Talk:Blue Peter/Archive 1

Image?
Removed from page: "Can anyone supply an image of the flag?" -- Tom- 11:48, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Daniel the Blue Peter baby
Didn't BP 'adopt' a baby in the 1960s, and he later got involved in drugs and crime?

They didn't 'adopt' Daniel, but they did show John Noakes & Peter Purves interacting with him and showing viewers who didn't have a baby brother or sister of their own how to look after a baby over a long period. The boy in question did eventually drop out of sight and was on record much later as being fed up with the 'Blue Peter Baby' tag, but there's no record of his involvement in anything illegal. TVArchivistUK (talk) 22:12, 26 September 2011 (UTC)

The Vessel
The Blue Peter was a famous sailing vessel, a schooner, that sailed cargo across the Atlantic during the 1930's and 40's. There's a story of a German U-boat captain who refused to sink it, because this was the famous Blue Peter of which he had heared and read a lot. The ship in the end didn't survive the elements. Until at least 1962 it provided a mailservice to the Dutch Caribean island of Saba. There are records that it sank somewhere in the Caribean. I don't know the specifics of the story, nor of the ship. But if someone does, please add this information to the Blue Peter page.
 * The Blue Peter is a name for a flag used to signal that a ship will sail on the next tide. As such it's probably had quite a few vessels named after it.  Tasty monster (=TS ) 23:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)
 * It also seems very unlikely that a German U-Boat captain during the Second World War would have heard of a children's TV programme that wasn't made until 1958 146.90.12.0 (talk) 21:47, 7 March 2019 (UTC)

Canadian Meaning
I think there should be a subheading about the canadian new wave group, Blue Peter, in line with this article. Blue Peter influcenced a number of subsequent artists in Canada and the US for their Early attempts a music videos, and their distinctive sound amongst the number of similar sounding New Wave artists. Their most popular video, Dont walk on Past, is still a cult favorite, and was one of those early videos showing mildly coreographed dances. However, the dance was out of synch with the video. Rick the Temp (I belive it was him anyway) made note that he (and a number of others) tried to imitate the dance as children, and inadvertantly injurded themselves. Just an interesting side note of course.

Disambiguate?
Canadian bands, British TV show, and of course the flag itself, which is missing an article. Should this be replaced with a disambiguation page? -- Demi 20:49, 2005 Feb 27 (UTC)
 * I think so. Without a doubt the flag is the original usage, and I don't think the TV show would be a clear primary usage for anyone outside the UK. LRT24 (talk) 15:03, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Gardener
Wasn't there another one between Percy Thrower and Clare Thingummy? Bonalaw 09:25, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Time Capsule
There certainly IS a time capsule buried in the garden, they put it in a week or two after digging up the old ones. Each of the presenters chose something to put in it - Katy Hill put in a ring she'd been given on one of their summer expeditions, Konnie put in a CD of "Surrender" by the Chemical Brothers (which hadn't been released when they did the Millennium Dome capsule), and I forget what the others put in. But anyway, it's down there. --Bonalaw 08:58, 12 September 2005 (UTC)


 * Fair enough. Seems odd that I couldn't find anything on Google, though (see for yourself), while a search for the 2050 one received several results. BillyH 18:55, 12 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Apparently it's covered in BP Book 30. Which I haven't got, but some helpful Wikipedian might have. It may have been scheduled to be dug up in 2029 rather than 2028 - I'm pretty sure it was meant to be buried for the same length of time as the original box (notwithstanding that the original box had to be dug up and moved when the original burial spot was concreted over), so if they're being strict about that, it would be disinterred in the summer of 2028. I wonder if we could get a Blue Peter Time Capsule article going, with details of what is/was in each of the four capsules? --Bonalaw 08:23, 13 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Funnily enough, I have that one, and just checked it. Pretty much all of it is dedicated to the opening of the 1971 and 1984 capsules, though, with the new one summed up in a footnote at the end. It doesn't mention the contents, just that they buried another one, and will be opened in 2029, so I've updated the article to reflect this. BillyH 19:37, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Theme copyrights
So, how about the copyright status of those themes? I'm pretty sure they're both (c) BBC or (c) Mike Oldfield. Tempting to remove the links unless someone can demonstrate otherwise.. --Mpk 15:04, 22 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Okay, did this today. If I'm somehow mistaken and having those links there isn't dodgy copyright-wise (given that they're hosted on Wikimedia's servers rather than being links to the BBC) feel free to tell me why, then revert if necessary. --Mpk 20:31, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Other Notes
Not one mention of squeezy washing-up-liquid bottles?


