Blue Peter
2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television
| Blue Peter | |
|---|---|
 The current version of the Blue Peter logo, a stylised galleon based on an original design by Tony Hart. |
|
| Format | Children's Entertainment |
| Created by | John Hunter Blair |
| Presented by | Zöe Salmon Gethin Jones Andy Akinwolere |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 4,214 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One BBC Two CBBC Channel |
| Original run | 16 October 1958 – present |
Blue Peter is a popular BBC television programme for children and the world's longest running children's television series. It is shown on Children's BBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC Channel.
It is named after the blue-and-white flag hoisted by a ship in port when it is ready to sail. The reasoning behind the choice of title is that the programme is intended to be a voyage of adventure and discovery for the viewers, constantly covering new topics.
The signature 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 designed by Tony Hart. Hart's original design was never successfully used in a totally uniform fashion, with several different reproductions used in studio, on badges, the Blue Peter books and on-screen graphics. This was until the show's redesign in 1999, when the ship's rigging and hull detail was removed, and in 2000, the flags were subtly reshaped. This version is still in use today, and now appears across all media (although the revised badges retain the old-style flags).
On Thursday 16 October 2008, Blue Peter will celebrate its 50th birthday.
History
The programme was devised and initially produced by John Hunter Blair, who retired due to ill-health in 1961. He was replaced by two short-term producers (Clive Parkhurst and Leonard Chase) before Biddy Baxter and Edward Barnes took over in 1962. Biddy Baxter edited the show for many years. Blue Peter was first shown on 16 October 1958 with presenters Christopher Trace and Leila Williams. The initial format was mainly the two presenters demonstrating dolls and model railways, 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; now it is 25 minutes, and shown twice a week on BBC One and repeated later on the CBBC Channel. The 4000th edition was broadcast on 14 March 2005. Most episodes are still broadcast live, although during the 1990's and early 2000's, when a third edition of the show was broadcast, the third programme was pre-recorded.
Almost every episode from 1964 onwards still exists in the BBC archives. This is extremely unusual for programmes of that era, and stands as testament to Baxter's foresight and initiative, as she personally ensured that telerecordings and, from 1970, video copies were kept of the episodes. Among the benefits of this policy is that one 1973 episode contains the only known broadcast quality footage of the lost final episode of the Doctor Who serial The Tenth Planet, which depicts the Doctor's first regeneration.
Blue Peter has had a longstanding relationship with Doctor Who, often running features on the show with appearances by actors and behind-the-scenes personnel. One notable contest in 1967 had viewers design a monster in the style of those featured on Doctor Who. A similar competition was held in 2005 to help design a new monster for one of the episodes, which became the Abzorbaloff in " Love & Monsters". In 1973, two Dalek props were stolen from the BBC and Blue Peter viewers helped in their return after an appeal for help was shown on the programme. A clip of Matt Baker making an 'alien' cake was used in the 2005 Doctor Who story, " Aliens of London". One programme asked viewers to help recover the lost footage of Doctor Who.
In addition, long-time host Peter Purves was himself a former co-star on the series, appearing as the first Doctor's companion 'Steven Taylor' in seasons two and three, opposite William Hartnell. Other presenters had one off appearances in the series. Prior to joining the Blue Peter team, Janet Ellis appeared in the Doctor Who story, The Horns of Nimon in 1979 and Sarah Greene appeared in Attack of the Cybermen in 1985, after leaving Blue Peter. Gethin Jones took on the non-speaking, costumed role of a Cyberman in the 2006 stories " Rise of the Cybermen" and " The Age of Steel". Many of the items relating to Doctor Who from Blue Peter have been released on DVD as part of the Doctor Who series. Notably, in 1974, Blue Peter was broadcast from the set of the Doctor Who story Robot, when the Blue Peter studio was unavailable at short notice.
Many items from Blue Peter's history have passed into television legend, especially moments when things have gone wrong, such as the much-repeated clip of Lulu the elephant (from a 1969 edition) who defecated on the studio floor, trod on presenter John Noakes' foot and then proceeded to attempt an exit, dragging her keeper along the ground behind her. Other well-remembered and much-repeated items include the Girl Guides' bonfire that got out of hand on the 1970 Christmas edition, John Noakes' report on the cleaning of Nelson's Column, and Simon Groom referring to a previous item on door-knockers with the words 'What a beautiful pair of knockers', which has usually been explained as an accidental turn of phrase, but which Groom later admitted was a deliberate joke. Additionally, Groom is remembered for inappropriately reciting, while wearing a suit of armour, 'Once a king always a king, but once a (k)night is enough', while Peter Duncan's cookery instructions to 'finely chop one raw egg', Yvette Fielding's disastrous attempt to cook a pancake and Mark Curry driving a mini sit-on traction engine into part of the set will also go in the annals.
There have also been times when the show has broadcast breaking news in the days before 24-hour news channels. Possibly the most famous is showing the first colour images on British television of the sinking of the RMS Queen Elizabeth in 1972.
Airtime
When the programme first started it was shown once a week. From the 1960s until 1995 it was shown twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, originally before 5:00pm and from the mid-1970's at 5:10 to 5:35pm. Between 1995 and 2001: Monday, Wednesday and Friday on BBC One from 5:10 to 5:35pm. From 2002, it was aired at 5:00pm, because Newsround was moved to a later slot. In 2006 it was broadcast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. From 2007, still at 5pm but on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. In May 2007, the BBC announced that the show would be reduced to twice a week and this was implemented from September 2007 onwards, with programmes now broadcast on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The BBC claims that the purpose of returning to two shows a week is to increase the quality of the programme's content rather than simply a means of reducing production costs.
