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90-528: The island has had several releases as a children's toy, most notably in the early 1990s, 2000 and 2015. The first two models were commercially very successful, causing retailers to run out of stock. It was the 1993 British Association of Toy Retailers ' Toy of the Year. The centrepiece of the island is the Tracy Villa, the home of the island's residents. Various features of the original series' villa – such as

180-701: A competition was launched to design Blue Peter ' s second birthday balloon to be flown. In May, the Millennium Time Capsule formally buried under the Millennium Dome , which was dug up accidentally in 2017 by builders went on tour with various past presenters around the country. A play, "Once Seen On Blue Peter ", ran at the Edinburgh Festival fringe in August, with six former presenters appearing in it. On 16 October 2018,

270-565: A demonstration of an activity in the studio, or a music or dance performance. Between the 1960s and 2011 the programme was made at BBC Television Centre , and often came from Studio 1, the fourth-largest TV studio in Britain and one of the largest in Europe. This enabled Blue Peter to include large-scale demonstrations and performances within the live programme. From the September 2007 series,

360-619: A different design. In the show before these weeks, the team show viewers how to make something to keep their badges in/on and continue the theme through the weeks, these have included the Badge Baton Relay in 2016, where badges stored within a baton tube and the Big Badge Boat Bonanza in 2017, where badges displayed on the iconic BP ship, a 2D model that can be made from paper. Ahead of their Jubilee celebrations, Blue Peter introduced its first ever Guest Editor to

450-560: A garden in both London and Salford , known as the Blue Peter Garden, which is used during the summer and for outdoor activities. The programme has featured a number of pets including dogs, tortoises, cats and parrots. The longevity of Blue Peter has established it as a significant part of British culture and British heritage. Blue Peter 's content is wide-ranging. Most programmes are broadcast live, but usually include at least one filmed report. There will also often be

540-752: A green badge in November 1988 for achievements related to the environment. Shortly before, in October 1988, the show celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with a competition to design the cover of a commemorative issue of the Radio Times and Valerie Singleton presented the Outstanding Endeavour Award on the birthday show itself. The following year, the award was presented for the last time. On 13 September 1984, champion trampolinist and professional performer Michael Sundin presented for

630-436: A home-made version out of household waste. The BBC was then, in turn, overwhelmed by requests for copies of the instruction sheet for making the model. Eventually the broadcaster stopped sending out the sheets and released a recording of presenter Anthea Turner 's demonstration, Blue Peter Makes a Thunderbirds Tracy Island , on VHS . In 2015, Radio Times described Blue Peter ' s island-building demonstration as "one of

720-478: A more classic take on the show, as well as beginning Blue Peter Bites , which are five-minute clips showing just one challenge or video from episodes broadcast on CBBC. Blue Peter guide pup Iggy joined the team in 2014 and Shelley the Tortoise continues to make occasional appearances. The Blue Peter Garden is currently maintained by child gardener George who appears throughout the year. The team made more use of

810-405: A new producer who was committed to Blue Peter was required, so Biddy Baxter was appointed. At the time she was contracted to schools' programmes on the radio, and therefore unable to take up her new post immediately. It was suggested that Edward Barnes, a production assistant, would temporarily produce the show until Baxter arrived, at which point he would become her assistant. This suggestion

900-497: A new producer, Lewis Bronze, joined in 1982. Janet Ellis joined Sarah Greene and Peter Duncan on 28 April 1983. The 1980s saw the Blue Peter studio become more colourful and bright, with the presenters gradually wearing more fashionable outfits, in contrast to the more formal appearance of previous decades. Several videos of Blue Peter were made available from 1982, the first being Blue Peter Makes , and an omnibus comprising

990-482: A perfect and completed version of the object they are making – a phrase credited to Christopher Trace , though Marguerite Patten is another possibility. Trace also used the line "And now for something completely different", which was later taken up by Monty Python . Time is also often given over to reading letters and showing pictures sent in by viewers. Over 5,000 editions have been produced since 1958, and almost every episode from 1964 onwards still exists in

