It’s a real cliché to mention health and safety, but watching Lesley Judd almost die off that lighthouse on the recent Danny Baker clip show about towers was very sobering for a supposedly lighthearted programme (BP as well as DB). At least John Noakes looked as if he was in more capable hands when he was risking life and limb.
5.10 on a Monday and Thursday, I think until I was 16, I could count the amount of times I missed Blue Peter on the back of my hand. I used to get the annual every year as well until I was 14 and I recall there was a detective story where the detective would spot a criminal by making a mistake on the lines of, New York is the capital of the United States. Can’t remember what the detective was called, but he was some globetrotting figure with a nephew or grandson. Anyone help me out on this?
For a few years there was a Blue Peter omnibus on BBC2 on Sunday mornings, which was the previous week’s editions edited down to 40 minutes, normally losing something non-essential feature like a performance by a musical act.
I remember the school I went to had an annual from the late 1960s (Number 6, when they were numbered rather than dated) in the library, which was interesting to flick through. A Bleep & Booster was one of the highlights, & were in the annuals long after it was dropped from the actual show.
An early post here mentions the sight of a braless Sarah Greene running down a Tokyo rail platform. I don’t recall that but I vividly remember a studio piece presented by Sarah on the history of the corset with other guest tv presenters modelling vintage underwear. I remember this being the talk of the playground the following day amongst hormonal schoolboys. I’ve just watched it on YouTube and it’s pretty tame now, though Maggie Philbin wears quite a skimpy number.
Caron Keating’s mini skirts and high heels kept me watching long after I should have grown out of Blue Peter. I do remember one episode where she practiced with a karate club under a waterfall and it being rather like a wet t shirt competition by the end.
@ Glenn Aylett I had a big crush on Caron too. I got sent an autographed postcard from her when I wrote to Blue Peter defending her from fuddy duddy parents complaining to Points Of View that her stylish outfits were inappropriate for a kids show. I remember the waterfall episode, and also when the Blue Peter team visited Russia too. Caron went to a health spa and got an intense back massage. I vividly recall her wrapped in just a towel groaning sensually into the camera as her back was rubbed and feeling a bit funny. Sadly this clip isn’t on YouTube.
@ Droogie, there was another dare where she went swimming in The Serpentine in winter and it had a similar effect to the karate training under the waterfall. No wonder Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells was annoyed, she seemed to thrive on these near the bone tests and dares. Wonder if Caron inherited this from her mother, Gloria Hunniford, who used to have the nickname Grievous Bodily Hunniford for her suggestive comments on her radio show.
However, it was sad news when Caron lost her fight with cancer at the young age of 41 and left behind two young sons. Apart from bringing Blue Peter more up to date, she did a lot for charity in her later years and was one of the nicer celebrities.
Enough of this family friendly filth, does anyone remember when they used to pad out episodes with short films, about five or ten minutes? The most famous one was Cosmic Zoom, but they also showed a stop-motion puppet animation using the audio of Stan Freberg’s spoof of The Banana Boat Song. The puppets were Warner Bros characters, presumably the whole thing was flouting copyright from start to finish. The guy on the bongos was Bugs Bunny, and the singer was Speedy Gonzalez.
Who made that, then? What was the story, was it just some kid in his bedroom? I think he was interviewed in the studio afterwards, it was real Screen Test Young Filmmaker of the Year material. Does he work for Aardman now?
Lee James Turnock
May 5, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I suppose somebody’s got to be the first, so here goes.
“JOEY!”
I feel suitably dirty and ashamed.
TGOBE
January 8, 2011 at 9:52 pm
BP Summer Expedition, 1981.
Sarah Greene striding down a railway platform prior to boarding a Bullet Train.
Crucially she was clad in a tight white T-shirt… but no bra.
A life-affirming moment for this (at the time) angst-ridden hormonal teenager.
tellycabbage
January 9, 2011 at 12:39 pm
As Mr Groom would say to TGOBE’s comment…
“What a beautiful pair of knockers!”
I feel as Lee James did now!