In the Wimbledon tennis season the show moves temporarily to BBC Two.
During the 1980's the two weekly editions were repeated on BBC2 on Sunday mornings under the title "Blue Peter Omnibus", with a special linking piece recorded by one of the presenting team.
Blue Peter Special Assignment was launched around 1972, following the success of the Blue Peter Royal Safari which was shown in 1971. Valerie Singleton had accompanied HRH Princess Anne on a trip to Kenya with the Save The Children charity. The resulting documentary was shown originally on BBC1 on a Sunday afternoon and repeated often. Singleton then left Blue Peter full time to present the Special Assignment series, which was heavily promoted on Blue Peter itself. Originally she visited European capital cities, with the first report coming from Rome and featuring a meeting with Pope Paul in the Vatican. Later, the series investigated islands, historic homes and other topics. Lesley Judd, Peter Purves and Simon Groom also presented the programme in the late 1970's. The final series was shown in 1980 on Sunday afternoons, when Singleton and Purves presented five programmes looking at rivers.
Since the birth of the CBBC Channel, the series has had additional strands such as Blue Peter Flies the World and Blue Peter Unleashed. From 2004-2005 the series was shown every weekday on CBBC with a mixture of repeated BBC One editions, additional live programmes, Blue Peter Flies the World and specials. During the show's summer hiatus, Blue Peter Flies the World, recalling the previous year's summer trip, was often shown on BBC1 throughout the 1970's and 1980's.
Other spin-offs from the series included Go With Noakes and Duncan Dares which starred John Noakes with his dog Shep and Peter Duncan respectively. Treasure Houses hosted by Mark Curry was also very much in keeping with the Blue Peter Special Assignment brand. All these shows were transmitted in the weekday BBC1 children's schedules.
Content
Blue Peter's remit is very wide-ranging. Most programmes are broadcast live, but usually include at least one filmed report. There will also often be a demonstration of an activity in the studio, and/or a music or dance performance. The programme is made at BBC Television Centre, and often came from Studio 1, which is the second largest TV studio in Britain and amongst the largest in Europe. This enabled Blue Peter to include large-scale demonstrations and performances within the live programme. From the September 2007 series, the programme is broadcast from a small fixed set in Studio 2. The show is also famous for its "makes", which are demonstrations of how to construct a useful object or prepare food. These have given rise to the oft-used phrase "Here's one I made earlier", as presenters bring out a perfect and completed version of the object they are making. Time is also often given over to reading letters and showing pictures sent in by viewers.
Appeals
An enduring feature of the programme is the annual charity appeal, which asks viewers to collect items that can be recycled or sold to raise money for the chosen cause. This is always a charity project in the UK in odd-numbered years, and abroad in even-numbered. The appeal is usually launched in late November and runs through to February or March of the following year. Until 1979, only waste products were ever collected, such as stamps, linens, coins, scrap metal etc. In 1979, one of the most popular forms of raising appeal money was introduced; encouraging viewers to hold "Blue Peter Bring And Buy Sales" at which buyers are also encouraged to bring their own bric-a-brac or produce to sell. The Great Bring And Buy Sale was used every few years or so as a means of adding variety to the collecting theme during other years.
Between 2001 and 2003 a series of "Bring And Buy Appeals" led many viewers and the media to voice their concern that the traditional method of collecting scrap items to recycle was being abandoned in favour of the "easier revenue" generated by the sales. This led to an on-air explanation by presenter Konnie Huq during the 2003 Get Together Appeal that this particular appeal required the sort of funding that only Bring And Buy Sales could raise. The 2004 and 2005 appeals saw a return to the collecting theme: the first being to collect old clothes that Oxfam could sell in its stores to raise funds for a family-searching service in third world countries ravaged by war, and the second being the collection of old mobile telephones and coins that could be recycled to raise money for ChildLine. Continuing the return to collecting unwanted items, Blue Peter launched its Shoe Biz Appeal campaign in 2006. In partnership with UNICEF, its aim was to collect unwanted pairs of shoes or other footwear in order to raise money for children orphaned by AIDS and HIV in Malawi. This year's 2007 appeal is the "Disc Drive" - working with Barnardo's to sell unwanted CDs and DVDs.
During appeals, the sum of money or objects collected is presented on the totaliser - a display that lights to show the amount collected. With some appeals, a second totaliser has often been introduced immediately after the original target has been met, with the aim of providing an incentive to keep on donating.
The 2007 appeal has been handled in a different editorial style, as mentions of it have not been featured in each programme since it's launch as in the previous years. Also the totaliser, before part of the studio set, is now an on-screen animation / graphic.
Pets
The Blue Peter pets are the animals who regularly appear on the BBC children's television series Blue Peter. These include dogs, cats, parrots and tortoises.
Garden
The presenters also maintain the famous Blue Peter Garden, adjacent to Television Centre, which was designed by Percy Thrower. Its features include an Italian sunken garden with a pond, which contains goldfish, a vegetable patch, greenhouse and viewing platform. The 2000 Blue Peter time capsule, which is due to be dug up in 2029, is buried there. George the Tortoise was interred in the garden following his death in 2004, and there is also a bust of Petra, sculptures of Mabel and the Blue Peter ship, and a plaque in honour of Percy Thrower. The garden is also available to other programmes for outside broadcasts, and is often used for the links between children's programmes during the summer months and for BBC One's Breakfast weather broadcasts. On 21st November 1983, the garden was vandalised, leading to an on-air appeal for viewers to come forward with information — which now often appears on clip shows. A rumour circulated in the early 1990s that the vandalism had been carried out by a gang including the footballers Dennis Wise and Les Ferdinand when they were teenagers. Both men have denied direct involvement in the actual vandalism, although Ferdinand did later confess to "helping a few people over the wall." Later still, however, Ferdinand claimed that this admission of involvement had merely been a joke, and that he had not been involved at all.