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1080-464: A publicity exercise, Ford Motor Company , which built the re-imagined FAB 1 for the live-action film, commissioned a Thunderbirds -themed live event and interactive experience for the 2004 British International Motor Show . The 7,400-square-metre (80,000 sq ft) stand was designed as a replica of Tracy Island, complete with a beach, a lake, an aircraft hangar and an overhead model of Thunderbird 2 . Titled " Thunderbirds Powered By Ford", it

1170-508: A result, Blue Peter ' s ratings initially dropped to as low as 100,000 viewers in the age 6–12 bracket, before steadily improving. As with the previous decade, numerous presenters joined and left the programme. This included the exits of Thomas, Baker and Barker and the additions of Zöe Salmon , Gethin Jones and Andy Akinwolere . Early 2008 saw the departure of Huq, who had become the longest serving female presenter with over ten years on

1260-567: A special edition of the programme when Christopher Trace, Leila Williams, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves returned. John Noakes contributed a message pre-recorded on film. At this time, Trace introduced the Blue Peter Outstanding Endeavour Award. In 1979, its theme music was updated by Mike Oldfield , and at the end of the decade a new presenting team was brought in, consisting of Simon Groom , Tina Heath and Christopher Wenner . They were overshadowed by

1350-476: A special one-hour live edition of the programme, entitled Blue Peter: Big 60th Birthday , was broadcast on CBBC. Guests included The Vamps , Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Sheeran , who was presented with a gold Blue Peter badge. Many former presenters returned for the show and contributed to the broadcast. Matt Baker contributed a pre-recorded message and Mark Curry was represented by a Lego model as he had to cancel his contribution due to ill health. The programme

1440-453: A temporary producer while Baxter was doing jury service) becoming the programme's producers. The first Blue Peter book, an annual in all but name, was published that year, and one was produced nearly every year after that, until 2010. A third presenter, John Noakes, was introduced at the end of 1965 and became the longest-serving presenter. A complete contrast to Trace, Noakes set the scene for "daredevil" presenters that has continued through

1530-478: A third edition of Blue Peter each week. This meant that it was sometimes pre-recorded; Joe Godwin, the director, suggested that the Friday edition should be a lighter version of the show, which would concentrate on music, celebrities and games. Helen Lederer presented a documentary on BBC2 to celebrate the show's 35th anniversary Here's One I Made Earlier , with a special edition of the regular programme featuring

1620-406: A trip behind LNER Peppercorn Class A2 60532 Blue Peter on an Edinburgh to London railtour. The special train in question was Days Out Limited's "Heart of Midlothian" from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley on Sunday 19 April 1998, with 60532 working the train from Edinburgh. Due to safety rules, none of the presenters were supposed to ride on board the footplate during the trip. Peter Kirk, who

1710-632: A watchdog and persuader to ensure fair play for toy retailers and represents the toy retail sector on government panels and safety organisations in the UK. The association organises DreamToys, where the top 12 and top 72 toys for Christmas are chosen every November. The press-only event used to be held at St Mary's Church in Marylebone, London. The TRA also organises the Toy of the Year Awards, an event where

1800-459: A week, its original premiere being on CBBC on Thursdays at 5:45pm, changed to 5:30pm from April 2013 then 5pm from March 2015. It was usually repeated on Fridays on BBC One , although this ceased in December 2012. A repeat airs at 9am on Sundays. At this time, Levell left to work at BBC Radio 5 Live ; he was replaced (initially in an acting capacity) as editor by Ewan Vinnicombe, who had worked on

1890-628: Is open to interpretation.) Derek Meddings , special effects supervisor on the puppet series, described his excitement at designing Tracy Island as "one of those feelings you get when you're a kid, imagining that you're Robinson Crusoe living on a lovely island." For the 2004 live-action film , the main shooting location for the island exteriors was North Island in the Seychelles . Co-producer Mark Huffam described Tracy Island as "the most idyllic [...] imaginable, with crystal-clear waters, tropical jungle and mountainous peaks", adding that it

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1980-420: The Blue Peter theme tune as a part of the celebrations of BBC's 100th Anniversary. On 25 October 2022, Joel Mawhinney was announced as the latest presenter. Mawhinney is a magician and content creator who first appeared in 2018 as a guest. He is known for his illusions on social media where he has a large following. He also starred in his own BBC Northern Ireland TV series Life is Magic in 2020. Mawhinney

