Frank Parker, Author at Frank Parker

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part Two)

Adult jokes are just that, aimed at adults and I take no credit for any on this page. Their original source or words belong to whoever and started wherever. I tell them my way. If they make you smile or chuckle like they originally did to me then that is great. If not then I hope you find your sense of humour one day.

As defined by Collins Online Dictionary: “An adult is a mature, fully developed person. An adult has reached the age when they are legally responsible for their actions”. Generally, that means 18 and over but if you are under 18 or easily offended then you are on the wrong page.

Prostitute Parrots

A lady approaches her priest and tells him, “Father, I have a problem. I have two female talking parrots, but they only know how to say one thing!”

“What do they say?” the priest inquired.

They only know how to say, “Hi, we’re prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?”

“That’s terrible!” the priest exclaimed, “but I have a solution to your problem. Bring your two female parrots over to my house and I will put them with my two male talking parrots whom I taught to pray and speak passages from the bible. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship like them.”

“Thank you, Father!” the woman responded. The next day she brought her female parrots to the priest’s house. His two male parrots are holding rosary beads and praying in their cage. The lady puts her two female parrots in with the male parrots. Immediately, the female parrots say, “Hi, we’re prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?” One male parrot looks over to the other male parrot and exclaims, ” Put your beads away. Our prayers have been answered!”

Poor Pussy Cat

Little Nancy was in her back garden filling in a hole when her neighbour peered over the fence.

“What are you up to there Nancy? she said.

“My goldfish died,” replied Nancy tearfully, without looking up, ” and I’ve just buried him.”

The neighbour was concerned, ” That is an awfully big hole for a goldfish isn’t it?”

Nancy patted down the last heap of earth then replied, “That’s because he’s inside your fucking cat!”

Sex Education

Johnny, a 9-year-old boy, came home from school one day and his mom asks him what the lesson was that day. “Sex” he replies.

“I didn’t study that subject until I was in secondary school,” said his mom. “For lying to me you can go up to your room and stay there!”

His older sister gets back from school shortly after that time and her mom tells her what happened. “Johhny wasn’t lying” she said, ” When I was 9 years old we had a sex education lesson. Things have changed since you were at school mom.”

Feeling guilty the mom says ” I better go and apologise to Johhny.”

She goes up to his room and through the partially closed door she sees Johnny wanking. “When you are through with your homework son you can come down for your supper,” She tells him.

Oh Dear

Two couples were playing cards one day. Bob accidentally dropped some cards on the floor. When he bent down under the table to pick them up, he noticed that Larry’s wife wasn’t wearing any underwear! Shocked by this, Bob hit his head on the table and emerged red-faced.

Later, Bob went to the kitchen to get some refreshments. Larry’s wife followed him in and asked, “Did you see anything that you liked under the table?” Bob admitted that, well, yes, he did. She replied, “You can fuck it, but it will cost you £100.” After a minute or two of thinking hard, Bob indicates that he is interested. She tells him that since Larry works Friday afternoons and Bob doesn’t, Bob should come to her house around 2:00 pm the next Friday.

Friday came and Bob went to her house at 2:00 pm, as arranged. After paying her £100 they went into her bedroom, had sex and then Bob left.

Larry came home about 6:00 pm. He asked his wife, “Did Bob come by this afternoon?” Reluctantly, she replied, “Yes, he did stop by for a few minutes.”

Next Larry asked, “Did he give you £100?”

She thinks, “Oh shit, he knows!”

“Good,” Larry says. “Bob came by the office this morning and borrowed £100 from me. He said that he would stop by our house on his way home and pay me back.”

Hand Job

A guy walks into a pub and sees a sign hanging over the bar which reads:

Cheese Sandwich: £1.50
Chicken Sandwich: £2.50
Hand Job: £10.00

Checking his wallet for the necessary payment, he walks up to the bar and beckons one of the three attractive blondes serving drinks to an eager looking group of men. “Yes?” she enquires with a knowingly smile, “can I help you?

“I was wondering,” whispers the man, “are you the one who gives the hand jobs?”

“Yeah Baby,” she purrs, “I am.”

The man replies, “Well wash your fucking hands, I want a cheese sandwich!”

Holy Water

A train hits a busload of nuns and they all perish. They are all in heaven trying to enter the pearly gates past St. Peter. He asks the first nun, “Sister Karen, have you ever had any contact with a penis?”

The nun giggles and slyly replies, ” Well once I touched the head of one with the tip of my finger.”

St. Peter says, “OK, dip the tip of your finger in the holy water there and then you can pass through the gate. He then asks the next nun the same question, “Sister Elizabeth, have you ever had any contact with a penis?”

The nun is a little reluctant but replies, “Well once I fondled and stroked one.

St. Peter says, “OK, dip your whole hand in the holy water there and then you can pass through the gate.

All of a sudden there is a lot of commotion in the line. One nun is pushing her way to the front of the line. When she reaches the front of the line St. Peter says, “Sister, Sister, what seems to be the rush?

The nun replies, “If I am going to have to gargle that holy water, I want to go before Sister Bernadette sticks her ass in it!”