Annual events
The programme also marks annual events, including Chinese New Year, St David's Day, Shrove Tuesday, Mothering Sunday, Guy Fawkes Night and Christmas. The latter, in particular, is a special occasion with a traditional format repeated year on year.
The Christmas programme opens with the signature tune being replaced with a brass band arrangement of the carol "Good King Wenceslaus" juxtaposed with shots of viewers homemade Christmas cards. The programmes Christmas manger figures are featured, reminding viewers, of the Nativity story, a last-minute Christmas make, either a song and dance or filming assignment and the grand finale, the Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band and children from local schools marching "up the hill" and into the studio from the cold outside (lanterns in hand!) singing a Christmas carol (alternating years between either " Hark the Herald Angels Sing" or " O Come All Ye Faithful") around the Blue Peter Christmas tree. Much of the script has been repeated year after year for this special programme. However for the 2007 Christmas programme, none of these tradtions were featured ending a format repeated annually since the 1960s.
Book awards
Blue Peter promotes the Blue Peter Book Awards, a series of literary prizes for children's literature awarded annually, and inaugurated in 2000.
Traditions
The programme maintains its long-standing practice of avoiding using commercial names on air. Most famously, this policy led to the invention of the phrase "sticky-backed plastic" back in the 1970s for the products marketed under the trade names Fablon and Coverlon. Sellotape was often referred to by the invented term "Sticky tape", barring one incident in which John Noakes used the trade name and remarked as an aside 'I'll get shot for that'. Similarly, many makes called for the use of a Velcro type material, which was referred to as "self sticking material". In today's climate (2007) of negativity surrounding product placement, the programme's policy of disguising any brand names visible on "make necessities" like glue sticks or cereal boxes has never been so important. An extreme example of avoiding criticism occurred in February 2005, when the show ran a feature on how Nestlé Smarties are made, without once mentioning the name of the product.
The Blue Peter Summer Expedition is another long-running tradition. These visits focus on a single country and are filmed while the programme is off the air from June to September.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the programme sometimes included a cartoon series as "light relief" from some of the more informative articles. One such was Bleep and Booster, which started in 1963 and continued in the Blue Peter books until 1977. A similar idea was explored in The Quest series, broadcast as part of Friday programmes in the early 2000s, and in which the presenters would play the parts of good and bad guys outwitting a common enemy. The Quest ran for several series, building up the mystery with a new instalment of the puzzle every week, often including guest appearances by former Blue Peter presenters, such as Valerie Singleton and Peter Duncan, and famous performers, such as Jean Marsh.
In the early 1960s the "Advent Crown" was introduced. It consists of two wire coat hangers tied together with garden twine and decorated with fireproof tinsel with candles placed at each of the four corners. (Most years this appears on-screen as one of the programme's "makes"). Unlike a religious advent crown, with one candle lit for each Sunday before Christmas, Blue Peter presenters took it in turns to light one candle for each of the last four programmes before Christmas, though the last few years have seen a change to a more Christian process of lighting one candle on the four Monday programmes during Advent.
For the 2007 series the traditional "Advent Crown" has been replaced with a table decoration featuring the four candles next to the seating unit. The fourth and finale being lighted a week before the Christmas programme.
Many of these long-standing traditions were started during the 1960s and 1970s by the show's editor, Biddy Baxter, along with producers Edward Barnes and Rosemary Gill, and most of them still feature on the programme.
Badge
Children (and occasionally adults) who appear on the show or achieve something notable may be awarded the coveted Blue Peter badge. The Blue Peter badge allows holders free entry into a number of visitor attractions across the UK. In March 2006, this privilege was temporarily suspended after a number of badges were discovered for sale on the auction site eBay by a number of people. This suspension was lifted in June 2006, when a new 'Blue Peter Badge Card' was introduced to combat the problem. Each badge winner is now issued with an ID card to prove that they are the rightful owners. The original badge was slightly smaller in size than the current version, but still featured a blue coloured ship logo printed on a white plastic shield. This remained unchanged until the 1990s when a revised badge featuring a raised moulding of the ship design by Tony Hart was introduced (more detailed and neat than the previous printed reproduction). This version disappeared in 1997 when the old-style badge returned. It was not until 2004, coinciding with the show's September revamp, that a new badge was introduced. Slightly larger in dimension and with a much bolder printing of the new-style traditional ship without its rigging detail (though the pre-2000 style flags remain). In October 2003, to celebrate the 45th birthday of the programme, a new, limited edition, badge was introduced, to last only a year. This moulding was made of rubber and larger than the traditional badge. It consisted of a white shield with a raised 'bubble ship' applique.
The presenters almost always wear their badge; the only exception being when their apparel is incompatible (for example, a life jacket), in which case a sticker with the ship emblem is normally used instead. In addition, large prints or stickers of the ship are attached to vehicles driven by the presenters during filming assignments. Other badges exist, and are awarded for various achievements:
- Blue Badges (a white shield with a blue ship print) are given to viewers who have stories, poems, pictures etc.