 * More importantly, no mention of the Blue Peter Books... --Bonalaw 18:24, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

Python did a parody of this (their How To Do It sketch).. Any other parodies or cultural info?

Five presenters these days ?!
I remember being shocked and appalled when they went from two to three. Blue Peter presenter inflation, anyone? :). Pcb21 Pete 09:09, 30 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Of course, back then it was only twice a week and they had regular breaks. Anyway, they're going back to four soon, as Liz Barker isn't being replaced when she leaves. --Bonalaw 13:19, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Mike Oldfield Theme
One story of the theme is that the "as used on TV" version was released, received some airplay, but was then remixed with a fade at the end, as the original sharp ending kept catching out DJs. The original version is said to be rare - can anyone verify and add? Ace of Risk 19:39, 17 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Sort of. Neither version was the one used on TV, but the first version did indeed have a sharp ending. A second version was released with a different ending (not a fade out), but it's this second version that's rare, as it's the original that's usually included on compilations. BillyH 06:28, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Trivia entry re Petra and Patch
I have reinstated the deletion, as Petra and Patch are simply named in the article, rather than "dealt with", and I would argue that the nature of their relationship plus Petra's dates constitute noteworthy trivia.Robma 07:42, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

POV assertion
From the badges section: Bizarrely, and perhaps disappointingly, the gold badge has been awarded on several occasions to famous film actors or sportspeople - slightly at odds with the youth ethos of the programme.

Isn't this a POV (point-of-view]]) edit?? I would remove it, but I'm not sure whether this line is needed or not.

Anyhow, this article is OK, maybe needs to be fixed in places.

--SunStar Nettalk 17:05, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree with this, we all know why Gold Badges are awarded. ¡иąтнąи! | Talk | [mailto:nathan@simpedia.co.uk Email]| 18:46, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Quest
I seem to remember that BP used to run a sort of acting series called Quest or something around 5 or 6 years ago...does anyone else remember or is that just me? Does that deserve a section in this article?Gammondog 13:58, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I too vaguely recall... DBD 22:20, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes there were three in which the viewers had to work out clues etc? They were written and directed by editor Richard Marson. They also featured many former presenters. Brilliant, but are they a big part of the programmes 48 year history to warent a section????

Controversy in controversy
"It was announced on May 16th 2007 that Blue Peter's editor and unofficial historian, Richard Marson, will step down from his job, although any link to the controversy of March 2007 remains unconfirmed"

To which controversy is this referring to? Simply south 19:19, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Irregularity?!
"The only irregularity being Gethin Jones appearing before Zöe Salmon who debuted on the show five months before him). As in previous years, this new graphical sequence precedes a “coming up” sequence or, alternatively, footage of that edition’s filming assignment."

This is not actually an irregularity, Gethin was announced as a presenter weeks before Zöe was announced. Zöe was filling in for Liz Barker whilst she had her baby, then took her place when she left the program. I suggest we change this. ¡иąтнąи! | Talk | [mailto:nathan@simpedia.co.uk Email]| 18:45, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

The above is incorrect. Zöe was introduced to viewers as an addtional member of the team, never as "filling" in for Liz. When Liz left the programme, it was decided that the presentation team would revert back to four presenters. Zöe appeared on screen before Gethin, thus is senior to him in Blue Peter tradition.

