RE:Peter

While after next week where we are treated to a repeat of Joel's last challenge and see if he does get replaced, Blue Peter takes a break on CBBC for the summer returning in September.

Given the sheer number of Blue Peter related entries on this blog and the other I can't say for certain where exactly it is but there are a series of posts related to Blue Peter Books, issued in time for Christmas that very late in the day got titled as "annuals".

Annuals as any Brit knows are a massive thing and not just for Children although that was always the bigger market.

RE:Peter is about this borrowing the title given to re-runs of classic 70's esposides shown in the 1990's because we are stepping way back in time as the series I have runs from Book Four around 1967 to 1998.

I don't have personal memories of the earliest episodes although it would of been on for my older brother who around this period would of been six or seven years old but it was before what many see as the classic John,Peter and Val team came together.

While Val is on the left the man on the right is Christopher Trace, the first ever male presenter the show had who left at some point in the mid to late 1960's.

The first ever and harder to find Blue Peter book came out in 1964, a little late in the day and not as fully BBC controlled as later editions were to become but in an age without video recorders at home never mind the iPlayer it was a useful reminder of what you'd seen, a bit more about topics from the show  and things you can do.

This proved to be such a success that the second volume was issued in 1965 for 1966.

The then trade mark Blue Peter pets star on the cover while the contents are a resume of highlights from past shows, short stories and quizes.

By the time the third book came out in 1966 things were beginning to change, not least the set attire was more casual, no ties for men, Valerie can wear a dress showing her arms reflecting changes in british fashion and social ideals.

We also see on the far left a youthful John Noakes who had just joined and was to make a large inpact on the show as the years went by,

Programming while still very much scripted was a little less school Marmish and  overly educational  although factual content continued but represented to appeal to a more modern and less regimented child and as ever it featured pieces about much loved show episodes, stories, puzzles and makes to have a go at.

A common issue with the earliest books is the spines soon show damage to both the printed card  with the title on and the actual binding being handled not always with the care a book should as much as that child clearly loved having it.

Seeing these books gives me an idea of what my Brother saw back then and how the show was developing into what has become the longest running childrens tv show in the World.

For now this is the end of my collection annuals that means something to me

BP Presenter leaves

Friday saw Joel MaWhinney's final Blue Peter show where he attempted with varying degrees of success to do everything on the show.

For this final show he scaled Spinnaker Tower using suction cups as part of Superhero Challenge which was fun.

Joel was Blue Peter's 41st presenter, and he has brought a touch of magic to the show! He first came in as a guest on the show back in 2018, and by Decemeber 2022 he was officially part of the team.

Born in Northern Ireland in 1997, Joel isn’t just a magician - he’s a creative powerhouse. Whether he’s making things disappear or stunning stars with his tricks, he’s always is practising to 'wow' the Blue Peter audience.

And when the magic curtain closes, Joel swaps playing cards for piano keys, winding down by playing music.After all he's been doing magic shows for years so knows how to handle nerves.

Joel presented this year His Majesty King Charles III with a BP Gold Badge for his work inspiring people to care for and protect the environment.

Joel’s passion, positivity, and love of learning make him the perfect member of the Blue Peter gang taking part in many memorable activities such as absailing, traing with the Royal Marines, bob sleighing  and the like.

While some new trends on the show aren't to my tastes, I feel he did the job of relating  to and inspiring children explore themselves and achieve well.

Rolling with the changes

It's Wednesday, four days after Friday as we are officially out of the summer so a familiar tv program returned to our screens on CBBC although being 2025 it was viewable via other platforms.

First off, for good or ill - and I'll reserve final judgement on that - B P Presenter no 44 Hacker T Dogg was present on the show having been appointed just before the summer hiatus and appears reading the BP Fan Club site to had been a hit with its viewers even if there is a difference between the kind of presentation I grew up for children's programming and what today's children seem to expect.

Ours was a bit more formal, a bit more mature, example setting rather than getting down to their level, always on the go.

The other is the move to Campfield Facilities in Versa Studios, Manchester rather than Media City, Salford after the BBC moved out of BBC TV Centre at Wood Lane, London in an attempt to be less London centred.

