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Blue Peter is a British children's television programme created by John Hunter Blair. The first programme was broadcast on 16 October 1958.[1] It is the longest-running children's television programme in the world,[2][3] and also one of the longest-running television programmes in the world.[4]

Blue Peter currently airs weekly on Fridays in the United Kingdom on CBBC, a digital television channel. The show is produced in a magazine format, often transmitting live, and features a combination of studio presentation, interviews and outside broadcasting items.[1] There have been forty-three official presenters of Blue Peter.

History

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A woman with black hair wearing a sparkly, light-blue shirt and blue jeans standing in front of a shiny, blue-bricked wall and looking at the viewer
Konnie Huq, the 26th presenter, was the longest-serving female presenter, from 1997 to 2008

The first presenters of Blue Peter were Christopher Trace and Leila Williams. Trace presented for nearly nine years, and Williams for just over three years (although no footage of her has been retained by the BBC).[5] In the early days, as the show ran continuously on a weekly basis, other presenters occasionally stepped in to give the regular team a break. Artist Tony Hart and actress Ann Taylor both presented the show either in place of either Trace or Williams, or sometimes in place of both, with Taylor replacing Williams for six weeks in 1959 and presenting the show at least once alone, as did Hart.[6]

When Williams was dismissed from the show in 1962 following a series of spats with a newly appointed producer, Trace continued to present the show alone or with one-off presenters until a replacement was found. The role went to Anita West, who presented sixteen editions over a four-month period in 1962—the shortest tenure of any full-time presenter—before abruptly resigning due to her imminent divorce, something she had not revealed to the producers.[6] Her tenure was so short that no footage from her time on Blue Peter exists in the BBC Archives,[7] although footage of her audition remains, along with that of Valerie Singleton and other auditioners.[6] It was not until 1998 that West was officially recognised as a former presenter.[8]

John Noakes was the longest-serving presenter, having presented the show for over twelve years, and Konnie Huq is the longest-serving female presenter, with a tenure of over ten years, beating Valerie Singleton by three months. However, although Singleton left the series full-time in 1972 to present the spin-off series Blue Peter Special Assignment, she continued to be an occasional presenter until 1975.[6] Singleton's last 'official' appearance on the show came on 20 October 1975[9] although she was also credited with appearing on the 1975 'review of the year' programme, broadcast on 29 December 1975.[10]

Singleton made the first of her many returns to the programme in January 1976 following the death of the first Blue Peter cat, Jason. She also returned to Blue Peter on 16 October 1978 to co-present the live UK TV balloon release for the 20th anniversary. Singleton presented her last Special Assignment in May 1981, and returned to co-present Blue Peter to moderate the live UK TV link-up to launch the 25th Silver Anniversary balloon hunt on 17 October 1983; these additions make her total presenting span 21 years. Sandra Michaels presented the show twice in April 1964 in the absence of Singleton, and impressed producer Edward Barnes enough that he considered her as a replacement for Singleton; however, Michaels turned this down and he opted to carry on with Singleton, something he admitted in hindsight he was glad he did.[6] The youngest presenter of Blue Peter was Yvette Fielding, who was eighteen when she began presenting,[11] and the oldest was John Noakes, who was forty-four when he left.[12] Only one presenter, Peter Duncan, had two stints of presenting, his first being from 1980 to 1984, and his second being from 1985 to 1986.[13]

Richard Bacon, the 25th presenter from 1997 to 1998, is the only presenter to have his contract terminated mid-run

The only presenter to have been fired from Blue Peter mid-contract is Richard Bacon, who was dismissed from the show in 1998 after it emerged that he had taken cocaine.[14] A number of other presenters have garnered negative publicity for aspects of their private lives, which has been described in some sections of the British media as the "curse of Blue Peter".[15] Nevertheless, many of the show's former presenters have continued to work in the media. Indeed, Bacon's career survived his dismissal; he has since presented The Big Breakfast and Top of the Pops among numerous other radio and television shows, some of which were for the BBC.[14]

After its move to Salford in September 2011, Blue Peter had a format with two permanent presenters, Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood, supplemented by guest presenters for particular topics, such as Naomi Wilkinson for wildlife.