2070-629: The National Railway Museum and viewing locomotives like Mallard, Stephenson's Rocket , Midland Compound no.1000 , LMS Black 5 no.5000 and 92220 Evening Star alongside Stuart Miles helping with the servicing of 60532 in the NRM's yard). In October 1998, Richard Bacon was sacked, following reports in News of the World that he had taken cocaine . This incident followed shortly after

2160-430: The 1971 eruption of Mount Etna . In May 1976, presenter Lesley Judd interviewed Otto Frank , father of Anne Frank , after he had agreed to bring his daughter's diaries to Britain. From 1971 the summer expedition from the previous year was edited into special programmes broadcast under the title Blue Peter Flies The World , televised during the summer break when the team were recording the latest expedition. The first

2250-670: The BBC archives. This is unusual for programmes of that era; editor Biddy Baxter personally ensured that telerecordings and, from 1970, video recording were kept of each episode. The earliest surviving footage, a 35mm film sequence, comes from Programme 204 produced and broadcast in 1962. The earliest edition to survive in a complete form is Programme 238 from 1963, which survives as a 16mm film recording. Many items from Blue Peter 's history have become embedded in British popular culture, especially moments when things have gone wrong, such as

2340-626: The BBC reported that only 60,000 units of the Chinese-made product would be shipped to the UK before Christmas, despite demand being estimated at half a million. Vivid attributed the stock shortage to a lack of microchips caused by high demand from the mobile phone industry. The playset ultimately became one of the best-selling toys of 2000, with demand estimated at up to ten times greater than supply. In 2005, Thunderbirds ' 40th anniversary, The Daily Telegraph journalist Jim White commented that "four generations of kids have fallen under

2430-486: The BBC's Television Centre in London was broadcast on 28 June 2011, before a move to Dock10 studios , MediaCityUK . The set left behind at BBC Television Centre was subsequently purchased and installed at Sunderland University 's David Puttnam Media Centre in August 2013. When the new series started on 26 September 2011, after the usual summer break, Harwood and Skelton revealed the new look Blue Peter studio along with

2520-474: The BBC, the toy "caused hysteria in shops across the UK." The playset was a contender for the British Association of Toy Retailers ' (BATR) 1992 "Toy of the Year" Award, but lost to WWF Hasbro action figures due to the stock shortage. It subsequently won the 1993 award. In January 1993, the BBC children's TV programme Blue Peter responded to the stock shortage by showing viewers how to build

2610-630: The Toy of the Year award and other prizes are presented, including Toy Shop of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Multiple Retailer of the Year. The event is held on the first night of the UK Toy Fair at Olympia, London, each year in January. The Toy of the Year awards began in 1965 and are presented annually at an awarding dinner held during the British International Toy Fair at Olympia in January. The criteria are that

2700-631: The Tracy brothers in their International Rescue uniforms are replaced with alternatives showing them in casual attire. Abbott asks why Jeff Tracy would even need uniformed photographs of his sons, regarding this as one of several aspects that make the Tracy Island lounge a "delightful deranged indulgence". However, he concedes that for child viewers, the existence of these features made Thunderbirds "much more fun to watch than Z-Cars or Dr. Finlay's Casebook ". Commentator Ian Haywood, who interprets

2790-516: The World . This new arrangement involved a complex schedule of live programmes and pre-recorded material, being broadcast on BBC One and CBBC . Marson also introduced a brand new set, graphics and music. In September 2007, a new editor, Tim Levell, took over. At the same time, budget cuts meant that the programme came from a smaller studio. In February 2008 the BBC One programme was moved from 5pm to 4:35pm to accommodate The Weakest Link , and as

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2880-497: The anniversary with many returning presenters and a 60-minute documentary on BBC1 featuring interviews with many previous presenters and production staff, including Edward Barnes, Biddy Baxter and Rosemary Gill. Writing in the BBC's in-house magazine, Ariel , in 2009, BBC Children's Controller Richard Deverell announced plans to re-invent the show to be more like the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear . Deverell hopes that by adding "danger and excitement", Blue Peter will achieve

