Blue Peter (in-universe)

Blue Peter was a popular BBC children's television programme.

History

Faction Paradox attacked the Blue Peter garden in 1996. This caused a far more intense psychological reaction than any direct assault on the people's psyche. (PROSE: Interference - Book Two)

In 2006, an alien ship crashed into the Thames. Blue Peter presenter Matt Baker did a feature on how to make an alien ship cake. (TV: Aliens of London)

In 2008, Maria Jackson watched an episode in which the presenters Gethin Jones and Konnie Huq promoted the Bane's Bubble Shock! soft drink. (TV: Invasion of the Bane)

Other information

Ace, who left Earth in 1987, wore two Blue Peter badges on her jacket; one standard blue badge, one silver. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) One of them had been awarded for heroic achievement. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible)

The actor, Sophie Aldred, had won two Blue Peter badges in her youth and was entitled to wear them on-screen, according to the BBC's strict regulations regarding the use of Blue Peter badges. (BBC DVD: The Horns of Nimon)

Laurence recalled that the Doctor had a companion whose name was the same as a girl on Blue Peter. (PROSE: Telling Tales)

Behind the scenes

Overview

In real life, Blue Peter has had a longtime association with Doctor Who. It was used on many occasions to promote the series and upcoming episodes, monsters and special events, including the debuts of Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy, who spoke about taking up the role of the Doctor. Historically, the series has proven valuable for not only featuring contemporary interviews with actors and behind-the-scenes personnel from the series, but for also providing glimpses into production history.

For many years, the series also had another connection to the franchise in the form of co-host Peter Purves, who appeared on Blue Peter for many years after his tenure playing Steven Taylor in Seasons 2 and 3.

Doctor Who Magazine explored the programme and its vast connections to Doctor Who in its 334th issue.

Clips from missing episodes

A 1973 instalment of Blue Peter marking the tenth anniversary of Doctor Who included many excerpts from the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras; due to the BBC's then-ongoing practice of junking old episodes, these clips are in many cases the last surviving remnants of these episodes. These include such significant moments as the death of Katarina in The Daleks' Master Plan (which was aired on Blue Peter primarily because it featured then-co-host Peter Purves during his tenure as companion), and the regeneration of the First Doctor into the Second from The Tenth Planet.

These clips survived beyond their initial Blue Peter broadcast thanks to long-time showrunner Biddy Baxter's staunch policy of archiving every episode of Blue Peter.

Design a monster competitions

Blue Peter has run contests over the years involving Doctor Who. The design for the Abzorbaloff from 2006's Love & Monsters originated in a Blue Peter "design your own monster" competition, won by nine-year-old William Grantham. Contrary to rumour, the Krotons did not originate in a 1967 competition; a design-a-monster competition was held on Blue Peter, but the winning design did not appear on Doctor Who.

TARDIS design competition

In late 2009-early 2010, a Blue Peter contest invited viewers to submit designs for a new TARDIS control console to be featured in an upcoming episode. On 17th February 2010, Matt Smith chose twelve-year-old Susannah Leah's design as the winner; it was announced that Neil Gaiman's episode in Series 5 would feature this design in some way. However, the episode's funding ran out of money and it was pushed back to Series 6, when it appeared as The Doctor's Wife and featured Leah's design as the Junk TARDIS console. [1] [2] [3]

Impact on casting

Blue Peter directly influenced the casting of one character on Doctor Who. In 2006, a viewer contest was held for under-14s, with the prize being a chance to appear in an upcoming episode. The winner, John Bell, not only appeared in TV: Utopia, but in a significant role as Creet, a young boy Martha Jones befriends who later is transformed into a Toclafane.

Other information and trivia

When two Dalek props were stolen, Blue Peter ran an appeal to bring them back. They were returned within twenty-four hours.

Doctor Who

• Raymond Cusick (possibly didn't personally appear in studio, but was at least referred to by name and picture)
• Patrick Troughton (the first Doctor to judge a Blue Peter competition)
• Jon Pertwee
• Dick Mills (Special Sounds)
• John Nathan-Turner (Producer)
• Peter Davison
• Richard Hurndall
• Colin Baker
• Bonnie Langford
• Sylvester McCoy
• Christopher Eccleston
• David Tennant
• Elisabeth Sladen
• Anthony Head
• Freema Agyeman
• John Barrowman
• Russell T Davies
• Matt Smith
• Susannah Leah

Non-human characters

• A War Machine
• Daleks
• Cybermen
• K9
• L1 and L3 robots
• Robot Yeti (Mark 2)
• Sil
• Sea Devils
• Kraals

The Sarah Jane Adventures

• Elisabeth Sladen
• Samantha Bond - In character as Mrs Wormwood.
• Yasmin Paige
• Tommy Knight
• Daniel Anthony
• Anjli Mohindra

Episode clips

Doctor Who

• An Unearthly Child
• The Daleks' Master Plan - Clips from currently lost episodes.
• The War Machines
• The Tenth Planet - Regeneration clip from currently lost episode four.
• The War Games - Five from episode ten, including reused footage from currently lost Fury from the Deep (episode one).
• The Three Doctors
• The Hand of Fear
• The Ribos Operation
• The Pirate Planet
• Black Orchid
• The Five Doctors
• Journey's End

On DVD

Many Blue Peter segments relating to specific episodes and/or events have been included on DVD releases from BBC Video.

Doctor Who

• The Dalek Invasion of Earth (How to make Dalek cakes)
• The Romans (Feature on Roman life)
• The War Machines
• The Three Doctors (Feature on the "Whomobile" with Jon Pertwee)
• Robot (Filming on Doctor Who sets)
• Genesis of the Daleks (Stolen Daleks appeal)
• The Invisible Enemy
• The Stones of Blood
• The Horns of Nimon (part 1 of a 2-part retrospective documentary)
• The Leisure Hive
• Castrovalva
• The Five Doctors
• Black Orchid
• The Mark of the Rani
• Doctor Who (part 2 of a 2-part retrospective documentary)

The Sarah Jane Adventures

• From Series 1 DVD set: Set visit.

Blue Peter presenters in Doctor Who

• Peter Purves, prior to his presenting stint on Blue Peter, was an actor. He was cast as Morton Dill and then as companion Steven Taylor opposite William Hartnell's First Doctor in The Chase. Purves's presence on Blue Peter is directly credited with the fact that some footage from his era on Doctor Who survives due to being used in the show.
• Janet Ellis played Teka in The Horns of Nimon.
• Christopher Wenner had a walk-on part as a Roundhead soldier in The Awakening.
• Sarah Greene was unrecognisable as Varne in Attack of the Cybermen.
• Gethin Jones played a Cyberman and Dalek in Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End respectively.

External links

• BBC Cult TV page on the Doctor Who-Blue Peter connection
• Screencaps of Doctor Who stars on Blue Peter