Exhibition The Early Years

The first episode of Blue Peter was transmitted on 16 October 1958. The programme was fifteen minutes long and was intended to be a ‘voyage of discovery’ for its young audience. Positive feedback from children ensured it soon became a permanent fixture in the BBC’s schedules, transmitted live every Thursday at five o’clock. The next ten years saw Blue Peter evolve from these humble origins to a twice-weekly programme with an audience of millions.

Blue Peter Sets Sail

Blue Peter was the creation of John Hunter Blair. He was a producer at the BBC. The new programme aimed to attract five to eight year olds who were growing out of Watch with Mother, but too young for the BBC’s programmes for older children like Studio E.

The first episode of Blue Peter featured Christopher Trace demonstrating a model railway and Leila Williams fronting an item about dolls. On film, there was a cartoon called Sparky and the Talking Train. The final item was a demonstration of a mind-reading magic trick.

John Hunter Blair, assisted by his secretary Gillian Reilly, continued to produce one 15-minute edition of Blue Peter every week.  Programme features developed from trains and dolls, to cover other topics. Things to make and simple competitions were also introduced.

Over the next three years Blue Peter began to build up a loyal audience. Sadly in 1961 John Hunter Blair became ill and had to leave the programme.

Blue Peter suffered without the knowledge and enthusiasm of a dedicated team. Leila Williams left after a disagreement with a producer and Trace was forced to struggle on alone. Luckily, change was just around the corner.

Blue Peter Changes Course

Biddy Baxter joined the BBC in 1955. At first she was a trainee radio studio manager before becoming a producer of schools’ programmes. Despite her limited television experience, she applied for the job of Blue Peter producer and to her amazement she was appointed.

Edward Barnes, a more experienced member of the BBC’s Children’s Programmes Department, was assigned to Blue Peter to help develop the programme. Rosemary Gill, became another key member of the team and later became Assistant Editor. Together the trio began to transform the programme into a show which really belonged to its audience.

Due to increased ratings the BBC decided Blue Peter should be broadcast twice weekly from September 1964. In 1965 John Noakes was recruited to share the presenting workload. The framework for a programme that would soon attract massive audiences and critical success was now in place.