Since two new presenters will now be introduced together, that tradition is about to be broken. Andy will be first in the new titles, but the other two will seemingly be in a random order! Digifiend (talk) 13:49, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Vote for "Socks"
It has been reported today, 19 Sept 2007, that Socks was NOT the actual name voted for by children for the cat who recently joined the show. I just HAVE to know. What name did the children vote for and why was it deemed inapropriate?! Sjwill56 18:09, 19 September 2007 (UTC) STOP PRESS - Found it, it was either "Puss" or "Pussy". Now I see the problem!!!!!!!

According to Google News search, the offensive name was "Cookie". Maybe I'm too young and innocent to understand why that is so inappropriate for children. 87.113.64.185 15:36, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

The name chosen was oookie, but the senior production team didn't see this name fit for that kitten. Pretty stupid, lol. (Irish Plusle 16:20, 21 September 2007 (UTC))

This should probably be changed
In one section of the article, it says: "allowed her free entrance into places such as the Tower of London and the public sections of her own house, Buckingham Palace. "

However, the Queen does not own Buckingham Palace - we do, ie. it is state owned by the people, and if the Queen abdicates, it is no longer her residence. I thought i'd add this because I couldn't think of away to reword the article. Thanks St91 17:34, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

True, it is not in her possesion as Windsor Castle is her home residence, yeah? I'll change it. Thanks for pointing it out. (Irish Plusle 17:40, 22 September 2007 (UTC))

Losing the Garden
With the sale of Television Centre, and the moving of children's programming to another site, what does that mean for the Blue Peter Garden? It might be worth mentioning the sale and move on this page. Kelvingreen 10:54, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

Presenters and Line-ups
Could be looked at to make it look better. Alexsanderson83 (talk) 00:09, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Zoe and Getthin's replacements
Two problems - the first is that there should now be 2 TBA slots, and the second is the date is wrong - Zoe and Gethin's departures will be in the last episode of the current series (third from last probably, as they'll each have a favourite highlights clip show), and although their replacements will be introduced on their departure show, they don't officially start until September, when the series returns from the summer break. Digifiend (talk) 10:03, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Eh? The TBAs are gone! Digifiend (talk) 14:19, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Well I see the TBAs are now in the list, but I wonder why the BBC are keeping their identities secret? Especially as The Sun has already printed an article suggesting Zoe's replacement. Which should surely have been confirmed or denied at the earliest opportunity! Digifiend (talk) 09:31, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Article size
The Blue Peter article is now 57kb in length at this point in time. Would it be a good idea to move the section on presenters into their own article thereby reducing this size somewhat? A summary could be left in its place. -TonyW (talk) 15:35, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Can't cut down the table size, and without it that section is very small. Anyway, Doctor Who has just as big an article. It's due to their long history. Digifiend (talk) 09:32, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Done. See List of Blue Peter presenters. Funny, but I hadn't even seen this thread until after I created the article! Matthewedwards (talk • contribs • email) 01:37, 7 July 2008 (UTC)
 * With the creation of List of Blue Peter presenters, which is now a WP:Featured list, I removed the list from this page. Someone put it back in, but is it necessary here? I think it should be removed. Matthewedwards (talk • contribs • email) 18:07, 16 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I believe the list is best left on its own article page with the short summary under the 'Presenters' heading being current. -TonyW (talk) 17:46, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The "Opening titles" and "Closing credits" sections could be scrapped altogether, they're just useless, pointless and disproportionately long. 83.199.18.204 (talk) 13:10, 24 September 2008 (UTC)

"Here's one I made earlier"
The oft-used phrase "Here's one I made earlier" did not originate on Blue Peter. I think it was originally used by the TV chef Philip Harbin during the 1950s. Can anyone find a cited reference for this? DFH (talk) 11:13, 27 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, as you note, a citation would be needed. If one's found, however, it is still well worth a mention here - Blue Peter are the one's who made the phrase famous, whoever originally coined it. Talk Islander 12:13, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Owen Reed
The name Owen Reed was linked to an article that seemed to be about an entirely differant man of the same name - an american composer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.189.190.199 (talk) 04:59, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