2970-513: The annual Outstanding Endeavour Award and Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, Christopher Wenner, Tina Heath and Sarah Greene returned to celebrate the show's birthday with the current presenting trio of Simon Groom, Peter Duncan and Janet Ellis who launched a national balloon treasure hunt. On 27 June 1988, Baxter took part in her final show, after nearly 26 years of involvement, and Bronze took her place as editor. Around this time, Blue Peter became distinctively environmentally aware, and introduced

3060-401: The decade. The 1990s also saw many more live broadcasts on location, with many shot entirely away from the studio. Blue Peter was also one of the first television series to launch a website. Oliver Macfarlane replaced Bronze as editor in 1996. The 40th anniversary of the show was marked in 1998. Apart from two summer proms concerts, the most talked about event to celebrate the milestone was

3150-437: The first programme in the UK to broadcast an entire show in 360 degrees on the web. Viewers were able to watch the programme via their TVs and simultaneously interact with the television studio in front of and behind the cameras on the website. Viewers were also challenged to play a game where they had to find particular crew members and staff dressed up in distinctive costumes. The final edition of Blue Peter to broadcast from

3240-413: The first time, as a replacement for Peter Duncan. He had been talent spotted by the Blue Peter team when they filmed an item on the set of Return to Oz ; Sundin was playing the part of Tik-Tok. After 77 appearances as a Blue Peter presenter his contract was not renewed. It has since been explained by Biddy Baxter that he attracted complaints from viewers. She stated in her autobiography that homophobia

3330-548: The generations of presenters. Trace left Blue Peter in July 1967, and was replaced by Peter Purves in November. The trio of Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves lasted five years, and according to Richard Marson were 'the most famous presenting team in the show's history'. In 1965, the first Summer Expedition (a filming trip abroad) was held in Norway, and continued every year (except 1986 and 2011) until 2012, all over

3420-669: The hangar, the palm trees lining the runway swing outwards to accommodate the wingspan of Thunderbird 2 . After taxiing along the runway, Thunderbird 2 takes off from a hydraulic launch platform. Thunderbird 3 is launched from underneath the Round House (the island's guest accommodation). Although the security of the island is stated to be assured by jamming equipment, in the Thunderbirds comic strips published in TV Century 21 it proves to be somewhat vulnerable due to

3510-423: The island as "stunningly detailed, and any returning viewers will be delighted to see classic features such as the retractable swimming pool revealing a rocket silo have been retained for the update." British Association of Toy Retailers The Toy Retailers Association (formerly British Association of Toy Retailers) is a trade association that represents its members in the UK & Ireland. It promotes

3600-458: The island's architecture as "stylish Mid-Century Modern ". Jon Abbott of TV Zone magazine criticised the base's layout, questioning why the control centre is located in the lounge when a hidden control room would eliminate the need for "Operation Cover-Up" – the procedure used to rid the lounge of all trace of International Rescue's presence whenever the island receives visitors from the outside world. As part of this operation, wall portraits of

3690-658: The latter show as a successor to his programme Out of School , broadcast on BBC Radio's Children's Hour ; Hill networked the programme from BBC Manchester and launched it aboard the MV Royal Iris ferry on the River Mersey , Liverpool with presenter Judith Chalmers welcoming everyone aboard at the bottom of the gangplank. It was subsequently televised about once a month. Hill relates how Reed came to stay with him and his wife, Margaret Potter, in Cheshire, and

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3780-500: The machinations of the Hood . Learning everything about the island by brainwashing the technically minded Brains and extracting all of his knowledge concerning the island, the Hood launches his strongest attack yet on IR, destroying several Thunderbird craft and many of their hangars, with the exception of Thunderbirds 1 and 4 . (The canonicity of the Thunderbirds comics adventures

3870-473: The most iconic moments" in the programme's history. The BBC's re-launch of Thunderbirds in 2000 prompted a resurgence in the toy's popularity and a second Blue Peter demonstration. The new Tracy Island playset by Vivid Imaginations was released to a positive critical response and was listed as one of the top ten children's toys by the BATR. As before, supply of the toy did not keep up with demand. In December,

3960-410: The much-repeated clip of Lulu the baby elephant (from a 1969 edition) who urinated and defecated on the studio floor, appeared to tread on the foot of presenter John Noakes and then proceeded to attempt an exit, dragging her keeper along behind her. Although it is often assumed to have been broadcast live, the edition featuring Lulu was one of the rare occasions when the programme was pre-recorded, as

