From faux winners to surprising sackings, these are the scandals that rocked Blue Peter.
Blue Peter
Behind the squeaky-clean picture, the long-running kids’s present has been hit by a string of jaw-dropping scandals over the a long time.
(Picture: BBC)
For generations of British viewers, Blue Peter has been a healthful TV staple — a badge-earning establishment full of pets, presenters and feel-good moments. However behind the squeaky-clean picture, the long-running kids’s present has additionally been hit by a string of jaw-dropping scandals over the a long time. First launching in 1958, the programme has clocked up hundreds of episodes and made family names of presenters like Valerie Singleton and John Noakes.
But from secret canine swaps and rigged competitions to sackings and on-air apologies, not the whole lot has gone to plan. Now, with the present transferring away from reside broadcasts and shifting in direction of a web based future, questions are being raised about its legacy. As followers react to the adjustments, right here’s a glance again at a few of Blue Peter’s most surprising — and unforgettable — controversies.
Lifeless pet cover-up
Certainly one of Blue Peter’s most beloved pets hid one in all its darkest secrets and techniques. Viewers have been launched to a tiny pet in a festive 1962 episode — however simply two days later, the canine died from distemper. Relatively than break the information to younger followers, bosses made a shock name.
Former editor Biddy Baxter later revealed they secretly changed the pup with a near-identical lookalike present in a Lewisham pet store. “It was unthinkable to traumatise our youngest viewers,” she mentioned. The swap went unnoticed — and the brand new canine, named Petra, turned a long-running star till 1977.
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Cocaine scandal
Blue Peter was rocked in 1998 when presenter Richard Bacon was dramatically sacked after admitting he had taken cocaine. The then-21-year-old misplaced his function following newspaper stories and photographs from a London nightclub.
The BBC moved swiftly, with kids’s chief Lorraine Heggessey saying: “It’s unhappy that such a proficient presenter as Richard Bacon has not solely let himself and his colleagues down however, most necessary of all, he has let down the hundreds of thousands of youngsters who watch Blue Peter.” Regardless of being informed he’d by no means work in TV once more, Bacon rebuilt his profession — later internet hosting throughout BBC, Channel 4 and ITV.
(Picture: Press Archive )
Rigged cat naming row
Blue Peter landed in sizzling water once more when a viewer vote to call a brand new kitten was secretly overruled. Followers had overwhelmingly chosen “Cookie” in a web based ballot — however producers ignored the outcome and named the cat Socks as a substitute. When the reality emerged, the BBC was pressured into an embarrassing apology.
In a bid to repair the backlash, a second kitten was launched and given the unique profitable identify. Presenter Konnie Huq informed viewers: “A model new kitten, solely 13 weeks previous, and we’re all in love with him,” as co-host Zoe Salmon added: “What higher strategy to apologize than with this cute factor.”
(Picture: BBC)
Cellphone-in faux winner scandal
Blue Peter confronted main backlash in 2006 after a phone-in competitors was uncovered as faux. Almost 14,000 viewers known as in for a UNICEF enchantment quiz — however a “technical failure” meant producers couldn’t entry any entries. In a panic, a visiting little one was requested to pose because the winner reside on air. The fallout was swift, with the BBC fined £50,000 by Ofcom. Presenter Konnie Huq apologised: “We want to apologize to you. As a result of when this error occurred we allow you to down.” Bosses later known as it an “distinctive incident”.
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