- Silver badges (a blue shield with silver ship print) are given to viewers or participants who have already won a blue badge.
- Green badges (green shield with white ship print) and a Blue Peter pedometer are awarded for any correspondence from viewers with a conservation, nature or environmental theme (in addition, the presenters often wear this badge when their reports deal with such issues, or when in the garden).
- Gold badges (a gold-plated ship-shaped pin brooch) are very rarely awarded and are usually given only to people who have performed acts of extreme bravery, represented their country in a major event and so on. The gold badge has been awarded on several occasions to famous film actors and sportspeople. When presenter Simon Thomas left in 2005, he was awarded a gold badge on his last programme which has started a trend in which Liz Barker and Matt Baker were also given them when they departed. Valerie Singleton was awarded a gold badge during a studio interview recorded for the 1990 video release "The Best of Blue Peter, the 60's and 70's". Her fellow presenters John Noakes and Peter Purves were given gold badges on the first programme in 2000 when the box for the year 2000 was dug up. The most recent former presenter to be given a gold badge was Peter Duncan in February 2007, whilst appearing on the programme as a guest. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series of books, received a gold badge on July 20, 2007.
- Orange Badges (a orange shield with a white print ship) is won if you enter a competition. This newly introduced orange badge was introduced in September 2007 and replaced the competition winner's badge.
- Purple badges (a purple shield with a white ship print) can be acheived if you review an episode of Blue Peter. This badge was introduced in September 2007.
- The Competition badge was previously a round metal disc in white, with the blue ship, printed with the words 'Blue Peter Competition Winner'. However, after more than 40 years, it has recently been redesigned to look similar to the other badges, and is now an orange shield with a white ship. These badges are awarded to all winners and runners-up of Blue Peter competitions - with the new look badges being introduced in September 2006.
- The new Team Player's badge (a purple shield with white ship print), which was introduced in September 2006, will be given to 12 children every month, who have ideas for the show; these children will also win the chance to spend a day working with the Blue Peter team. This was the first new badge to be introduced since 1988.
- The limited edition Birthday Badge (very similar to blue badge but has a raised moulding of the Millennium bubble ship used between 1999-2004, and is made out of rubber) was awarded in the year of the 45th Birthday, in place, or with a blue badge. It is a rare edition.
The 'ultimate' Blue Peter badge is the "Outstanding Endeavour" award that was introduced to the show in 1978. It is circular, made from brass, and bears the show's ship logo. It was presented to the programme on its 20th Anniversary show by original presenter Christopher Trace. Trace was working at a factory at the time and his colleagues made the award to be presented to a viewer who had achieved some remarkable endeavour, such as saving a life or overcoming a particular adversity. It is rarely presented, typically only once a year on the show's anniversary. Some believe the award was devalued when, in 1981, it was presented to the band Musical Youth for having had a number one record.
Sometimes new presenters first appear on the programme with no badge on before it is clarified to the audience that they are the new presenter, for example, Zöe Salmon appeared as a customer on the show before one week later being introduced as a presenter. Simon Groom first appeared during a filming assignment at a disco where he was a DJ.
Tributes and honours
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.
Asteroid 16197 Bluepeter is named in its honour. The asteroid was discovered on 7 January 2000, the day that the Blue Peter time capsules from 1971 and 1984 were unearthed.
Signature tune
The Blue Peter opening theme was composed by Ashworth Hope (1880-1962), who was a successful solicitor as well as a composer.
The following is a list of all the musicians who have recorded a version of the Blue Peter signature tune:
- Sidney Torch & The New Century Orchestra: October 1958 to January 1979 — Blue Peter Theme Tune from 1958
- Mike Oldfield: January 1979 to June 1989 — Blue Peter Theme from 1979 (see Blue Peter (single))
- Simon Brint: September 1989 to September 1992 — Blue Peter Theme from 1990
- Simon Brint: September 1992 to September 1994 — Blue Peter Theme from 1992
- The Yes/No People: September 1994 to August 1999 — Blue Peter Theme from 1996
- David Arnold and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: September 1999 to June 2004 — Blue Peter Theme from 2002
- Nial Brown: September 2004 to December 2006 — Blue Peter Theme from 2005
- Dave Cooke: January 2007 - June 2007
- Murray Gold & Blue Peter Music Makers: September 2007 to present
The debut of a new version of the famous theme tune "Barnacle Bill" is accompanied with an introduction by the presenters at the time explaining the reasons behind the new rendition. Mike Oldfield appeared on the programme in the late 1970s, and his version of the theme tune was so popular with viewers that the producers decided to record it for use as a permanent theme.
Despite a new rendition of the theme music being introduced in 2004, a new version was arranged by Murray Gold and recorded in 2006, as part of a viewers' competition, with prize winners taking part in the final orchestral recording. Viewers were told that this new version of the theme would be used when the series returned from its summer break in September 2006; however, for unknown reasons, this was not the case, save for excerpts being used as incidental music. Instead, when the September 2006 series began, a slightly shortened version of the 2004 arrangement was used, with the opening bars removed. Between January and June 2007, Dave Cooke re-arranged the theme tune, although it was confirmed that Murray Gold's new arrangement would be used from the new series in September 2007, to coincide with the programme's 50th anniversary celebrations. However, the version that airs bears little resemblance to either the original Murray Gold/Music Makers recording or any previous recording of the theme.