4050-457: The new music and title sequence. Departed presenter Andy Akinwolere was not initially replaced, and for the first time in 50 years only two presenters remained on the programme. The new Blue Peter Garden, located outside the studios, was officially opened by Princess Anne in February 2012. From 12 January 2012, Blue Peter has been broadcast all year round (with no break for summer) once

4140-523: The new team of herself, Konnie Huq , Simon Thomas , and Matt Baker were consistent for the next few years. The Friday edition, as in the previous decade, featured games, competitions and celebrities, but additionally there was a drama series, The Quest , which featured cameos of many former presenters. It was at this time that the new Head of the BBC Children's Department, Nigel Pickard , asked for Blue Peter to be broadcast all year round. This

4230-406: The original Thunderbirds series". Rob McLaughlin of the entertainment website Den of Geek named it the seventh-best secret base in film and TV but challenged one particular design aspect: "There's the small matter of the ever-present risk of a great big rocket ship appearing out the bottom of [the swimming pool] and squashing you." The Los Angeles Times ' TV critic Robert Lloyd describes

4320-487: The outside staircase descending to water, the large windows, and the prominent stone chimney – suggest that its design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright 's Fallingwater house. Thunderbird 1 is launched from a hangar underneath the island's retractable swimming pool, at the foot of the villa. The entrance to the Thunderbird 2 hangar is concealed by a false rock-face and leads onto the island's runway. On exiting

4410-436: The position. Judges Cel Spellman , Eamonn Holmes and Myleene Klass decided the final three, before viewers were given the chance to vote online. Russell joined Blue Peter in September of that year, shortly before Skelton's departure and the introduction of her replacement Radzi Chinyanganya . From October 2013, the team consisted of Harwood, Russell and Chinyanganya. The format adapted with slightly different branding and

4500-420: The presenters were en route to Ceylon for the summer expedition at the time of transmission. Other well-remembered and much-repeated items from this era include a Girl Guides ' campfire that got out of hand on the 1970 Christmas edition, John Noakes's report on the cleaning of Nelson's Column and Simon Groom referring to a previous item on the production of a facsimile door knocker for Durham Cathedral which

4590-518: The programme as a producer since 2007. The reformatted Blue Peter occasionally also included specials and spin-offs such as "Helen's Polar Adventure" or the Stargazing Live special on other days of the week. In 2013, Lindsey Russell was voted the 36th presenter via Blue Peter - You Decide! , a series of five programmes hosted by Dick and Dom , where ten aspiring presenters were set a number of challenges to prove that they were worthy of

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4680-513: The programme editor in 1965, relinquishing the role in 1988. Throughout the show's history there have been forty-two official presenters ; currently, it is hosted by Joel Mawhinney , Abby Cook and Shini Muthukrishnan . The show uses a nautical title and theme. Its content, which follows a magazine /entertainment format, features viewer and presenter challenges, competitions, celebrity interviews, popular culture, and sections on making arts and crafts items from household items. The show has had

4770-539: The programme moved to dock10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford , Greater Manchester . It is currently shown live on the CBBC television channel on Fridays at 5 p.m. The show is also repeated on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and a BSL version is shown on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. Following its original creation, the programme was developed by a BBC team led by Biddy Baxter ; she became

4860-490: The programme was broadcast from a small fixed set in Studio 2. However, from 2009 the series began to use the larger studios once more; also more programmes were broadcast in their entirety from the Blue Peter Garden. 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

4950-417: The returns of Leila Williams, John Noakes and Lesley Judd amongst many other presenters. Neither Noakes or Judd had appeared in the studio since leaving the programme and Williams was returning for the first time in 15 years. A fourth presenter, Katy Hill , was introduced in 1995, but unlike earlier decades, there was little stability in the line-up, with resignations and new additions made almost every year of

5040-699: The role of the toy retailer and the value of toys to the consumer. It represents about 75% of the toy trade. The directorate is based remotely in Bodmin, Cornwall . The Toy Retailers Association (TRA) was first established as the National Association of Toy Retailers in 1950 and changed its name first to the British Association of Toy Retailers (BATR) and then the Toy Retailers Association in 2005. It acts as both