On 4 March 2013, the BBC announced that it was searching for a new presenter to start in the summer of 2013. They announced that CBBC stars Dick and Dom would be hosting a new TV show to find the next presenter.[16] The show began on 24 June as Blue Peter - You Decide! The judges were Myleene Klass, Eamonn Holmes and Cel Spellman.[17] The winner was chosen after five weeks of competition, via a public vote. On 25 July 2013, it was announced that 22-year-old Lindsey Russell had won the public vote to become Blue Peter's 36th presenter.[18]

On 8 August 2013, Skelton announced on air that she was leaving the show in September after five years, to be replaced by Radzi Chinyanganya.[19]

Harwood left the programme on 14 September 2017. Chinyanganya left after five-and-a-half years on 18 April 2019.[20] On 26 April, Chinyanganya's replacement was announced as Richie Driss.[21] It was announced on 13 May 2020 that Mwaksy Mudenda would join Russell and Driss, returning the show to a three-presenter format.[22] On 1 September 2020, Adam Beales was announced as the show's 40th presenter.[23]

On 24 June 2021, Russell announced she would be leaving the programme, with her last appearance on 15 July 2021.[24] On 17 June 2022, Beales announced that he would be leaving, with his last appearance to be aired on 15 July 2022.[25] Joel Mawhinney became the 41st presenter on 11 November 2022, following a recent stint of guest presenting during the summer.[26]

On 3 February 2023, Driss announced that after 4 years he would leave the show,[27] with his last show to be aired on 3 March. His replacement, Abby Cook, became the 42nd presenter on the following episode, aired on 10 March 2023.[28] Mudenda departed in September 2023;[29] she was replaced four months later by Shini Muthukrishnan.[30]

Presenters

[edit]
No. Presenter Tenure began Tenure ended Length Ref(s)
* Ann Taylor 17 September 1959 11 December 1959 85 days [a]
* Tony Hart 13 November 1959 20 November 1959 7 Days [b]
* Sandra Michaels 20 April 1964 27 April 1964 7 days [c]
No. Presenter Tenure began Tenure ended Length Ref(s)
0 Since The Show Started 16 October 1958 Present 66 years, 37 days
1 Christopher Trace 16 October 1958 24 July 1967 8 years, 281 days [31]
2 Leila Williams 16 October 1958 8 January 1962 3 years, 84 days [5][d]
3 Anita West 7 May 1962 3 September 1962 119 days [7]
4 Valerie Singleton 3 September 1962 3 July 1972 9 years, 304 days[e] [32]
5 John Noakes 30 December 1965 26 June 1978 12 years, 178 days [12]
6 Peter Purves 16 November 1967 23 March 1978 10 years, 127 days [33]