Nearly as famous as the opening music is the closing theme, which has been re-arranged in line with the various versions of the opening signature tune. However, during the period 1999–2004, a shorter version of the opening tune was used to close the programme. The editor at the time, Steve Hocking, said that he was happy for the same tune to be used at the beginning and end of each broadcast, but in recent years the traditional finale tune has returned, with Nial Brown rearranging the closing tune from 2004 to 2006, and Dave Cooke doing so as of January 2007. From September 2007 the closing theme has been slightly extended and re-recorded in the same style as the opening.
Opening titles
1958-1989: Blue Peter's titles sequence consisted of little more than film footage of the day's filming assignment or introductory studio setting footage of that day's edition accompanied by the theme music and the superimposing of the "Blue Peter" name and presenter credits. The theme music would either play out in full, or fade out appropriately depending on the programme's content.
1989-1997: From 1989, a 2D animation of the Blue Peter ship had been developed and used alongside the 1985-introduced word-logo and was used as a method of displaying both the ship and Blue Peter name to precede any film or episode footage as before. From 1992 a 3D animation was used and further replaced by another graphical sequence in 1994. Once again, these animations preceded any film, studio or episode footage. Occasionally, from the 1994 series onwards, the 3D animation of the Blue Peter ship would be followed by a preview of certain items on the day's programme with a "coming up" caption and a presenter commentary. Again, the theme music would either play in full or fade out at an appropriate time.
1997-1999: From 1997, a more generic title sequence was used with the 1994 ship and title animation remaining, but was followed by clips of different action shots from a variety of the past years’ filming assignments intermixed with specially filmed "posing" footage of the presenters. The traditional format of episode-specific film or studio setting scenes were still used, occasionally on their own, or mixed into the generic footage to varying degrees depending on the day's edition. The theme music tended to play out in full, and on days when a totally generic version of the titles were used, the opening was often followed by a "coming up" sequence narrated by the presenters.
1999-2004: By 1999, a new "bubble ship" symbol and titles sequence had been developed to be used alongside the traditional ship emblem. These bubble ships were seen floating around the presenters who were displayed in specially posed shots, and appeared to be floating above a graphical ocean on their own blue coloured ships, and in 2003 when the presenters shots were updated, they appeared to be waving, smiling and blowing the bubble ships. This footage was also mixed in with episode-specific film, introductory studio setting or more predominantly from the 2003 series onwards a preview of many items on the day's programme with a return to a "coming up" caption and presenter commentary.
2004-2006: In 2004, a similar approach was adopted with each presenter posing with "ship's rigging" in their hands, appearing as though they were hoisting the sails of the Blue Peter ship. This sequence, designed by BBC Broadcast (now Red Bee Media) saw a return to the sole use of the original Blue Peter ship logo and also featured the Blue Peter pets in their own poses. Predominantly these titles would precede a “coming up” sequence or occasionally clips of the edition’s filming assignment. The original version used from 2004-2005 opened with the ship logo and featured silhouettes of unidentified children also hoisting sails along with the presenters. This was discarded in 2005 for the last year of the sequence's run and opened with the ship and Blue Peter name for the first time in six years - allowing more flexibility for when the titles would merge into that day's edition without being completed in full, as in the 1950-1990s era - before flowing into the rest of the titles (minus children) as before.
2006-present: From September 2006 a new title sequence was introduced, opening with the traditional Blue Peter ship logo, followed by the presenters surrounded by "fact file boxes" displaying statistics and information about them and also pictures of the pets and snippets of previous assignment films. This also marked the end of the traditional format of the presenter credits being credited in order of seniority (although this is likely to be down to the stylistic dictation of the titles in their "girl boy girl boy" arrangement - the only irregularity being Gethin Jones appearing before Zöe Salmon who debuted on the show five months before him). As in previous years, this new graphical sequence precedes a “coming up” sequence or, alternatively, footage of that edition’s filming assignment. From September 2007 the posed portion of the same opening titles followed a "coming up" clip of that day's programme and used a new theme tune to accompany it.
General notes: The opening titles of every programme feature the list of the presenters in order of their first appearance on Blue Peter, regardless of whether they actually appear in the edition in question (since 1995 and the introduction of the fourth presenter it is unusual to have all four presenters in the studio at the same time, save for special programmes). The only time this rule is not adopted is when the programme is a special pre-recorded assignment - for example a visit to a foreign country by two of the presenters, in which case the usual practice is just to credit the presenters appearing. Until 2004, the presenters were always credited by their full names. Since September 2004, the opening titles have only featured their first names, perhaps in a move to make the presenters appear more accessible to the audience.
Closing credits
1958-1992: The Blue Peter closing credits were put on screen over the final moments of the programme to the sound of the closing theme tune. Alternatively, once the programme had officially ended (i.e. the presenters had said their 'goodbyes') the camera would focus on shots of the pets or aspects of the studio as a calmer backdrop against which to flash up the credits. The sequence would always end with the Blue Peter ship filling the screen (originally a rather crude flat image, latterly a more graphically interesting incarnation) and BBC copyright blurb. Before 1989 the "Editor" credit (for almost all this period it was Biddy Baxter) would also flash up over the final moments of the programme, but since Lewis Bronze's promotion the editor credit was saved for the final ship frame.