5130-420: The same "playground buzz" among children as Top Gear . In January 2011, Barney Harwood was introduced to the programme as replacement for Defries, who had departed in late 2010 after two years. Unusually, Harwood was no stranger to Blue Peter viewers, having appeared as a presenter on CBBC for many years, on shows including Prank Patrol and Bear Behaving Badly . On 29 March 2011, Blue Peter became

5220-474: The series and a fresh wave of tie-in toys, including a Tracy Island playset by Matchbox . In the run-up to Christmas in 1992, demand for the set rose sharply and retailers ran out of stock, leading to overnight queuing outside shops. The story was reported in the national news and has since been cited as the archetypal mistake to be avoided by the toy industry during the Christmas shopping season; according to

5310-486: The series partly as a struggle between nature and science, considers Tracy Island a technological utopia where nature has been brought under human control, describing the location as "a perfect 'false self', a brilliantly simulated natural paradise". He also views it as an imperialist symbol in that it effectively serves as "a Pacific base for American influence", which he believes "strikes a chilling chord in today's post- Cold War era of American global peace-keeping." In

5400-435: The ship logo, who told stories about an elephant called Packi (or Packie). It was broadcast every Thursday for fifteen minutes (17:00–17:15) on BBC TV (which later became BBC One ). Over the first few months more features were added, including competitions, documentaries, cartoons, and stories. Early programmes were almost entirely studio-based, with very few filmed inserts being made. From Monday 10 October 1960, Blue Peter

5490-426: The show on 19 October 2017 which was children's author Dame Jacqueline Wilson . Guest Editors have control for the day and plan what they what to show on their edition, as well as taking control behind the scenes. A special programme broadcast on 1 February 2018, marked Blue Peter' s 5000th edition. A brand new Diamond badge was revealed for the first time, designed by Henry Holland. This was only to be awarded within

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5580-428: The show's 40th anniversary, when previous presenters returned for a special programme. Those returning included Leila Williams, Valerie Singleton, John Noakes, Peter Purves, Diane Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner, John Leslie, Tim Vincent, Yvette Fielding, Caron Keating, Mark Curry, Janet Ellis, Peter Duncan, Sarah Greene, Tina Heath, Simon Groom and Christopher Wenner. Steve Hocking then replaced Macfarlane as editor, at what

5670-431: The show, after eight years. Her final show aired on 15 July 2021. On 17 June 2022, Adam Beales announced that he would be leaving the show, in July 2022, after 2 years. His final show aired on 15 July 2022. He announced on YouTube that he was gay the next week on 22 July 2022. On 22 October 2022, former presenter Helen Skelton danced a Charleston with professional partner Gorka Marquez on Strictly Come Dancing to

5760-428: The show. From April 2017, the show reverted to 5:30 pm. In September 2017, Harwood left the show, again leaving just two presenters. In the summer, Blue Peter often challenges its viewers to earn all of their Blue Peter badges (with the exception of orange and gold) through five weeks, where the team look at each individual badge for a week, finishing with the limited time Sports badge which appears every summer with

5850-403: The show. Later that year, Salmon and Jones both left and the presenting team of Akinwolere with new additions Helen Skelton and Joel Defries was introduced. On 16 October 2008, Blue Peter celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and featuring several former presenters. There was a special live edition of the show broadcast to celebrate

5940-417: The special 60th year of 2018. On 12 October 2017, it was revealed that outside of MediaCityUK , a Hollywood style walk of fame would be created with the names of famous people who have received a Gold Blue Peter badge. The walkway would lead up to the front of the studios and would help to mark 60 years of Blue Peter . There were various celebrations across the UK for "The Big Birthday Year". In January,

6030-403: The spell of Parker , Brains and The Hood , constructing their own Blue Peter Tracy Islands out of detergent bottles and sticky-backed plastic ." In 2015, to coincide with the debut of the remake Thunderbirds Are Go , Vivid released a new version of the toy incorporating smart technology . Tim Bevan , producer of the live-action film, called Tracy Island "one of the main characters of

6120-746: The success of the previous two decades, and failed to make as much of an impact. Heath decided to leave after a year when she discovered she was pregnant, but agreed to have a live scan of her baby, something which had never been done on television before. Blue Peter was praised for this by the National Childbirth Trust who told the BBC that in 'five minutes, Blue Peter had done more to educate children about birth than they'd achieved in ten years of sending out leaflets'. The production team decided not to renew Wenner's contract, resulting in him leaving along with Heath on 23 June 1980. Sarah Greene and Peter Duncan both joined in 1980, and

