"Blue Peter" (1958) TV series 1958-????

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Creator:

John Hunter Blair

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

16 October 1958 (UK)

Genre:

Family | Game-Show

Plot:

British childrens magazine program which has run since the end of the 50s. Aimed at kids from the age of about 6-14...

Plot Keywords:

Children

Awards:

9 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Konnie Huq	...	Herself - Presenter (54 episodes, 1997-2007)
Liz Barker	...	Herself - Presenter (26 episodes, 2000-2005)

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White (1958-1970) | Colour (1970-)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The "Blue Peter" referred to in the title is a flag flown by Royal Navy ships to indicate they are about to leave port. It is a blue flag with a white square in the center. The same flag also stands for the letter "P" in the international flag signal alphabet.

Quotes:

[repeated phrase]
John Noakes: Get down, Shep!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Very Best of 'Have I Got News for You' (2002) (V)

Why no mention of Michael Sundin?

In all of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the classic children's TV magazine show 'Blue Peter' there has been no mention of the most tragic of all the presenters, Michael Sundin. He was a presenter on the show for one (maybe two) sometime around the late '70s/early '80s, and was intended to be one of the shows great 'action figures', ala John Nookes, but, as I recall, it was discovered that, horror of horrors, he might be gay!, a fact born out by the fact that he died very young - 28ish - of an Aids related illness.

I am aware he was not the most popular of the presenters - personally I did not take to him much, which was more due to the way he spoke than his sexuality - but he did play a part in this most famous, and important, children's TV programme and thus he is due his rights to be mentioned alongside the other presenters. After all, Val can come clean about her affair with Peter Purvis, John once stood as a National Front candidate for Parliment, Janet Ellis was an unmarred mother, Richard Bacon was sacked for snorting cocaine but they all still get mentioned, so why not this tragic figure, or is the BBC trying to wipe the memory of Micheal off the roll call of honour for this show!