1992-2003: Once again during this period the credits maintained the practice of appearing during the final seconds of the programme's presentation or once the script had finished. The major difference being that the text was now scrolled along the bottom third of the screen from right to left, usually overlaid on a graphical bar themed around the style of the opening titles of the time. The exception to this rule was when the programme was on permanent Outside Broadcast for the whole show. During these occasions the same "theme" of credits would be used - i.e. same graphics and background etc. but the typeface would almost always change to a completely different font and colour, regardless of the regular typeface used at the time. Also, the credits would flash up on screen one by one, as opposed to scrolling. It is unknown why these anomalies occurred, but it is likely to be related to the reduced technical abilities whilst transmitting a live O.B. The final frame of the credits was always the Blue Peter ship as displayed in the opening titles of the time and the editor's credit, along with BBC branding.
2004-2007: This period saw a sequence which showed flashed up credits along the bottom third of the screen, whilst a photo of a recent Blue Peter badge winner, with or without the project that won them their badge, was shown above. One of the presenters' voices was also heard introducing the winner and explaining what they did to win their badge. Occasionally on certain programmes, for example the launch of an appeal, special guests in the studio or when out on location, the credits ran as pre-2004 over the closing moments of the programme with the music fading in. Again, the credits end with the Blue Peter ship, editor and BBC credit.
2004, 2007-present: Early in 2004, the producers experimented with flashing up the credits over a background of "on the next Blue Peter" type footage. This was discarded later in 2004 when the new arrangement of signature tune and titles were introduced and a revised format was adopted that remained in use until 2007. September 2007 saw a return to the "coming up next time" sequence of footage, with credits text overlaid on a graphical bar at the bottom section of the screen. The same ship and editor credit is used as the final frame.
General notes: The exceptions to the above are during the Christmas programme, when the credits still scroll from right to left, often with Christmassy themed drawings separating each crew member. The Christmas programme ends on a view of the children carol singers in the studio in the background, the Nativity scene in the foreground, studio lights dimmed, a star of Bethlehem glowing on the cyclorama and a sparkling silver Blue Peter ship overlaid on the screen.
When a "make" is featured in the programme, the creator of the item (invariably the retired Margaret Parnell or Gillian Shearing) is credited first. An example of this would be "Dolls House make by Margaret Parnell".
Books
In 1964, the first Blue Peter book was published. Although an annual in all but name, the books are rarely referred to as such. Each book (published in time for Christmas) features highlights from the previous twelve months of Blue Peter features, and chronicles major guests who visit the studio, the Summer expedition, the annual appeal, and the pets. The style of the books' contents has changed very little over the years, with the only noticeable difference between a 1960s book and the current formula being the increase in colour photography and digital artwork; otherwise, the principle is the same. There was, in the mid-1980s and between 1992-1998, a break in the publication of the books. Since Pedigree took over the books in 2004, there has been an increase in quality. The books are now bigger than before, with a greater number of pages. The Blue Peter editor and members of the production team write the book, and choose its content, though the book is written from the presenters' point of view. As for the 'book or annual' debate, it is interesting to note that, as of Book 34 in 2004, the cover makes reference to it as 'Annual XXXX' and the spine marking it as 'Book XX'. This is probably because The Beano and The Dandy Books were renamed as annuals in 2003, leaving Blue Peter the only one still using the name book on its annuals.
A collectors' market has developed, as a result of the Blue Peter books, with 'Book One' being especially rare and commanding triple figures on online auction websites. Books from the late 1960s and 1970s are more common, and often turn up for less than a pound in second hand bookshops or charity stores. Books from the 1980s and 1990s tend to be more expensive and rarer, as people realised the value of keeping hold of them.
In the early 1970s a set of Blue Peter mini books were produced, covering specific topics that had been featured in the TV series. A set of these were buried in 1971 in the time capsule for the year 2000. The spin-off series Blue Peter Special Assignment also had books produced to support the series.
Presenters
| Name | Started | Ended | Tenure | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Christopher Trace | 16 October 1958 | 24 July 1967 | 8 years, 9 months | |
| 2. | Leila Williams | 16 October 1958 | 8 January 1962 | 3 years, 3 months | |
| 3. | Anita West | 7 May 1962 | 3 September 1962 | 0 years, 4 months | |
| 4. | Valerie Singleton | 3 September 1962 | 3 July 1972 | 9 years, 10 months | Plus part time until 1975 |
| 5. | John Noakes | 30 December 1965 | 26 June 1978 | 12 years, 6 months | |
| 6. | Peter Purves | 16 November 1967 | 23 March 1978 | 10 years, 4 months | |
| 7. | Lesley Judd | 5 May 1972 | 12 April 1979 | 6 years, 11 months | |
| 8. | Simon Groom | 15 May 1978 | 23 June 1986 | 8 years, 1 month | |
| 9. | Christopher Wenner | 14 September 1978 | 23 June 1980 | 1 year, 9 months | |
| 10. | Tina Heath | 5 April 1979 | 23 June 1980 | 1 year, 2 months | |
| 11. | Sarah Greene | 19 May 1980 | 27 June 1983 | 3 years, 1 month | |