Rather than having a single very large production floor it has tailored areas that are used to film portions of the show, so the makes have an arts and crafts corner , there is a main area with couch and space for invitees and areas for big performances such as the record breaking attempts that are part of the shows agenda for challenging children to try new things.

Portions of the show are being made available as stand alone streams "shorts" on Youtube reflecting whatever adults feel about device usage and children, the increased tendency to view things as and when they wish rather than the dash at 5pm to sit in front of the tv although it is obvious from the fan club some do even if they may type as they view it!

Capturing the Tic Tok generation is a challenge and last year the viewing figures for Blue Peter were up some 33% and some modernization is needed to fine tune the show for todays viewers otherwise it'll go the way of Record Breakers, Screen Test or Tomorrow's World that we so loved back then.

A relevant point was made by former presenter Radzi in an interview which was while it may be easier it doesn't offer the same grounding in presentation skills that he and others had having to do it live even if parts were pre-recorded as for many years Blue Peter has been a route in for would be younger presenters to get into presenting on tv.

A good thing on a challenge for Joel, going around a lap at the Silverstone racing circuit in a minute was some technical talk about the engines, the kind of thing during the 70's and 80's we had but did seem to take a back seat which fits in with more what 9 to 14 years olds may want to learn about and what they do at school.

On the whole it seemed to work and we'll just have to see how the viewing figures go as I'd love there to be a second show or maybe extra online material in the way we looked to each week.

Changes at Blue Peter

The weekend started pretty much with waking up to reports from various weekend newspapers that the long running children's tv program, Blue Peter will cease to make live programs from its studio at Salford, Lancashire and instead be entirely pre-recorded.

Shockingly last Friday's show was actually the last live one although neither presenters, the children taking part or us the viewers actually knew as none of us were informed.

It remains unclear as to what exactly the role of all three presenters, Abby, Joel and Shini will be beyond being in any pre-recorded clip as each will need to be "anchored" to form a cohesive program whither or not it is shown first on iPlayer online or transmitted on a traditional 'linear' tv channel.

It is understood that the BBC is planning on axing the BBC CBBC channel for 6 to 12 year olds and going digital only at some future point, a channel that was first established in 2002 and the movement of all children's programming to it in 2012 after the "digital switchover" 

It's not as if Blue Peter has never had pre-recorded segments shot on film or tape from the 1960's onwards as those of us can recall things like John Noakes climbing Nelson's Column, the many summer expeditions that of necessity had to be or trips to various places but being live gave it an edge, the sense o f not knowing what was going to happen next.

It made for memorable interviews on set, the possibility of a fluffed line or a animal misbehaving that as children we just laughed out loud at.

One memorable live show had people on from GirlGuiding in December 1970 where a camp fire was light as brownies and girl guides all sang around as nobody noticed until it was a bit late the campfire was getting out of control right next to them!

Things like "The Big Badge Wall" that celebrates achievements from posted art and details of challenges undertaken take on more as presenter show the weeks outstanding recipients as children cheer as they do for an artist performing or a live presenter challenge.

That is very stuff that will be lost from now on, the edge of the seat feel we get and which as children we so compared to a continuity linked series of pre-recorded items.

As ever the groan ups show their lack of understanding of what makes great tv even though we all know the world has changed since we first started watching not least how we do but we all saw saw things at the same time for very first time live.

Anyone who reads the BP Fan Club pages knows seeing and chatting about these live bits gets them so excited and happy. Many adults love live shows too for similar reasons but middle age preduces seem to think glorified podcasts are all we want.

This is a very retrograde step.

bb

Meet the new BP Presenter!

 

It has been announced who the 43rd Blue Peter presenter will be.

Shini Muthukrishnan, pictured left, aged 22 from Stafford, will go live for her first show on CBBC at 17:00 GMT on Friday.

She will co-host the world’s longest-running children’s TV programme alongside Abby Cook, Joel Mawhinney and BP pet, Henry the dog.

Blue Peter will be the first TV presenting role for Ms Muthukrishnan whose lockdown videos on TikTok celebrated her British, Indian and Malaysian heritage.

Ms Muthukrishnan, who played badminton for Staffordshire county, recently graduated from King's College London where she studied philosophy, politics and economics.