More Hose

A fireman comes home from work one day and tells his wife, “You know, we have a wonderful system at the fire station. Bell one rings and we all put on our jackets. Bell two rings and we slide down the pole. Bell three rings and we’re ready to go on the engines.”

“That’s great love,” says his missus.

“From now on,” he continues, “we are going to run this house the same way. When I say Bell one I want you to strip naked. When I say Bell two I want you to jump into bed. When I say Bell three we are going to fuck all night!”

So the next night the fireman comes home from work and yells “BELL ONE!” and his wife takes off all her clothes. “BELL TWO!” he shouts and she jumps into bed. “BELL THREE!” he barks and they begin to have sex but after just a couple of minutes his wife yells “BELL FOUR!”

“What is the need for Bell four?” her husband asks.

“More hose” she replies “You’re nowhere near the fire!”

Ouch

A Christmas meal at an expensive restaurant is disturbed when a woman starts screaming, “My Son is choking” she cries, “He’s swallowed the coin in the Christmas pudding. Please, can anyone help him?”

Without speaking a man stands up at the nearby table and walks over nonchalantly. Smiling pleasantly he grips the boy by his balls and squeezes them. The boy coughs and out pops the coin.

“Thank you so much” beams the relieved mom, “are you a paramedic?”

“No” replied the man, “I work for the Inland Revenue!”

Dumb Blonde

A blonde arrived for her first golf lesson and the professional tutor asked her to take a swing at a ball to see how she would do. The blonde did so and completely fucked up her shot.

The pro said, “Your swing is good but you are gripping the club too hard. Grip the club gently as you would your husband’s cock.”

The blonde took another shot and nailed the ball 275 yards, straight down the fairway.

The pro said, “That was excellent! Let’s try again, only this time take the club out of your mouth!”

The American Soldier

There was once an American soldier, returning from war, on a train that was very over crowded. He walked down the length of the train, looking for an empty seat. The only unoccupied seat was directly adjacent to a posh, well dressed middle-aged lady and was being used by her little dog. The weary soldier asked, “Please ma’am, may I sit in that seat?”

The woman looked down her nose at the soldier, sniffed and said, ” You American’s! You are such a rude class of people. Can’t you see my little Fifi is using that seat?”

The soldier walked away, determined to find a place to rest, but after another trip down to the end of the train, found himself again facing the posh woman. Again he asked, “Please, lady. May I sit there? I’m very tired.”

The snobby wrinkled her nose and snorted, “You Americans! Not only are you rude, but you are also arrogant. Imagine!”

The soldier didn’t say another word. He leaned over, picked up the little dog, tossed it out of the train window and sat down in the empty seat.

The woman shrieked and demanded that someone defend her and chastise the soldier.

An English gentleman sitting across the aisle spoke up, “You know, sir, you Americans do seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You are bad at holding the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your cars on the wrong side of the road, and now, sir, you have thrown the wrong bloody bitch out of the window!”

Blog Posts

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part One).

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part Three).

Links

GDJ on Pixabay – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of GDJ. You can find more great work from the artist Gordon and lots more free stock photo’s at Pixabay.

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part One)

Old Friend

An old man is lying in bed one day and looks down at his dick, “We have been through a lot together old friend” He sighs, “We were born together, we played together, we got married together, we had kids together but why did you have to go and die before me?!

No Onions

A woman goes to a farmers market. She comes upon a fruit and vegetable stand. She asks the man at the stand, “Do you have any onions?”

The man replies, “No.” The woman continues her shopping at the farmers market and comes back to his stand ten minutes later. “Do you have any onions?” she asks.

“No!” the man said. She leaves the stand and continues her shopping. She comes back ten minutes later and asks the man “Do you have any onions?”

The man says, “NO! Listen, how do you spell the ‘Straw’ in

Strawberry?”

The lady says, “S-t-r-a-w”.

The man asks, “How do you spell the ‘Rasp’ in raspberry?”

The lady replies, “R-a-s-p”.

The man asks, “How do you spell the ‘Fuck’ in onions?”

The lady replies, “There is no ‘Fuck’ in onions”

The man says, “THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!!!”

Sex Education

Johnny, a 9-year-old boy, came home from school one day and his mom asks him what the lesson was that day. “Sex” he replies.

“I didn’t study that subject until I was in secondary school,” said his mom. “For lying to me you can go up to your room and stay there!”

Feeling guilty the mom says ” I better go and apologise to Johhny.”

She goes up to his room and through the partially closed door she sees Johnny wanking. “When you are through with your homework son you can come down for your supper,” She tells him.

The Heimlich Manouvere

Two blokes were seated at the end of a bar when a young lady seated a few stools away began to choke on some peanuts. She was turning blue and obviously in serious respiratory distress. One said to the other, “That bird over there is having a bad time!” The other agreed and said, ” Do you think we should go and help her?”

“You bet,” said his mate, and with that, he ran over and said, ” Can you breathe?” She shook her head no. He said, ” Can you speak?” She again shook her head no. With that, he pulled up her shirt and licked her on her arse. She was so shocked, she coughed up the obstruction and began to breathe. With relief, the good samaritan goes back to his friend and says, ” It is funny how that hind lick manoeuvre always works!”