And Now for Something Completely Different
OK, I've reverted myself on this one. It wasn't clear from the reading that Trace used And Now for Something Completely Different in the context of Blue Peter. I assumed it was a separate invention and removed it as irrelevant. If he did it on BP then it is relevant. DJ Clayworth (talk) 21:25, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks, What the ODNB says is "Two of Blue Peter's best-known catchphrases—‘And now for something completely different’ (later taken up by Monty Python's Flying Circus) and ‘Here's one I made earlier’—are attributed to Trace." - though they don't give a source - but then they don't have to, 'cos they're the ODNB!!! --mervyn (talk) 08:20, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

History
I'm working on getting this very important article up to FA status, slowly but surely. I have found that the history section is very long in comparison to the rest of the article, and while writing it, I found there was lots more to say that would be too detailed. I am considering moving it to History of Blue Peter which imo deserves its own article, and chopping what's here down to a more reasonable summary. What do people think?  Majorly  talk  18:53, 3 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Good idea Majorly I would support having a History of Blue Peter article. MilborneOne (talk) 20:44, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

"stories about an elephant called Packi (or Packie)" - If it was never written, only spoken, it is more than likely the animal was called 'Pachi' ('ch' as in 'loch', not 'lock'), since elephants are Pachiderms, and the likely origin of the name. The variant with a 'k' is a derogatory slang word for a person originating from Pakistan. --PuzzleScot (talk) 09:50, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Why does the link to Yes/No People go to Stomp?
There's nothing in the Stomp article about them --AW (talk) 03:04, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

I've changed it. leaky_caldron (talk) 08:07, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

Theme tune sea shanty/hornpipe
Edited out the confusion in which Barnacle Bill is described as a sea shanty. Later Barnacle Bill is described as a hornpipe, so it begins to sound like they're the same thing. Shanties are working songs, hornpipes are dancing songs. 41.232.63.242 (talk) 15:50, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

Clarify please
I scanned this article, and couldn't figure out what it's about. This is a TV show? Somewhat related to sailing? It's hard to find an actual description of the show. In short, this article is not accessible to people who are not familiar with the topic. So please expand the intro. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.193.135.139 (talk) 03:39, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Parody source incorrect?
The article credits Not The Nine O'clock News with "a spoof Blue Peter sketch where the sometimes simplistic representation of subjects was made fun of. e.g. play the flute by blowing at one end and wiggle your fingers, and become famous by becoming a doctor and discover a life saving cure." I recognized this as a Monty Python sketch featuring Cleese, Chapman, and Idle, from episode 28 (and also on a Python record, if I'm not mistaken). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.15.1.151 (talk) 18:41, 22 November 2010 (UTC)

Sticky backed plastic
... is redirected to here. This is where the term came from, and it's a generic term covering products from many different manufacturers. Surely it should have an article in its own right? There should be an article on it, as the material exists and is relatively notable - I've not been able to see one under a trade name, however, and this generic term redirects here.

Can anyone see an article under a trade name which I've missed? Is there one under another generic term which I've not come across for this material? If neither, someone should start a stub article; I would suggest under the term 'sticky backed plastic', as it covers several different trade names. --82.70.156.254 (talk) 14:57, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Discontinuation of annual
As is noted in the article, Book 41, scheduled for Autumn 2011, was cancelled. In case other refs are required, here are some: -- Red rose64 (talk) 18:29, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

How come there is no mention of Joey Deacon?
I mean it was an early example of a pre-Internet meme!! Instead of it being a heart-warming tale of adversary in the mind of that middle-class ridden editor, the Biddie Baxter, the appearance of Joey became a school yard sensation!! It's all here:

It was thanks to Blue Peter that an entire generation of school kids were given the correct approbation for stupid behaviour, mistakes or downright imbecility! Yet there is no mention of this is the article! Why is that? Censorship by the middle classes? 86.168.108.227 (talk) 21:29, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Blue Peter. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20060628205823/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/cbbc/bluepeter/contact/faqs/ to http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/contact/faqs/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 00:28, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 09:52, 29 April 2016 (UTC)