She said: “Being part of the Blue Peter team is such a surreal and exciting feeling.

“I have really fond memories of Blue Peter. As a kid, I looked up to Helen Skelton, she seemed fearless on screen. She took on incredible challenges with such a headstrong attitude that made me think 'I can be fearless too'.”

Her first challenge will involve taking part in aircraft aerobatics while also on the live show, she will also be attempting to bathe Henry the dog and cook up a tasty treat.

Blue Peter editor Ellen Evans asked about her qualities said "Shini is an exciting new talent, who impressed us with her adventurous spirit, sense of humour, determination and aspiration to have a positive impact on kids’ lives.”

On her first live show undertake first show on CBBC as Blue Peter presenter number 43 on Friday where she undertook a flying challenge and where she showed how to bath a dog using Henry.

As a Staffordshire resident and West Midlander, I'm delighted.

Biddy Baxter: The Woman Who Made Blue Peter

Hello there Boys and Girls!

Christmas is over as the tree has been taken down together with the nativity scene and the cards as we've passed the twelve days of Christmas getting set for the New Year but somethings don't always just go and that applies to this.

I sometimes sound rather like a stuck record but the one tv show that for my whole life has towered over others is the Children's BBC magazine show Blue Peter currently in its sixty-fifth year so not surprisingly there are things connected with the show I've had over the years such as my original books (many call them annuals but that was never the original term) from Book 4 published in 1967 to the early 1990's my regular and Gold Badge, a number of special assignments series books to books about the program some of which I have written about.

For Christmas I had "The Woman That Made Blue Peter: Biddy Baxter" written by Richard Marston  who work on the show as well as a number of other BBC Children's shows who interviewed past presenters, people in the various BBC units she worked with apart from herself fo this biography.

From 1962 to the Summer of 1988, Biddy was the editor of the show that came in in the very early days and set the tone of the show not just while she was in charge but for subsequent producers when it came to relentless dedication to making the best possible program, never talking down to children covering historical events, popular science, arts, adventure and lost of makes showcasing creativity.

This book is very much about how she got to be that person and looks into how the show was put together such as differert sorts of people who worked in the studio and behind the scenes, the way the BBC worked internally as they affected the show.

It tells of her childhood and education in Leicestershire in the East Midlands.

These tended to include battles for studio room, budgets, internal reorganizations, technical staff and some of the on set issues given as brilliant as Biddy was, she wasn't terribly tactful driven by her desire to make the best show come what may.

I found it a very interesting book, knowing of good number of the presenters from that period and some of the BBC  key people running things in that era, showing just how she made that show a must see children's show even when faced from ITV's very  me too Magpie competition for twelve years.

What she achieved enabled the show to continue without a break, adjusting a little as times changed  but remaining what she set it out to be.

The last few weeks on the show have been reviews of Twenty-twenty three on the show looking at challenges, visits to places, competitions such as the Dr Who one and guests.

In the more modern era interactivity has been extended to include an online fan club with games, extra bits of programming and the BP V.I.P.  scheme where people apply stating why they wish to go behind the scenes and meet their heroes.

They then spend a day with them which is filmed and televised within one weeks show.

All change on Blue Peter

An era ends on Blue Peter with presenter number 37 Radzi Chinyanganya who was born in Wolverhampton and educated at Newport, Shropshire following his last live show on April 18 2019 which featured his final Blue Peter challenge and Thursday's (April 25th) show that was a compilation introduced by him of his adventures in his time from joining in October 2013 where for a period he co-presented also with Barney Harwood as well as Lindsey Russell.

On Thursday it was announced Richie Driss would be the new and 38th presenter who had been a presenter on Joe Media and is aged 30 years.

He originates from St Albans, Hertfordshire and will be making his debut on May 16th's edition.

He made it clear in an interview that this is more than just a dream come true for him to take that position was much more than he'd even expected.

He went on to say "I cannot wait to get started and follow in the footsteps of the 60 years of iconic presenters who have worn the famous Blue Peter badge before me. I am going to give it my all, no matter what the job throws at me."