The Drunk

This guy is sitting in a bar drunk, he asks the barman where’s the toilet at? The barman told him to go down the hall and make a right. Well all of a sudden, everybody at the bar hears this loud scream and wonders what is going on in the toilet? A few minutes go by again and everybody at the bar hears another loud scream that came out of the toilet again. This time the barman goes to the toilet to investigate what the drunk is screaming about. He opened the door and asked the drunk, ” What’s all the screaming about in here? You are scaring all my customers away.”

The drunk said, ” I’m sitting on the toilet and every time I go to flush it, something comes up and squeezes the hell out of my balls.” With that, the barman opens up the door and looks in and says, “No wonder, you’re sitting on my mop bucket!”

Swearing

A seven-year-old boy and his four-year-old brother were upstairs in their bedroom, “You know what?” said the seven-year-old, ” I think it’s about time we start swearing.” The four-year-old nodded his head in approval. “When we go downstairs for breakfast, I’m going to say shit, and you say arse, OK?” The four-year-old agreed with enthusiasm and they both went downstairs to the kitchen. Their mom walked in and asked the seven-year-old what he wanted for breakfast. “Oh shit mom, I guess I’ll have some cornflakes.” WHACK! He flew out of his chair, tumbled across the floor, got up and ran upstairs crying his eyes out.

The mom then looked at the four-year-old and asked with a stern voice, “And what do you want for breakfast young man?”

“I don’t know,” He blubbered, “but you can bet your arse it won’t be those fucking cornflakes!”

A Glass Of Cider

A little girl came running into her house bawling her eyes out and cradling her hand. “Mommy, quick! Get me a glass of cider!” she wailed.

“Why do you want a glass of cider?” asked her mom.

“I cut my hand on a thorn, and I want the pain to go away! said the little girl. Confused, but weary of her child’s whining, the mom obliged and poured her a glass of cider. The little girl immediately dunked her hand in it. “Ouch! It still hurts! This cider doesn’t work!” she whined.

“What are you talking about?” asked her increasingly perplexed parent. “Why did you ask for a glass of cider then?

The little girl replied, “Well, I overheard my big sister say that whenever she gets a prick in her hand, she can’t wait to get it in cider!”

Bank Policy

A crusty old man walks into a bank and says to the lady at the window, “I want to open a fucking account.” To which the astonished woman replies, “I beg your pardon, sir; I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?”

Listen up, shit head. I said I want to open a pissing account right now!”

“I’m very sorry sir, but we do not tolerate that kind of language in this bank.” So without saying anything else the lady leaves the window and goes over to the bank manager to tell him about the situation. They both return and the manager asks the old man, “What seems to be the problem here, sir?”

There is no bastard problem, you wanker!” the man replies, “I have just won 50 million pounds in the fucking lottery and I want to open a fucking account in this fucking bank!”

“I see,” says the manager excitedly, “and this fucking bitch here is giving you a hard time?”

Bullets

A woman pregnant with triplets is walking down the street one day when a masked robber runs out of the bank and shoots her three times in the stomach. Luckily her babies were OK. The surgeon seeing to her decides to leave the bullets in her because it is too risky to operate. All is fine for the next 16 years and then one daughter walks into the room in tears. “What’s wrong?” asks her mom.

“I was having a wee and this bullet came out!” replied her daughter. Her mom tells it’s OK and explains what happened 16 years ago. About a week later the second daughter walks into the room in tears. “Mom, I was having a wee and this bullet came out!” Again the mom tells her not to worry about it and explained what happened 16 years ago. A week later the only boy of the family walks into the room in tears. “It’s OK,” said his mom, “I know what happened, you were having a wee and the bullet came out, yes?”

“NO!” shouted the boy, ” I was wanking off and I shot the dog!”

Tarzan Nookie

One day Jane met Tarzan in the jungle. She was very attracted to him during her questions to him about his life she asked him how he managed for sex. “What is sex? he asked. Jane explained to him what sex was and he said, ” Me use hole in tree trunk.” Horrified, she replied, “Tarzan you have it all wrong but I will show you how to do it properly.” She took off all her clothes, laid down on the ground and spread her legs wide open for him. “Here,” she told him, “You must put it in here. Tarzan removed his loincloth, stepped closer and then gave her an almighty kick in her fanny. Jane rolled around in agony. Eventually, she managed to gasp, “What the hell did you do that for?” To which Tarzan replied, “Me checking for bees!”

Blog Posts

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part Two).

Jokes: More Adult Jokes (Part Three).

Notes And Links

GDJ on Pixabay – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of GDJ. You can find more great work from the artist Gordon and lots more free stock photo’s at Pixabay.

Blue Peter: An Advent Crown For Christmas

Blue Peter, the world’s longest-running children’s television programme, is known for its famous ‘makes’ – creative projects which transform everyday household objects into toys and gifts.

The make featured on this page is taken from “Here’s One I Made Earlier”, a book I got from The Works at a bargain price of 75p!

The collection in this book reproduces some of Blue Peter’s most memorable designs and has a foreword by Valerie Singleton and contributions from former presenters and the ‘Queen of Makes’, Margaret Parnell.