| 12. | Peter Duncan | 11 September 1980 9 September 1985 |
18 June 1984 27 November 1986 |
4 years, 11 months | |
| 13. | Janet Ellis | 28 April 1983 | 29 June 1987 | 4 years, 2 months | |
| 14. | Michael Sundin | 13 September 1984 | 24 June 1985 | 0 years, 9 months | |
| 15. | Mark Curry | 23 June 1986 | 26 June 1989 | 3 years, 0 months | |
| 16. | Caron Keating | 13 November 1986 | 22 January 1990 | 3 years, 2 months | |
| 17. | Yvette Fielding | 29 June 1987 | 29 June 1992 | 5 years, 0 months | |
| 18. | John Leslie | 20 April 1989 | 20 January 1994 | 4 years, 9 months | |
| 19. | Diane-Louise Jordan | 25 January 1990 | 26 February 1996 | 6 years, 1 month | |
| 20. | Anthea Turner | 14 September 1992 | 27 June 1994 | 1 year, 9 months | |
| 21. | Tim Vincent | 16 December 1993 | 24 January 1997 | 3 years, 1 month | |
| 22. | Stuart Miles | 27 June 1994 | 21 June 1999 | 5 years, 0 months | |
| 23. | Katy Hill | 23 June 1995 | 19 June 2000 | 5 years, 0 months | |
| 24. | Romana D'Annunzio | 1 March 1996 | 20 February 1998 | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 25. | Richard Bacon | 21 February 1997 | 19 October 1998 | 1 year, 8 months | |
| 26. | Konnie Huq | 1 December 1997 | 23 January 2008 | 10 years, 1 month | |
| 27. | Simon Thomas | 8 January 1999 | 25 April 2005 | 6 years, 3 months | |
| 28. | Matt Baker | 25 June 1999 | 26 June 2006 | 7 years, 0 months | |
| 29. | Liz Barker | 23 June 2000 | 10 April 2006 | 5 years, 10 months | |
| 30. | Zöe Salmon | 23 December 2004 | present | 3 years, 1 month | |
| 31. | Gethin Jones | 27 April 2005 | present | 2 years, 10 months | |
| 32. | Andy Akinwolere | 28 June 2006 | present | 1 year, 5 months |
Presenting Teams
| October 1958 - January 1962 |
|
|---|---|
| January-May 1962 |
|
| May-September 1962 |
|
| September 1962 - December 1965 |
|
| December 1965 - July 1967 |
|
| July-November 1967 |
|
| November 1967 - May 1972 |
|
| May-July 1972 |
|
| July 1972 - June 1975 |
|
| September 1975 - March 1978 |
|
| March-May 1978 |
|
| May-June 1978 |
|
| September 1978 - April 1979 |
|
| April 1979 - May 1980 |
|
| May 1980 - June 1980 |
|
| September 1980 - April 1983 |
|
| April 1983 - June 1983 |
|
| June 1983 - June 1984 |
|
| September 1984 - June 1985 |
|
| September 1985 - June 1986 |
|
| June-November 1986 |
|
| November 1986 - June 1987 |
|
| June 1987 - June 1989 |
|
| June 1989 - January 1990 |
|
| January 1990 - June 1992 |
|
| September 1992 - January 1994 |
|
| December 1993 - January 1994 |
|
| January-June 1994 |
|
| June 1994 - June 1995 |
|
| June 1995 - February 1996 |
|
| March 1996 - January 1997 |
|
| February-December 1997 |
|
| December 1997 - February 1998 |
|
| February-October 1998 |
|
| October 1998 - January 1999 |
|
| January-June 1999 |
|
| June 1999 - June 2000 |
|
| June 2000 - December 2004 |
|
| December 2004 - April 2005 |
|
| April 2005 - April 2006 |
|
| April 2006 - June 2006 |
|
| June 2006 - January 2008 |
|
| January 2008 - present |
|
When the show's creator, John Hunter Blair was taken ill and left the show in 1961, his temporary replacement, Clive Parkhurst fired Leila Williams in early 1962. Christopher Trace presented the programme alone, until Anita West joined him a few weeks later when appointed by Leonard Chase. For many years, Anita West was not officially recognised as a Blue Peter presenter. Her tenure on the show was very short-lived, and she opted to leave the programme when her marriage broke down almost as soon as she began working on the show. For over 35 years, West was never acknowledged as a Blue Peter presenter. West was finally added to the official list of presenters at the time of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations in 1998. Valerie Singleton's long tenure on the show continued well beyond her 'official' leaving date of 1972. Until 1975, she regularly appeared on the programme, particularly on the Christmas edition, and presented the spin-off series, Blue Peter Special Assignment (1973-76/1981). Whenever Singleton appeared on the show, albeit just in a filmed insert or a promo for the Assignment edition, she was always given top billing as the senior presenter on the show's credits. This continued until 1975.
The programme maintains friendly links with most of its former presenters, many of whom have made further appearances on the show after leaving, particularly in the show's Christmas specials.
When the programme celebrated it's 20th Anniversary in October 1978, Leila Williams, Christopher Trace, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves (who had only just left the show earlier that year) returned to the programme to celebrate. It was Leila Williams first connection with the series since being fired at the start of 1962. John Noakes contributed a pre-filmed greeting to viewers from a location shoot for his show Go With Noakes. For the 25th Anniversary in 1983, Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, Tina Heath, Christopher Wenner and Sarah Greene (again only weeks after her departure) all returned. Valerie Singleton was the sole guest on the 1988 30th Anniversary programme when she presented the special endeavour award.
Of the 32 presenters who have fronted the programme during its lifetime, one or two have failed to live up to the 'clean' image required of them. The most famous scandal involving a presenter occurred in 1998, when Richard Bacon had his contract terminated, after publicly confessing to having taken cocaine; the BBC's Head of Children's Programming, Lorraine Heggessey, addressed viewers on-air before the first edition of the programme following his sacking, to explain to the audience why he had been asked to leave and to apologise for his actions (Heggessey explained to viewers that Bacon had admitted to 'taking an illegal drug'). Ironically, Bacon became a successful broadcaster because of the scandal, rather than despite it. It was a common conception that, due to such disgrace, Bacon would never work for the BBC again, yet a number of his subsequent appearances have been with the corporation.
