16 October: Blue Peter

On this date in 1958, the children's show  Blue Peter first aired on BBC TV. Here are 10 things you might not know about it:

1. The first show was 15 minutes long and the presenters were Leila Williams and Christopher Trace. Christopher Trace had been the stand-in for Charlton Heston in blockbuster Ben-Hur and Leila Williams had been crowned Miss Great Britain the previous year.
2. It had been commissioned by producer John Hunter Blair and was aimed at children aged between five and eight.
3. Since then there have been 37 presenters including John Noakes (longest serving at 12 and a half years); Konnie Huq (longest serving female presenter, 10 years); Anita West (shortest serving, at just four months); Yvette Fielding (youngest presenter at 18) and the current presenters Richie Driss. Mwaka ‘Mwaksy’ Mudenda and Lindsey Russell. The latter was chosen after a nationwide search for a new presenter, and a viewer vote.
4. Why is it called Blue Peter? The Blue Peter is a Blue and White Flag which ships hoisted when they were ready to set sail. The name was chosen because the show was intended to be a voyage of adventure and discovery for its viewers.
5. The theme tune is called Barnacle Bill. Throughout the programme’s history, eleven different versions of the tune have been used.
6. The ship symbol was designed by the TV artist Tony Hart, who was paid just £100 for it.
7. Since 17 June 1963, it has been possible to earn a Blue Peter Badge. Every guest who comes on the show gets a badge, including celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Madonna. The standard Blue Peter Badge is blue and is awarded for appearing on the show, or sending in an interesting letter. People who already have a blue badge but do something different to earn one get a silver badge. Other colours available are Green (for achievements in environmental issues), Purple (for children who make an extra contribution to the show such as taking part in audience research), Orange (for winners and runners up in Blue Peter competitions) and gold, for which a person has to do something really exceptional. Gold badge holders include The Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, David Beckham, JK Rowling, Mary Berry, Usain Bolt, David Attenborough, Tim Peake and Roald Dahl who was the first person to be posthumously honoured with a Gold badge in 2016. The badges have been made from recycled Yogurt pots since 2017 and over a million of them have been awarded since the scheme started.
8. The show features things to make, with presenters demonstrating various craft projects. This gave rise to the catchphrase, “Here’s one I made earlier” for times when the items need to be left a while for glue to set. The most famous “makes” are the Christmas Advent crown and Tracy Island, which was the most popular with 100,000 people asking for the instructions on how to make it. This tradition started with Margaret Parnell in 1962. She sent in her idea and got a job for life, designing more than 700 craft projects for the show over a period of 40 years.
9. The show is also famous for its pets. There have been nine Dogs (including Shep, who gave rise to another catchphrase, “Get down, Shep”), five tortoises, nine Cats and two parrots. Several guide dog puppies have also appeared allowing viewers to follow their training. The longest serving pet was a tortoise called George who clocked up 22 years on the show before he died at the age of 81. While not a regular pet, another memorable animal was Lulu the Elephant who ran amok in the studio, weeing and pooing everywhere.
10. Another well-remembered moment was when Simon was comparing a facsimile door knocker for Durham Cathedral with the original, and uttered the immortal words 'what a beautiful pair of knockers'.

Killing Me Softly

Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.

Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena. 

Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.

Available on Amazon:

Paperback

E-book