THX 1139
May 5, 2013 at 9:40 pm
It’s a real cliché to mention health and safety, but watching Lesley Judd almost die off that lighthouse on the recent Danny Baker clip show about towers was very sobering for a supposedly lighthearted programme (BP as well as DB). At least John Noakes looked as if he was in more capable hands when he was risking life and limb.
Matthew Harris
September 25, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Bring back the old Blue Peter section.
Glenn Aylett
February 4, 2022 at 7:38 pm
5.10 on a Monday and Thursday, I think until I was 16, I could count the amount of times I missed Blue Peter on the back of my hand. I used to get the annual every year as well until I was 14 and I recall there was a detective story where the detective would spot a criminal by making a mistake on the lines of, New York is the capital of the United States. Can’t remember what the detective was called, but he was some globetrotting figure with a nephew or grandson. Anyone help me out on this?
Richardpd
February 4, 2022 at 10:42 pm
For a few years there was a Blue Peter omnibus on BBC2 on Sunday mornings, which was the previous week’s editions edited down to 40 minutes, normally losing something non-essential feature like a performance by a musical act.
I remember the school I went to had an annual from the late 1960s (Number 6, when they were numbered rather than dated) in the library, which was interesting to flick through. A Bleep & Booster was one of the highlights, & were in the annuals long after it was dropped from the actual show.
Droogie
February 5, 2022 at 12:26 am
An early post here mentions the sight of a braless Sarah Greene running down a Tokyo rail platform. I don’t recall that but I vividly remember a studio piece presented by Sarah on the history of the corset with other guest tv presenters modelling vintage underwear. I remember this being the talk of the playground the following day amongst hormonal schoolboys. I’ve just watched it on YouTube and it’s pretty tame now, though Maggie Philbin wears quite a skimpy number.
Glenn Aylett
February 5, 2022 at 10:44 am
Caron Keating’s mini skirts and high heels kept me watching long after I should have grown out of Blue Peter. I do remember one episode where she practiced with a karate club under a waterfall and it being rather like a wet t shirt competition by the end.
Richardpd
February 5, 2022 at 1:08 pm
I remember that karate feature, but not for the same reasons.
Glenn Aylett
February 5, 2022 at 2:23 pm
@ Richardpd, always enjoyed everything Caron did. She was like a female John Noakes at times and better looking.
Droogie
February 5, 2022 at 11:50 pm
@ Glenn Aylett I had a big crush on Caron too. I got sent an autographed postcard from her when I wrote to Blue Peter defending her from fuddy duddy parents complaining to Points Of View that her stylish outfits were inappropriate for a kids show. I remember the waterfall episode, and also when the Blue Peter team visited Russia too. Caron went to a health spa and got an intense back massage. I vividly recall her wrapped in just a towel groaning sensually into the camera as her back was rubbed and feeling a bit funny. Sadly this clip isn’t on YouTube.
Glenn Aylett
February 6, 2022 at 7:24 pm
@ Droogie, there was another dare where she went swimming in The Serpentine in winter and it had a similar effect to the karate training under the waterfall. No wonder Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells was annoyed, she seemed to thrive on these near the bone tests and dares. Wonder if Caron inherited this from her mother, Gloria Hunniford, who used to have the nickname Grievous Bodily Hunniford for her suggestive comments on her radio show.
However, it was sad news when Caron lost her fight with cancer at the young age of 41 and left behind two young sons. Apart from bringing Blue Peter more up to date, she did a lot for charity in her later years and was one of the nicer celebrities.
THX 1139
February 6, 2022 at 1:26 pm
Enough of this family friendly filth, does anyone remember when they used to pad out episodes with short films, about five or ten minutes? The most famous one was Cosmic Zoom, but they also showed a stop-motion puppet animation using the audio of Stan Freberg’s spoof of The Banana Boat Song. The puppets were Warner Bros characters, presumably the whole thing was flouting copyright from start to finish. The guy on the bongos was Bugs Bunny, and the singer was Speedy Gonzalez.
Who made that, then? What was the story, was it just some kid in his bedroom? I think he was interviewed in the studio afterwards, it was real Screen Test Young Filmmaker of the Year material. Does he work for Aardman now?