7 Lesley Judd 5 May 1972 12 April 1979 6 years, 342 days [34]
8 Simon Groom 15 May 1978 23 June 1986 8 years, 39 days [35]
9 Christopher Wenner 14 September 1978 23 June 1980 1 year, 283 days [36]
10 Tina Heath 5 April 1979 23 June 1980 1 year, 79 days [37]
11 Sarah Greene 19 May 1980 27 June 1983 3 years, 39 days [38][f]
12 Peter Duncan 11 September 1980 18 June 1984 3 years, 281 days [13]
13 Janet Ellis 28 April 1983 29 June 1987 4 years, 62 days [39]
14 Michael Sundin 13 September 1984 24 June 1985 284 days [40]
* Peter Duncan 9 September 1985 27 November 1986 1 year, 79 days [13]
15 Mark Curry 23 June 1986 26 June 1989 3 years, 3 days [41]
16 Caron Keating 13 November 1986 22 January 1990 3 years, 70 days [42]
17 Yvette Fielding 29 June 1987 29 June 1992 5 years, 0 days [11][g]
18 John Leslie 20 April 1989 20 January 1994 4 years, 275 days [43]
19 Diane-Louise Jordan 25 January 1990 26 February 1996 6 years, 32 days [44]
20 Anthea Turner 14 September 1992 27 June 1994 1 year, 286 days [45]
21 Tim Vincent 16 December 1993 24 January 1997 3 years, 39 days [46]
22 Stuart Miles 27 June 1994 21 June 1999 4 years, 359 days [47]
23 Katy Hill 23 June 1995 19 June 2000 4 years, 362 days [48]
24 Romana D'Annunzio 1 March 1996 20 February 1998 1 year, 356 days [49]
25 Richard Bacon 21 February 1997 16 October 1998 1 year, 237 days [50]
26 Konnie Huq 1 December 1997 23 January 2008 10 years, 53 days [51][52]
27 Simon Thomas 8 January 1999 25 April 2005 6 years, 107 days [53]
28 Matt Baker 25 June 1999 26 June 2006 7 years, 1 day [54]
29 Liz Barker 23 June 2000 10 April 2006 5 years, 291 days [55][56]
30 Zoe Salmon 23 December 2004 25 June 2008 3 years, 185 days [57][58]
31 Gethin Jones 26 April 2005 25 June 2008 3 years, 60 days [59][60]
32 Ayo Akinwolere 18 September 2006 28 June 2011 5 years, 0 days [61]
33 Helen Skelton 23 September 2008 26 September 2013 5 years, 3 days [62]
34 Joel Defries 23 September 2008 14 December 2010 2 years, 82 days [63]
35 Barney Harwood 17 January 2011 14 September 2017 6 years, 240 days [64][65]
36 Lindsey Russell 5 September 2013 15 July 2021 7 years, 313 days [18][24]
37 Radzi Chinyanganya 17 October 2013 18 April 2019 5 years, 183 days [66][20]
38 Richie Driss 16 May 2019 3 March 2023 3 years, 291 days [21]
39 Mwaksy Mudenda 14 May 2020 29 September 2023 3 years, 138 days [22]
40 Adam Beales 3 September 2020 15 July 2022 1 year, 315 days [23][25]
41 Joel Mawhinney‡ 11 November 2022 Present 2 years, 11 days [26]
42 Abby Cook‡ 10 March 2023 Present 1 year, 257 days [28]
43 Shini Muthukrishnan‡ 19 January 2024 Present 312 days [67]
 ‡ : Current Blue Peter presenters