6210-503: The toy must have been very popular in the past year and excited interest among customers and retailers in the toy market. Blue Peter Blue Peter is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair . It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Television Centre in London until September 2011, when

6300-436: The two weekly editions appeared in 1986 on Sunday mornings. Ahead of the show's 25th anniversary in October 1983, BBC1 ran a series Blue Peter Goes Silver , revisiting previous summer expeditions. The 25th anniversary itself was commemorated by a documentary presented by Valerie Singleton shown on BBC1 on Sunday 16 October 1983. This was followed the next day by a special edition of the programme when Christopher Trace presented

6390-405: The website with more quizzes and videos such as 'Blue Peter VS...' and 'Ultimate Challenges' as well as holding a fan club hour after the show where fans could leave comments. A popular game on the programme, Spot Shelley was also introduced, where, in most episodes, an animated version of Shelley the tortoise is hiding somewhere or on something and viewers must leave a comment on the website during

6480-487: The world. The first colour edition of Blue Peter aired on 14 September 1970, and the last black and white edition on 24 June 1974. A regular feature of the 1970s were the Special Assignments, which were essentially reports on interesting topics, filmed on location. Singleton took this role, and in effect became the programme's "roving reporter". Blue Peter also offered breaking news on occasion, such as

6570-441: Was "fantastic" that North Island provided "all these essential elements". Various locations on Praslin , including Anse Lazio beach and Vallée de Mai nature preserve, were also used. The buildings on the re-imagined island were deliberately given a " retro-futuristic " appearance, described by production designer John Beard as "based in the '60s and '70s, which is similar to what we were doing for Brazil ." Further inspiration

6660-507: Was a popular colour with children, and Peter was a common name of a typical child's friend. The first two presenters were Christopher Trace , an actor, and Leila Williams , winner of Miss Great Britain in 1957. The two presenters were responsible for activities which matched the traditional gender roles. As broadcasting historian Asa Briggs expressed it in 1995: "Leila played with dolls; Chris played with trains". They were supported on occasion by Tony Hart , an artist who later designed

6750-486: Was achieved by having two editions per week instead of three during the summer months, and using pre-recorded material. The early 2000s also introduced Christmas productions, in which the presenters took part. In 2003, Richard Marson became the new editor, and his first tasks included changing the output of Blue Peter on the digital CBBC . The first year of the channel's launch consisted of repeated editions, plus spin-off series Blue Peter Unleashed and Blue Peter Flies

6840-522: Was broadcast that evening on BBC Radio 2 . It was hosted by Barney Harwood and featured interviews with past and present presenters, as well as members of the production team. On 3 June 2021, the show received a refresh with a new logo, title sequence, music and studio. This was the first major refresh since the show's move to Salford in 2011. The studio is environmentally-friendly and is composed of upcycled materials from past studios. On 24 June 2021, Lindsey Russell announced that she would be leaving

6930-466: Was displayed alongside the original, with the words 'what a beautiful pair of knockers'. Blue Peter was first aired on 16 October 1958. It had been commissioned to producer John Hunter Blair by Owen Reed, the head of children's programmes at the BBC, as there were no programmes for children aged between five and eight. Reed got his inspiration after watching Children's Television Club , the brainchild of former radio producer, Trevor Hill , who created

7020-423: Was drawn from the work of Oscar Niemeyer and others. The interiors set at Pinewood Studios was built in what Beard described as a "kind of double-'S' shape". He added that "because we're not building the top, it means we can hang the building from the top ceiling in the studio, which we couldn't have done outside." In the UK, repeats of Thunderbirds on BBC2 in the early 1990s led to renewed public interest in

7110-408: Was eventually fired, leaving Christopher Trace on his own or with one-off presenters. Parkhurst was replaced by John Furness , and Anita West joined Trace on 7 May 1962. She featured in just 16 editions, making her the shortest-serving presenter, and was replaced by Valerie Singleton , who presented regularly until 1972, and on special assignments until 1981. Following the departure of Furness,