An Advent Crown For Christmas

About Blue Peter

You can read all about Blue Peter here.

Blog Posts

Books: A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens.

Christmas: A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens – Screen Versions.

Christmas: Nostalgic Christmas Adverts.

Jokes: Christmas Jokes.

Music: Christmas Music.

Poetry: A Harley Davidson Christmas Poem By Unknown.

Poetry: A Visit From St. Nicholas By Clement Clarke Moore.

Television: Blue Peter.

Notes And Links

Blue Peter – Official page on CBBC.

You can read about Valerie Singelton here.

You can read about John Noakes here.

The images on this page are copyright of the BBC and Octopus Publishing Group.

Television: Blue Peter

Although started in 1958, I associate Blue Peter in my life mainly to the 1970’s and 1980’s for it is in these decades I watched it the most. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of the show, I preferred Magpie more, but I watched it sometimes as a school kid back in the day when the mood took me.

When Jnr and Deb were kids I may have watched a few then but it was more on in the background and I never paid much attention to it as the nostalgia for it had gone for me by then.

Blue Peter Logo.

About Blue Peter

Blue Peter is a British children’s television magazine programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children’s TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Television Centre in London until September 2011, when the programme moved to dock10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester. It is currently shown live on the CBBC television channel on Thursdays at 5 pm.

Following its original creation, the programme was developed by a BBC team led by Biddy Baxter; she became the programme editor in 1965, relinquishing the role in 1988. Throughout the show’s history, there have been 40 presenters; currently, it is hosted by Richie Driss, Mwaksy Mudenda, and Adam Beales.

The show used a nautical title and theme. Its content, which follows a magazine/entertainment format, features viewer and presenter challenges, competitions, celebrity interviews, popular culture and sections on making arts and crafts items from household items. The show has had a garden in both London and Salford, known as the Blue Peter Garden, which is used during the summer and for outdoor activities. The programme has featured a number of pets that became household names, such as dogs Petra, Shep, and Goldie, as well as other animals such as tortoises, cats, and parrots. The longevity of Blue Peter has established it as a significant part of British culture and British heritage.

Blue Peter Theme Music

Click here to hear every Blue Peter opening theme from 1958 to the present day.

Blue Peter Content

Blue Peter‘s content is wide-ranging. Most programmes are broadcast live but usually include at least one filmed report. There will also often be a demonstration of an activity in the studio, or a music or dance performance. Between the 1960s and 2011 the programme was made at BBC Television Centre, and often came from Studio 1, the fourth-largest TV studio in Britain and one of the largest in Europe. This enabled Blue Peter to include large-scale demonstrations and performances within the live programme. From the September 2007 series, the programme was broadcast from a small fixed set in Studio 2. However, from 2009 the series began to use the larger studios once more; also more programmes were broadcast in their entirety from the Blue Peter Garden. The show is also famous for its “makes”, which are demonstrations of how to construct a useful object or prepare food. These have given rise to the oft-used phrase “Here’s one I made earlier”, as presenters bring out a perfect and completed version of the object they are making – a phrase credited to Christopher Trace, though Marguerite Patten is another possibility. Trace also used the line “And now for something completely different”, which was later taken up by Monty Python. Time is also often given over to reading letters and showing pictures sent in by viewers.

Over 5,000 editions have been produced since 1958, and almost every episode from 1964 onwards still exists in the BBC archives. This is unusual for programmes of that era. Editor Biddy Baxter personally ensured that telerecordings and, from 1970, video recordings were kept of each episode.

Many items from Blue Peter‘s history have become embedded in British popular culture, especially moments when things have gone wrong, such as the much-repeated clip of Lulu the baby elephant (from a 1969 edition) who urinated and defecated on the studio floor, appeared to tread on the foot of presenter John Noakes and then proceeded to attempt an exit, dragging her keeper along behind her. Although it is often assumed to have been broadcast live, the edition featuring Lulu was one of the rare occasions when the programme was pre-recorded, as the presenters were en route to Ceylon for the summer expedition at the time of transmission. Other well-remembered and much-repeated items from this era include the Girl Guides’ campfire that got out of hand on the 1970 Christmas edition, John Noakes’s report on the cleaning of Nelson’s Column, and Simon Groom referring to a previous item on the production of a facsimile door knocker for Durham Cathedral which was displayed alongside the original, with the words ‘what a beautiful pair of knockers’.

Blue Peter History

Early Years

Blue Peter was first aired on 16 October 1958. It had been commissioned to producer John Hunter Blair by Owen Reed, the head of children’s programmes at the BBC, as there were no programmes for children aged between five and eight. Reed got his inspiration after watching Children’s Television Club, the brainchild of former radio producer, Trevor Hill, who created the latter show as a successor to his programme Out of School, broadcast on BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour; Hill networked the programme from BBC Manchester and launched it aboard the MV Royal Iris ferry on the River Mersey, Liverpool with presenter Judith Chalmers welcoming everyone aboard at the bottom of the gangplank.