Timeline of presenters

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Notes

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  1. ^ Taylor presented the show alongside Trace for six weeks in 1959 for an absent Williams and often replaced Williams on other occasions, even presenting the show alone at least once.[6]
  2. ^ Hart co-presented two early editions of the show, including hosting at least one in 1959 in place of both Trace and Williams.[6]
  3. ^ Sandra Michaels presented two episodes on 20 and 27 April 1964 with Christopher Trace, while Valerie Singleton was on holiday.[6]
  4. ^ Williams was absent from many episodes in 1959, and more often leading up to her final appearance.[6]
  5. ^ Singleton continued to make occasional guest appearances in the studio and was a presenter for the most series of Blue Peter Special Assignment until 1981
  6. ^ Greene returned to cover for Janet Ellis in 1984, after Ellis injured her pelvis during a parachute landing.[6]
  7. ^ Fielding stepped in as a temporary replacement for Richard Bacon in 1998, following Bacon's dismissal.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b McGown, Alistair. "Blue Peter (1958- )". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  2. ^ "Entertainment Children crown best TV shows". BBC News. 18 October 1998. Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  3. ^ de Lisle, Tim (28 March 2006). "How much is a Blue Peter badge worth?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  4. ^ Paul Jackson (24 May 2003). "Yoghurt Pots and Sticky-Backed Plastic". Britain in a Box. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Leila Williams". I Love Blue Peter. BBC. April 2005. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Marson, Richard (21 September 2008). "Blue Peter" 50th Anniversary Book: The Story of Television's Longest-running Children's Programme. Hamlyn. ISBN 978-0-600-61793-8.
  7. ^ a b "Anita West". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  8. ^ Matthewman, Scott (26 March 2007). "Stop the "TV cheats" madness!". The Stage. This is the TV show ... who denied Anita West a place in the programme's list of past presenters until 1998
  9. ^ "Blue Peter". Radio Times. No. 2710. 16 October 1975. p. 30. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Blue Peter". Radio Times. No. 2719. 18 December 1975. p. 72. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Yvette Fielding". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  12. ^ a b "John Noakes". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  13. ^ a b c "Peter Duncan". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  14. ^ a b James, Silver (19 November 2007). "I should be out of work". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  15. ^ Hewitt, Rick (25 October 2002). "The curse of Blue Peter". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  16. ^ "BBC's Blue Peter launches show to find new presenter". BBC Newsbeat. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Blue Peter You Decide". UKGameshows.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  18. ^ a b "'Blue Peter': Lindsey Russell announced as new presenter". Digital Spy. 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  19. ^ "Helen Skelton to leave 'Blue Peter'". Digital Spy. 8 August 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Blue Peter presenter Radzi exits show". BBC News. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Blue Peter announces new presenter". BBC News. 26 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  22. ^ a b "New Blue Peter presenter unveiled in lockdown". BBC News. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Blue Peter announces its 40th new presenter". BBC News. 1 September 2020. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  24. ^ a b Lindsey Russell Announces She's Leaving Blue Peter 😭🌈💙, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 24 June 2021
  25. ^ a b Lang, Nicole (20 June 2022). "Adam B to leave Blue Peter after 2 years". derrynow.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Blue Peter announces new presenter". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Blue Peter - Send Richie a good luck message". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Blue Peter announces new presenter". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  29. ^ Lytton, Charlotte (19 October 2023). "'It's a sinking ship': how Britain fell out of love with Blue Peter". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Blue Peter: Shini Muthukrishnan revealed as new presenter". BBC Newsround. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Christopher Trace". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  32. ^ "Valerie Singleton". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  33. ^ "Peter Purves". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  34. ^ "Lesley Judd". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  35. ^ "Simon Groom". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  36. ^ "Christopher Wenner". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  37. ^ "Tina Heath". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  38. ^ "Sarah Greene". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  39. ^ "Janet Ellis". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  40. ^ "Michael Sundin". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  41. ^ "Mark Curry". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  42. ^ "Caron Keating". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  43. ^ "John Leslie". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  44. ^ "Diane-Louise Jordan". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  45. ^ "Anthea Turner". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  46. ^ "Tim Vincent". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  47. ^ "Stuart Miles". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 29 April 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  48. ^ "Katy Hill". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  49. ^ "Romana D'Annunzio". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  50. ^ "Richard Bacon". I Love Blue Peter. BBC Online. April 2005. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  51. ^ "Konnie Huq" (Press release). BBC Press Office. December 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  52. ^ "Host Huq bows out of Blue Peter". BBC News. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  53. ^ "Simon Thomas to leave Blue Peter". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 18 January 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  54. ^ "Blue Peter says bon voyage to Matt Baker". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  55. ^ "Blue Peter unveils new host". BBC News. 23 June 2000. Archived from the original on 23 October 2002. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  56. ^ "Blue Peter's Barker leaves show". BBC News. 24 January 2006. Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  57. ^ "Zoe sets sail on Blue Peter" (Press release). BBC Press Office. 25 October 2004. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  58. ^ Rushton, Katherine (20 May 2008). "Salmon quits Blue Peter" (Note: Registration required). Broadcast. EMAP. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  59. ^ "Welsh TV host to join Blue Peter". BBC News. 24 January 2005. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  60. ^ "Gethin Jones quits Blue Peter". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  61. ^ "Andy Akinwolere joins Blue Peter crew". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. 28 June 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  62. ^ "Blue Peter adds Skelton to team". BBC News. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  63. ^ "As the longest running show in children's television celebrates its 50th year, Joel Defries is unveiled as the second new Blue Peter presenter". BBC Press Office. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  64. ^ "Barney Harwood is unveiled as the new Blue Peter presenter". BBC Press Office. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  65. ^ "Blue Peter – Say goodbye to Barney!". Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  66. ^ "Blue Peter". BBC.
  67. ^ "Blue Peter announces new presenter". BBC Media Centre. 15 January 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
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