To me a long time viewer and fan of the show, that really encapsulates the spirit  of what being a presenter is as apart from the usual thing of showing a resumé, a person being considered is set a number of challenges when it comes to performing and making things as a part of the assessment to be considered.

It is much more than just fronting a program because you are engaging directly with and helping to inspire through television supplemented today by the shows on Website and Fan Club, children to develop new skills and be inspired to make the most of their lives.

In that spirit Alex Scott, the former Women's footballer and sports presenter co-present yesterday show that featured a new competition and had Lindsey making a 60th Anniversary B.P. plate at Wedgwood's here in Staffordshire.

Introducing Henry

For as many years as I can remember one constant of tuning in to Blue Peter originally on BBC 1 and then to CBBC from 2012 onward was the mention and often appearence of the shows pets.

These came very early on the shows history in part as many children like having pets but may be unable to have one but though the show could share in their adventures and also to talk about animal welfare.

Their have been a variety of pets, 23 in total which included tortoises, 2 parrots, 9 cats and 9 dogs.

I can remember the first dog, Petra when I was very young going through Patch, Shep who was strongly linked to the late John Noakes, Goldie who was with Simon Groom in 1978, Bonnie in 1986, Mabel and Lucy the first rescue dogs, Meg who was associated with Matt Baker and Barney in 2009.

Photo credits: BBC
On last Thursday, it was revealed Henry, a rescue Basset Hound  was to be the first new Blue Peter pet since the move from the studios at Television Centre, London to Media City, Salford, Lancs.

Of the pets prior to the move only Shelley the tortoise remained although in truth she featured more as a quiz where people would find her picture messaging on the online Fan Club page with being in London rather than in the studio and at one point seemed the pets element was being phased out of the show. 

I can't deny this pulled at me as it brought back my memories of new dogs on the show from a long time back and how you'd look forward to news about them and how with the presenters they were a kind of family.

I just went back in time watching the show just before teatime on Thursday to that little boy all over again and indeed watching yesterday's show seeing Henry after the Blue Peter theme was like old times.

Tv shows of the past

 

Tuesday October 16th  marked the 60th Anniversary of the British children's tv program Blue Peter that was very much a part of my childhood and I watched the one hour special edition.

Monday October 1st saw the death of Geoffrey Hayes who was the parental adult figure on the commercial ITV Network show Rainbow from 1974 through 1992 keeping Zippy,George and Bungle in order  which was supposed to be for pre-schoolers but many of us who watched were older, catching it at Lunchtimes in an era most of us didn't  didn't have video recorders.

The show had segments and one was Rod, Freddy and Jane's folk music slot which was enjoyable to listen too and matched the folk revival in the adult world in the 70's.

Blue Peter in the 70's

 There's a fair chance some of you may well remember having these annuals during your childhood as keen viewers of the BBC TV Blue Peter program. 

It may surprise you to know I also have a number that are co-related to the period I was (officially) a child having not just information about what was shown during that 12 month period, but also on the news of the day such as with this edition information about the US space carrier, Skylab and some good illustrated bits about British History.

I was and remain an avid fan of this show from watching for myself around 1970 with my brothers acquiring some of their annuals as they outgrew them and having my own still.

It all helps to jog my memory back to the year and what mattered to me as a child during it such as the arts and crafts which at all the schools I attended we did.

Feature on that edition John Noakes a Northern English presenter during the show up to June 1978 with Shep, the Border collie to the left of him.

Blue Peter

One television show I always loved was the BBC's Blue Peter which I started viewing around 1969/70 where this group of presenters, John Noakes (R.I.P 2018), Peter Purves and at the back Valerie Singleton with Shep, Petra and Jason, the Siamese cat respectively.

It just had the right balance of interesting features, adventures and challenges not just to entertain you but to inspire you to make more of a life for yourself as you grew up 

Shep with John Noakes was a legend and in truth the magic of the presenter line up I grew up with Lesley Judd replacing Valerie from 1972/3 was such that out of what can be rose tinted nostalgia many presenters have struggled to match.

This is Blue Peter book seven, one of a good number I own  published in nineteen seventy for the next year which ended up in many a christmas stocking with features about things on the show, facts and figures plus stories.

It is telling that in 2008 that I watch the show still having viewed this years Christmas special on CBBC.