It was subsequently televised about once a month. Hill relates how Reed came to stay with him and his wife, Margaret Potter, in Cheshire and was so taken with the “Blue Peter” flag on the side of the ship and the programme in general, that he asked to rename it and take it to London to be broadcast on a weekly basis (see Reed’s obituary). The “Blue Peter” is used as a maritime signal, indicating that the vessel flying it is about to leave, and Reed chose the name to represent ‘a voyage of adventure’ on which the programme would set out. Hunter Blair also pointed out that blue was a popular colour with children, and Peter was a common name of a typical child’s friend.

The first two presenters were Christopher Trace, an actor, and Leila Williams, winner of Miss Great Britain in 1957. The two presenters were responsible for activities that matched the traditional gender roles. As broadcasting historian, Asa Briggs expressed it in 1995: “Leila played with dolls; Chris played with trains”. They were supported on occasion by Tony Hart, an artist who later designed the ship logo, who told stories about an elephant called Packi (or Packie). It was broadcast every Thursday for fifteen minutes (17.00–17.15) on BBC TV (which later became BBC One). Over the first few months, more features were added, including competitions, documentaries, cartoons, and stories. Early programmes were almost entirely studio-based, with very few filmed inserts being made.

1960 – 1969

From Monday 10 October 1960, Blue Peter was switched to every Monday and extended from 15 minutes to 20 minutes (17.00–17.20). In 1961, Hunter Blair became ill and was often absent. After he produced his last edition on 12 June 1961, a series of temporary producers took up the post. Hunter Blair was replaced the following September by Clive Parkhurst. He did not get along with Leila Williams, who recalled “he could not find anything for me to do”, and in October, Williams did not appear for six editions, and was eventually fired, leaving Christopher Trace on his own or with one-off presenters. Parkhurst was replaced by John Furness, and Anita West joined Trace on 7 May 1962. She featured in just 16 editions, making her the shortest-serving presenter, and was replaced by Valerie Singleton, who presented regularly until 1972 and on special assignments until 1981. Following the departure of Furness, a new producer who was committed to Blue Peter was required, so Biddy Baxter was appointed. At the time she was contracted to schools’ programmes on the radio, and therefore unable to take up her new post immediately.

It was suggested that Edward Barnes, a production assistant, would temporarily produce the show until Baxter arrived, at which point he would become her assistant. This suggestion was turned down, and a more experienced producer, Leonard Chase, was appointed, with Barnes as his assistant. Baxter eventually joined Blue Peter at the end of October 1962.

During this period, many iconic features of Blue Peter were introduced. The first appeal took place in December 1962, replacing the practice of reviewing toys that children would ask for themselves. Blue Peter‘s first pet, a brown and white mongrel dog named Petra, was introduced on 17 December 1962. The puppy soon died of distemper, and having decided against upsetting young viewers over the news, Barnes and Baxter had to search London pet shops for a convincing clandestine replacement. Features such as “makes” (normally involving creating something such as an advent crown, out of household junk) and cooking became regular instalments on Blue Peter and continue to be used today. The Blue Peter badge was introduced in 1963, along with the programme’s new logo designed by Tony Hart. Baxter introduced a system that ensured replies sent to viewers’ letters were personal; as a girl, she had written to Enid Blyton and twice received a standard reply, which had upset her.

The next year, from 28 September 1964, Blue Peter began to be broadcast twice weekly, with Baxter becoming the editor in 1965, and Barnes and Rosemary Gill (an assistant producer who had joined as a temporary producer while Baxter was doing jury service) becoming the programme’s producers. The first Blue Peter book, an annual in all but name, was published that year, and one was produced nearly every year after that, until 2010. A third presenter, John Noakes, was introduced at the end of 1965 and became the longest-serving presenter. A complete contrast to Trace, Noakes set the scene for “daredevil” presenters that have continued through the generations of presenters. Trace left Blue Peter in July 1967, and was replaced by Peter Purves in November. The trio of Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves lasted five years, and according to Richard Marson were ‘the most famous presenting team in the show’s history. In 1965, the first Summer Expedition (a filming trip abroad) was held in Norway, and continued every year (except 1986 and 2011) until 2012, all over the world.

1970 – 1999

The first colour edition of Blue Peter aired on 14 September 1970, and the last black and white edition on 24 June 1974. A regular feature of the 1970s was the Special Assignments, which were essentially reports on interesting topics, filmed on location. Singleton took this role, and in effect became the programme’s “roving reporter”. Blue Peter also offered breaking news on occasion, such as the 1971 eruption of Mount Etna, as well as unique items such as the first appearance of Uri Geller on British television. In May 1976, presenter Lesley Judd interviewed Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank, after he had agreed to bring his daughter’s diaries to Britain. From 1971 the summer expedition from the previous year was edited into special programmes broadcast under the title Blue Peter Flies The World, televised during the summer break when the team were recording the latest expedition. The first was shown in July 1971 and featured the expedition to Jamaica.

