This turned adhesive-backed plastic into an essential item, motivated countless kids to craft their versions of Tracy Island using papier-mâché and detergent bottles, and transformed ‘Get down, Shep’ into a nationwide catchphrase.

However, now, after 66 years,
Blue Peter
will be removed from our television screens and shifted online. The director verified the show’s destiny and announced that it won’t be broadcasted live anymore, calling this change ‘the conclusion of an age.’

The program started in October 1958, and at its peak, it aired thrice weekly on BBC1, turning personalities like Peter Purves into celebrities.
Janet Ellis
, Valerie Singleton and Peter Duncan.

However, even though Blue Peter has typically been a comforting and practical show for children, its conclusion has turned out to be quite the opposite, as The Mail on Sunday discloses.

Sources revealed that the choice to remove it from broadcasting was closely guarded by management, keeping even the current hosts—Shini Muthukrishnan, Joel Mawhinney, and Abby Cook—in the dark about the magnitude of these alterations. Interestingly, they had been pondering over the delay in receiving their renewed agreements lately.

A source stated: ‘Certainly, this has been in progress for several months.’

‘The top executives were fully aware of what was taking place, and anyone they informed was instructed to remain tight-lipped about it. This has come as a massive surprise, and several team members are still in the dark regarding the situation. Who can say what this implies for the hosts and others involved in producing the program?’
the view
Is that everything has been managed quite poorly?

A different source inside disclosed the instructions for staff to join a gathering.
BBC
This week at their northern headquarters in Salford, they held an event, but no clues were provided regarding the topic.

They stated: ‘Everybody involved in the production has been instructed to report to work. Most were unaware of the reason for this summons until speculations began circulating on the internet. This came as quite a surprise. Over the past couple of days, there have been numerous urgent phone calls and messages being sent to higher-ups seeking information regarding these developments.’

It is known that Ellen Evans, the editor who has been in this position since 2019, hasn’t been answering questions from her team members. Nevertheless, Martin Williams-Neale, a longtime director with many years at the helm, stated on Friday: “This marks my last day with Blue Peter as I oversee its final broadcast. Proudly steering it towards closure, truly marking the conclusion of an epoch.”

‘A massive thanks to my skilled and dedicated team, with many of you departing from the show today, for all your effort and commitment.’

During its heyday, Blue Peter attracted an audience of around eight million viewers, turning hosts like John Noakes into celebrities and generating iconic moments such as when Lulu The Elephant had an accident on the set. This show has served as a launching pad for numerous TV personalities, including Konnie Huq, Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones from Morning Live, Anthea Turner, and Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas.

Several ex-presenters expressed their disappointment over the show’s reduced prospects. Richard Bacon, who started on Blue Peter in 1997, was let go after just under two years when he was fired for using cocaine.
‘I simply adore both past and present this show.’
Even though I caused them some trouble.

‘Being live is what brought it to life. From the elephant incident to the studio burning down… the errors, the motion, the vitality. It turned out to be a magical experience.’

Yvette Fielding, who hosted the show from 1987 to 1992, shared with The Mail on Sunday her thoughts: “It’s such a pity about this news. Blue Peter wasn’t solely meant for kids; it was crafted for entire families to relish. Princess Diana once confided in me that she enjoyed settling down on the couch with Prince Harry and William to view the program as a group. Many British households can relate to this experience, which makes learning about the show’s demise both frustrating and disheartening. It’s disgraceful how those responsible for making this awful choice have tarnished something so special.”

Matt Baker, who hosted the show from 1999 to 2007, commented, ‘It was an absolutely fantastic experience.’

‘The finest memories stem from the incredible energy and spirit being disseminated nationwide during tea time. It’s profoundly lucky of me to have felt and shared this experience.’

The Mail on Sunday initially exposed concerns that the BBC intended to remove Blue Peter from television in October 2023 following the departure of three hosts within three years—although BBC executives downplayed these problems, maintaining their stance.
There were ‘no intentions’ to cancel the program.
.

Previously, those within knew it was like a ‘deeply troubled, declining vessel’. Concerns arose that the audience numbers had nose-dived as CBBC found itself hard-pressed to compete with the allure of the internet and video games. In 2017, a single episode garnered an official viewer count of zero.

In 2012, Blue Peter
shifted to CBBC since all children’s programs were moved to digital channels.

The BBC did not provide comments yesterday; however, insiders indicate that Blue Peter will be accessible via iPlayer.

Read more