Some other presenters have had their contracts terminated, despite having done nothing publicly untoward. Leila Williams was dropped from the show in 1962, as was Christopher Wenner in 1980. Christopher Trace was dropped in 1967, partly because the production team were finding him increasingly difficult and partly because he had a publicised extra-marital affair whilst filming for the show in Norway. Michael Sundin was let go after one year as the producer's felt he had little rapport with the viewers, who generally found him too 'effeminate'.
Other Contributors
Other people who have played roles on the show include the zoologist George Cansdale, who was the programme's first on-screen vet, and Percy Thrower who was the show's gardening expert from the 1960s until shortly before his death in 1988. He was followed briefly by Chris Crowder, and then Clare Bradley, who was replaced by the current incumbent, Chris Collins.
Another contributor, though rarely seen on screen, was Margaret Parnell, who created almost all of the show's 'makes' from the early 1960s until her retirement in 2001. Her role is now filled by Gillian Shearing, though Parnell's name still appears in the credits from time to time when a classic 'make' is re-used.
Deceased presenters
| Name | Date of Death | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Sundin | 24 July 1989 | 28 |
| Christopher Trace | 5 September 1992 | 59 |
| Caron Keating | 13 April 2004 | 41 |
Controversy
Fake phone competition winner
It was revealed by the BBC that a phone-in competition supporting the Unicef "Shoe Biz Appeal", held in November 2006, was rigged. The caller, Ali Zahoor, who appeared to be calling in the competition, was actually a child who was visiting that day. The visitor pretended to be a caller from an outside line who had won the phone-in and the chance to select a prize. The competition was rigged due to a technical error with receiving the calls.
Former editor Biddy Baxter, described as still being influential with the programme today, described the problem as an issue with a member of the production team on the studio floor and the Editor being oblivious to the situation in the studio gallery. She also went on to say that the programme would not feature premium rate telephone competitions in the future.
It was announced on 16 May 2007 that Blue Peter's editor and unofficial historian, Richard Marson, stood down from his job, although any link to the controversy of March 2007 remains unconfirmed. On a Doctor Who internet forum, Marson stated he had been planning to leave the programme at the end of this series.
In July 2007, Blue Peter was given a £50,000 fine, by the Office of Communications (OFCOM) as a result of rigging the competition.
Political partiality
In August 2007 while the programme was off air for its annual Summer Expedition. The news concerned long-time presenter Konnie Huq who had recently been involved in a press conference to promote the health benefits of cycling along with Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. The Conservative Party accused the BBC of political bias as a result of one of its employees appearing at what was construed as a pro-Labour Party event. The BBC claimed to have turned down the offer for Huq to appear, but this was unknown to both her and her agent.
"Socksgate"
Blue Peter hit the headlines again with new breaches of trust in September 2007; an online vote on the BBC's Blue Peter official website took place to choose the name of the new Blue Peter kitten in January - but instead of calling the cat Cookie, the name chosen by a major amount of the poll, the staff over-ruled the decision and called the kitten Socks. However, the original cat Socks will be joined by another kitten named Cookie to reflect the decision of those who participated in the online vote. The BBC was forced to broadcast an apology on 25 September 2007 at the start of the new series.
Local talent used as competition winners
On 9 November 2007 the BBC was forced to admit two viewers chosen to meet comedian and actor Jon Culshaw in a competition were in fact child actors. The BBC hit back saying "The item in question was not a competition, and we regularly use child actors from local agencies, which is not against any of the British Broadcasting Corporation's policies." The two child actors were not paid for their work and no further investigation has been taken.
Trivia
- The programme is often broadcast live. Former editor Biddy Baxter did not encourage presenters' ad-libs, and Simon Groom would infuriate her and test his fellow presenters by making ad-libbed double-entendres with a straight face.
- The two most famous phrases associated with Blue Peter — 'And now for something completely different' (later made synonymous with Monty Python) and 'Here's one I made earlier' — were both coined by one of its first presenters, Christopher Trace.
- Tony Hart originally asked for his design fee for the Blue Peter badges to be paid as a royalty of 1p for each badge made, but was offered a flat fee of £100 (equivalent to around £1,600 at 2006 rates).
- Petra, the first Blue Peter pet, was a mongrel dog introduced in 1962. She gave birth to eight puppies in 1965, one of which, Patch, became John Noakes' pet when he began presenting in 1965.
- Queen Elizabeth II visited the studio as part of her Golden Jubilee. There she was presented with a Gold badge, which, somewhat ironically, allowed her free entrance into places such as the Tower of London and the public sections of her own house, Buckingham Palace.
- Blue Peter is referenced in the Half Man Half Biscuit song "99% of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd" in the following manner: "They've been cooking on Blue Peter, now they're sampling the dishes/'I don't normally like tomatoes, John, but this is delicious!'"
- Yvette Fielding was the youngest presenter on Blue Peter, starting at the age of 18.
- On 1 October 2007, Konnie Huq overtook Valerie Singleton as the longest-serving female (third longest overall) presenter of all time (9 years and 10 months), and also became the first female (third overall) presenter to serve for a full ten years on 1 December 2007. However on 29 May 2007 Huq announced she will be retiring from the show in early 2008, her last live show aired on 22 January 2008, during which, it was revealed she had presented 966 programmes overall.
- Blue Peter showed its first pet dog in 1963, but unfortunately after the first episode the dog died from distemper. It was secretly replaced by a lookalike dog, who was named Petra, in subsequent episodes.