In 1974, the Blue Peter Garden was officially opened in a green space outside the Television Centre restaurant block. By this time, Blue Peter had become an established children’s programme, with regular features which have since become traditions. In 1978, the show celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a nationwide balloon launch from five regional cities during a special edition of the programme when Christopher Trace, Leila Williams, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves returned. John Noakes contributed a message pre-recorded on film. At this time, Trace introduced the Blue Peter Outstanding Endeavour Award. Its theme music was updated by Mike Oldfield in 1979, and at the end of the decade a new presenting team was brought in, consisting of Simon Groom, Tina Heath and Christopher Wenner. They were overshadowed by the success of the previous two decades and failed to make as much of an impact. Heath decided to leave after a year when she discovered she was pregnant but agreed to have a live scan of her baby, something which had never been done on television before. Blue Peter was praised for this by the National Childbirth Trust who told the BBC that in ‘five minutes, Blue Peter had done more to educate children about birth than they’d achieved in ten years of sending out leaflets’. Wenner decided to leave along with Heath on 23 June 1980.

Sarah Greene and Peter Duncan both joined in 1980, and a new producer, Lewis Bronze, joined in 1982. The 1980s saw the Blue Peter studio become more colourful and bright, with the presenters gradually wearing more fashionable outfits, in contrast to the more formal appearance of previous decades. Several videos of Blue Peter were made available from 1982, the first being Blue Peter Makes, and an omnibus comprising the two weekly editions appeared in 1986 on Sunday mornings. Ahead of the show’s 25th anniversary in October 1983, BBC1 ran a series Blue Peter Goes Silver, revisiting previous summer expeditions. The 25th anniversary itself was commemorated by a documentary presented by Valerie Singleton shown on BBC1 on Sunday, 16 October 1983. This was followed the next day by a special edition of the programme when Christopher Trace presented the annual Outstanding Endeavour Award and Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, Christopher Wenner, Tina Heath and Sarah Greene returned to celebrate the show’s birthday with the current presenting trio of Simon Groom, Peter Duncan and Janet Ellis who launched a national balloon treasure hunt. On 27 June 1988, Baxter took part in her final show, after nearly 26 years of involvement, and Bronze took her place as editor. Around this time, Blue Peter became distinctively environmentally aware and introduced a green badge in November 1988 for achievements related to the environment. Shortly before, in October 1988, the show celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with a competition to design the cover of a commemorative issue of the ‘Radio Times’ and Valerie Singleton presented the Outstanding Endeavour Award on the birthday show itself. The following year, the award was presented for the last time.

On 13 September 1984, Champion trampolinist and professional performer Michael Sundin presented for the first time, as a replacement for Peter Duncan. He had been talent-spotted by the Blue Peter team when they filmed an item on the set of “Return to OZ” (Sundin was playing the part of Tik-Tok.) After 77 appearances as a Blue Peter presenter, his contract was not renewed. It has since been explained by Biddy Baxter, that he attracted complaints from viewers, stating in her Autobiography that homophobia was not the reason for his departure, “he came across as a whinger….and an effeminate whinger to boot”, “… it was nothing to do with his sexual proclivities”. Sundin successfully continued his performing career but lost his life to an AIDS-related illness in 1989.

In 1989 (and again in 1992 and 1994), new arrangements of the theme tune were introduced. Due to falling ratings in BBC children’s programming, BBC1 controller Alan Yentob suggested airing a third edition of Blue Peter each week from 1995. This meant that it was sometimes pre-recorded; Joe Godwin, the director, suggested that the Friday edition should be a lighter version of Blue Peter, which would concentrate on music, celebrities and games. Helen Lederer presented a documentary on BBC2 to celebrate the show’s 35th anniversary Here’s One I Made Earlier, with a special edition of the regular programme featuring the returns of Leila Williams, John Noakes and Lesley Judd amongst many other presenters. Neither Noakes nor Judd had appeared in the studio since leaving the programme and Williams was returning for the first time in 15 years. A fourth presenter, Katy Hill, was introduced in 1995, but unlike earlier decades, there was little stability in the line-up, with resignations and new additions made almost every year of the decade. The 1990s also saw many more live broadcasts on location, with many shot entirely away from the studio. Blue Peter was also one of the first television series to launch a website. Oliver Macfarlane replaced Bronze as editor in 1996.

1998 marked the 40th anniversary of the TV show. Apart from two summer proms concerts, the most talked about event to celebrate the milestone was a trip behind LNER Peppercorn Class A2 60532 Blue Peter on an Edinburgh to London rail tour. The special train in question was Days out Limited’s “Heart of Midlothian” from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley on Sun 19 April 1998, with 60532 working the train from Edinburgh. Due to safety rules, none of the presenters was supposed to ride onboard the footplate during the trip. Peter Kirk, who was in charge onboard the train and who was presenting from the footplate, however, allowed Stuart Miles to travel onboard the footplate between Newark-on-Trent and Peterborough. This was the stretch of track which, on 3 July 1938, saw the world speed record for steam locomotives of 126 mph (203 km/h) set by LNER A4 Locomotive no. 4468 Mallard.

In October 1998, Richard Bacon was sacked, following reports in News of the World that he had taken cocaine. This incident followed shortly after the show’s 40th anniversary when previous presenters returned for a special programme. Those returning included Leila Williams, Valerie Singleton, John Noakes, Peter Purves, Diane Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner, John Leslie, Tim Vincent, Yvette Fielding, Caron Keating, Mark Curry, Janet Ellis, Peter Duncan, Sarah Greene, Tina Heath, Simon Groom and Christopher Wenner. Steve Hocking then replaced Macfarlane as editor, at what was regarded as a difficult period for the programme. He introduced a further re-arrangement of the theme tune and a new graphics package in September 1999.