7200-433: Was in charge on board the train and who was presenting from the footplate, however, allowed Stuart Miles to travel on board the footplate between Newark-on-Trent and Peterborough . This was the stretch of track which, on 3 July 1938, saw the world speed record for steam locomotives of 126 mph (203 km/h) set by LNER A4 Locomotive no. 4468 Mallard (a segment in the same episode showed Katy Hill exploring

7290-477: Was introduced in 1963, along with the programme's new logo designed by Tony Hart. Baxter introduced a system that ensured replies sent to viewers' letters were personal; as a girl, she had written to Enid Blyton and twice received a standard reply, which had upset her. The next year, from 28 September 1964, Blue Peter began to be broadcast twice weekly, with Baxter becoming the editor in 1965, and Barnes and Rosemary Gill (an assistant producer who had joined as

7380-452: Was introduced on 17 December 1962. The puppy soon died of distemper, and having decided against upsetting young viewers over the news, Barnes and Baxter had to search London pet shops for a convincing clandestine replacement. Features such as "makes" (normally involving creating something such as an advent crown , out of household junk) and cooking became regular instalments on Blue Peter and continue to be used today. The Blue Peter badge

7470-409: Was not the reason for his departure: "he came across as a whinger.... and an effeminate whinger to boot... it was nothing to do with his sexual proclivities". Sundin successfully continued his performing career but died from an AIDS -related illness in 1989. In 1989 (and again in 1992 and 1994), new arrangements of the theme tune were introduced. In 1995, BBC1 controller Alan Yentob suggested airing

7560-415: Was one of the largest exhibits ever built by construction company Imagination and proved to be a success, attracting 250,000 to 300,000 visitors and winning a certificate of "High Commendation" at the 2004 Marketing Brand Design Awards. The new version that was modelled for the remake series Thunderbirds Are Go (2015–20) was positively received by Wired UK magazine, whose reporter Matt Kamen described

7650-468: Was regarded as a difficult period for the programme. He introduced a further re-arrangement of the theme tune and a new graphics package in September 1999. The 2000s began with the opening of two previously buried time capsules. Former presenters including Singleton, Purves and Noakes were invited back to assist, and the programme also looked at life in the 1970s when the first capsule was buried. With Hill's departure and replacement by Liz Barker in 2000,

7740-470: Was repeated on BBC Two on 20 October. The 60th Birthday celebrations were also marked by other BBC programming, including The One Show hosted by Matt Baker and former Blue Peter contributor Gabby Logan , which featured Sarah Greene, Mark Curry, Simon Thomas and Konnie Huq; ITV's Lorraine , where Greene appeared with Leila Williams and Anthea Turner; and BBC Breakfast which featured Lesley Judd. A documentary entitled Happy Birthday Blue Peter

7830-506: Was shown in July 1971 and featured the expedition to Jamaica. In 1974, the Blue Peter Garden was officially opened in a green space outside the Television Centre restaurant block. By this time, Blue Peter had become an established children's programme, with regular features which have since become traditions. In 1978, the show celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a nationwide balloon launch from five regional cities during

7920-444: Was so taken with the "Blue Peter" flag on the side of the ship and the programme in general, that he asked to rename it and take it to London to be broadcast on a weekly basis (see Reed's obituary). The "Blue Peter" is used as a maritime signal , indicating that the vessel flying it is about to leave, and Reed chose the name to represent "a voyage of adventure" on which the programme would set out. Hunter Blair also pointed out that blue

8010-472: Was switched to every Monday and extended from 15 minutes to 20 minutes (17.00–17.20). In 1961, Hunter Blair became ill, and was often absent. After he produced his last edition on 12 June 1961, a series of temporary producers took up the post. Hunter Blair was replaced the following September by Clive Parkhurst who did not get along with Leila Williams. "He could not find anything for me to do," Williams recalled. In October, she did not appear for six editions, and

8100-430: Was turned down, and Leonard Chase was appointed, with Barnes as his assistant. Baxter eventually joined Blue Peter at the end of October 1962. During this period, many iconic features of Blue Peter were introduced. The first appeal took place in December 1962, replacing the practice of reviewing toys that children would ask for themselves. Blue Peter ' s first pet, a brown and white mongrel dog named Petra ,

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