Andy Wilkes talks Blue Peter and how T.V can come with its own set of problems!
When we were younger, my sister and I watched Blue Peter religiously; not the more frivolous copy-cat show, Magpie that was on ITV. No, it had to be Blue Peter with its adventurous and wholesome presenters who were more like favourite uncles and aunts that TV stars.
In those days sales of sticky-back plastic were high and egg boxes and washing up liquid bottles were saved in anticipation of the next Blue Peter project. The recent phone-in competition scandal would suggest that the morals of the show, probably in-line with the decline in morals of the nation, had reached a low point. For those of you not familiar with this incident, Blue Peter had a competition live on air, where children were invited to phone in the answer to win. Technical difficulties were encountered and no phone calls were able to get through to the studio. So a child visiting the studio was asked to pose as a “randomly selected” caller and was given the prize.
The nation, and former Blue Peter producer Biddy Baxter, were mortified causing an apology to be given live on-air by the shows current presenters.
The show however, has not been without incident or controversy since it started in 1958. For example, Petra, probably the second favourite Blue Peter dog ever (second only to Shep of course) was in fact not what she seemed. The real Petra died of distemper after only one appearance and was replaced with a look-alike that served the show until its death in 1977. This was, of course kept quiet from the viewers in case it upset younger viewers.
More seriously in 1998, presenter Richard Bacon was sacked from the show after revelations in tabloid newspapers that he had taken cocaine. Bacon later admitted to these allegations and said that he regretted what he had done. After the sacking, the then head of BBC children's programmes, Lorraine Heggessey, went on air to explain the situation to BBC viewers. Before Richard Bacon, presenter Peter Duncan had two stints presenting Blue Peter between 1980 and 1986. Although never given as the real reason, Duncan left the show after it emerged that his previous life as an actor not only included roles in the films Flash Gordon and Stardust, but also in some porn films. This history does not seem to have held him back; since leaving Blue Peter, Duncan has had leading roles on the stage in the shows Barnum and Me and My Girl. In 2004 he was made Chief Scout to the UK's half a million scouts.
Presenting a live TV show cannot be easy and any slip of the tongue will be recorded for prosperity and will probably be shown on it'll be Alright on the Night 274. Quite a few of these slips of the tongue seem to have been made by former presenter Simon Groom. The regularity of these Double Entendres and the smirk that was often on his face might suggest they were not said in error at all. After a report about a cathedral that had had one of its two door knockers replaced with a fibre glass copy, the camera went back to Groom who commented “mmm, what a beautiful pair of knockers” Another well-known “blooper” by Simon was after an item on making hedges by chopping down small trees, when he remarked "apparently the longer the length the better the
Probably one of the funniest animal related incidents ever on TV has to be when Lulu the baby elephant ran amok dragging its keeper around the studio whilst presenters John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves tried to continue broadcasting trying their best not to laugh.
I.In 1983 the Blue Peter garden was trashed by vandals, an act that made the national BBC news (or was it just John Craven's Newsround?) Viewers were shown the devastation which included the poisoning of the fish in the pond by oil, the trampling of flowers and the smashing of various pots and a sundial. Regular viewers had seen the garden take shape week-by-week under the expert guidance of Percy Thrower. Discussing the mindless vandalism on the show, Thrower, with a tear in his eye famously said that he thought the perpetrators must have been “mentally ill”. Not that he would get away with such politically incorrect language these days of course.
Recently the producers of Blue Peter decided to suspend the giving of Blue Peter badges as prizes after it emerged that they were being sold on eBay. Owners of these badges are able to get into museums and other attractions for free. The badges have now being reintroduced with a photo identity card scheme.
Identity cards? Faked competitions? The world, dear reader, has gone mad.