2000 – 2010

The 2000s began with the opening of two previously buried time capsules. Former presenters including Singleton, Purves and Noakes were invited back to assist, and the programme also looked at life in the 1970s when the first capsule was buried. With Hill’s departure and replacement by Liz Barker in 2000, the new team of herself, Konnie Huq, Simon Thomas, and Matt Baker were consistent for the next few years. The Friday edition, as in the previous decade, featured games, competitions and celebrities, but additionally, there was a drama series, The Quest, which featured cameos of many former presenters.

It was at this time that the new Head of the BBC Children’s Department, Nigel Pickard, asked for Blue Peter to be broadcast all year round. This was achieved by having two editions per week instead of three during the summer months and using pre-recorded material. The early 2000s also introduced Christmas productions, in which the presenters took part. In 2003, Richard Marson became the new editor, and his first tasks included changing the output of Blue Peter on the digital CBBC. The first year of the channel’s launch consisted of repeated editions, plus spin-off series Blue Peter Unleashed and Blue Peter Flies the World. This new arrangement involved a complex schedule of live programmes and pre-recorded material, being broadcast on BBC One and CBBC. Marson also introduced a brand new set, graphics and music.

In September 2007, a new editor, Tim Levell, took over. At the same time, budget cuts meant that the programme came from a smaller studio. In February 2008 the BBC One programme was moved from 5 pm to 4.35 pm to accommodate The Weakest Link, and as a result, Blue Peter‘s ratings initially dropped to as low as 100,000 viewers in the age 6–12 bracket, before steadily improving.

As with the previous decade, numerous presenters joined and left the programme. This included the exits of Thomas, Baker and Barker and the additions of Zöe Salmon, Gethin Jones and Andy Akinwolere. Early 2008 saw the departure of Huq, who had become the longest-serving female presenter with over ten years on the show. Later that year, Salmon and Jones both left and the presenting team of Akinwolere with new additions Helen Skelton and Joel Defries was introduced.

On 16 October 2008, Blue Peter celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and featuring several former presenters. There was a special live edition of the show broadcast to celebrate the anniversary with many returning presenters and a 60-minute documentary on BBC1 featuring interviews with many previous presenters and production staff, including Edward Barnes, Biddy Baxter and Rosemary Gill.

Writing in the BBC’s in-house magazine, Ariel, in 2009, BBC Children’s Controller Richard Deverell announced plans to re-invent the show to be more like the BBC’s motoring programme Top Gear. Deverell hopes that by adding “danger and excitement”, Blue Peter will achieve the same “playground buzz” among children as Top Gear.

2011 – 2017

In January 2011 Barney Harwood was introduced to the programme as a replacement for Defries, who had departed in late 2010 after two years. Unusually, Harwood was no stranger to Blue Peter viewers, having appeared as a presenter on CBBC for many years, on shows including Prank Patrol and Bear Behaving Badly.

On 29 March 2011 Blue Peter became the first programme in the UK to broadcast an entire show in 360 degrees on the web. Viewers were able to watch the programme via their TVs and simultaneously interact with the television studio in front of and behind the cameras on the website. Viewers were also challenged to play a game where they had to find particular crew members and staff dressed up in distinctive costumes.

The final edition of Blue Peter to broadcast from the BBC’s Television Centre in London was broadcast on 28 June 2011, before a move to the BBC’s new facilities at Dock10, MediaCityUK. The set left behind at BBC Television Centre was subsequently purchased and installed at Sunderland University’s David Puttnam Media Centre in August 2013.

When the new series started on 26 September 2011, after the usual summer break, Harwood and Skelton revealed the new look Blue Peter studio along with the new music and title sequence. Departed presenter Andy Akinwolere was not initially replaced, and for the first time in 50 years, only two presenters remained on the programme. The new Blue Peter Garden, located outside the studios, was officially opened by Princess Anne in February 2012.

From 12 January 2012, Blue Peter has been broadcast all year round (with no break for summer) once a week, its original premiere being on CBBC on Thursdays at 5.45 pm, changed to 5.30 pm from April 2013 then 5:00 pm from March 2015. It was usually repeated on Fridays on BBC One, although this ceased in December 2012. A repeat airs at 9.00 am on Sundays. At this time, Levell left to work at BBC Radio 5 Live; he was replaced (initially in an acting capacity) as editor by Ewan Vinnicombe, who had worked on the programme as a producer since 2007. The reformatted Blue Peter occasionally also included specials and spin-offs such as “Helen’s Polar Adventure” or the Stargazing Live special on other days of the week.

In 2013 Lindsey Russell was voted the 36th presenter via Blue Peter – You Decide!, a series of five programmes hosted by Dick and Dom, where ten aspiring presenters were set a number of challenges to prove that they were worthy of the position. Judges Cel Spellman, Eamonn Holmes and Myleene Klass decided the final three before viewers were given the chance to vote online. Russell joined Blue Peter in September of that year, shortly before Skelton’s departure and the introduction of her replacement Radzi Chinyanganya.

