media watchdog Ofcom over the incident.

Baxter's book, Dear Blue Peter, reveals a selection of viewers' letters written over the years, including lots of advice to presenters on how to take care of their pets. One viewer was outraged about Blue Peter dogs being fed cheese, fearing it would give them nightmares, while another accused presenters of cashing in on the fame of Goldie the dog.

Question: Who has presented both 'Blue Peter' and 'The Money Programme'?
Answer: VALERIE SINGLETON