From October 2013, the team consisted of Harwood, Russell and Chinyanganya. The format adapted with slightly different branding and a more classic take on the show, as well as beginning Blue Peter Bites, which are five-minute clips showing just one challenge or video from episodes broadcast on CBBC. Blue Peter guide pup Iggy joined the team in 2014 and Shelley the Tortoise continues to make occasional appearances. The Blue Peter Garden is currently maintained by child gardener George who appears throughout the year. The team made more use of the website with more quizzes and videos such as ‘Blue Peter VS…’ and ‘Ultimate Challenges’ as well as holding a fan club hour after the show where fans could leave comments as to the answers of riddles or headline suggestions and ask guests questions. A popular game on the programme, Spot Shelley was also introduced, where, in most episodes, an animated version of Shelley the tortoise is hiding somewhere/on something and viewers must leave a comment on the website during the show, the first person to spot her wins a shout-out (or some more expensive or weird prizes as Harwood would often joke, such as a house in Spain or a unicorn called Eric). From April 2017, the show reverted to 5:30 pm. In September 2017, Harwood left the show, again leaving just two presenters.

In the summerBlue Peter often challenges its viewers to earn all of their Blue Peter badges (with the exception of orange and gold) through five weeks, where the team look at each individual badge for a week, finishing with the limited time Sports badge which appears every summer with a different design. In the show before these weeks, the team show viewers how to make something to keep their badges in/on and continue the theme through the weeks, these have included the Badge Baton Relay in 2016, where badges stored within a baton tube and the Big Badge Boat Bonanza in 2017, where badges displayed on the iconic BP ship, a 2D model that can be made from paper.

Ahead of their Jubilee celebrations, Blue Peter introduced its first-ever Guest Editor to the show on 19 October 2017 which was children’s author Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Guest Editors have control for the day and plan what they what to show on their edition, as well as taking control behind the scenes.

2018 – Present

A special programme broadcast on 1 February 2018, marked Blue Peter’s 5000th edition. A brand new Diamond badge was revealed for the first time, designed by Henry Holland. This was only to be awarded within the special 60th year of 2018.

On 12 October 2017, it was revealed that outside of MediaCityUK, a Hollywood style walk of fame would be created with the names of famous people who have received a Gold Blue Peter badge. The walkway would lead up to the front of the studios and would help to mark 60 years of Blue Peter.

There were various celebrations across the UK for “The Big Birthday Year”. In January, a competition was launched to design Blue Peter‘s second birthday balloon to be flown. In May, the Millennium Time Capsule formally buried under the Millennium Dome, which was dug up accidentally in 2017 by builders went on tour with various past presenters around the country. A play, “Once Seen On Blue Peter”, ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, with six former presenters appearing in it.

On 16 October 2018, a special one-hour live edition of the programme, entitled Blue Peter: Big 60th Birthday, was broadcast on CBBC. Guests included The Vamps, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Sheeran, who was presented with a gold Blue Peter badge. Former presenters returned for the show and contributed to the broadcast, including Leila Williams, Anita West, Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, Lesley Judd, Sarah Greene, Peter Duncan, Janet Ellis, Yvette Fielding, John Leslie, Diane-Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner, Tim Vincent, Stuart Miles, Katy Hill, Romana D’Annunzio, Richard Bacon, Konnie Huq, Simon Thomas, Liz Barker, Zöe Salmon, Andy Akinwolere, Helen Skelton, Joel Defries and Barney Harwood. Matt Baker contributed a pre-recorded message and Mark Curry was represented by a lego model as he had to cancel his contribution due to ill health. The programme was repeated on BBC Two on 20 October. The celebration was also marked by other BBC programming, including The One Show hosted by Matt Baker and former Blue Peter contributor Gabby Logan, which featured Sarah Greene, Mark Curry, Simon Thomas and Konnie Huq; ITV’s Lorraine, where Greene appeared with Leila Williams and Anthea Turner; and BBC Breakfast which featured Lesley Judd. A documentary entitled Happy Birthday Blue Peter was broadcast that evening on BBC Radio 2. It was hosted by Barney Harwood and featured interviews with past and present presenters, as well as members of the production team. As part of the birthday celebrations, a new plant species was named “Blue Peter”. In February 2019 a gritter was named and decorated “Blue Peter”, unveiled by Russell.

On 3 June 2021, the show received a refresh with a new logo, title sequence, music and studio. This was the first major refresh since the show’s move to Salford in 2011. The studio is environmentally-friendly and is composed of upcycled materials from past studios.

On 24 June 2021, Russell announced that she would be leaving the show, after eight years. Her final show aired on 15 July 2021.

Blog Posts

Blue Peter: An Advent Crown For Christmas.

Notes And Links

Max Rahubovskiy on Pexels – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of Max Rahubovskiy. You can find more great work from the photographer Max by clicking the link above and you can get lots more free stock photos at Pexels.

Blue Peter – Official page on CBBC. The image at top of this page is the copyright of BBC.