Dedicated collectors of the Blue Peter annuals like myself will have felt gutted last autumn when it was announced that there are to be no more BP books published in time for Christmas, ever again.
Of course, it isn't the first time that the continuity of the annuals has been broken, there was no book published in 1986, in 1990 and a five year gap between 1993 and 1997. During these gaps however there were other books published instead, for instance in 1990 The Blue Peter Green Book was published in partnership with Sainsburys.
The period between 1993 and 1997 saw the publication of:
1993 The Blue Peter Action Book and Hello, 21st Century
1995 The Blue Peter Book of Things to Make
Even so, five years was a very long time to wait for the return of that most essential Christmas stocking filler and it seemed like the end of a long and sacred tradition. Five years without a tray on Boxing Day on which to carry your other presents upstairs to your bedroom!
So this latest announcement will not be too much of a shock for Blue Peter stalwarts like me. Been there, got the badge and all the annuals, as it were.
When I looked through the annuals on sale at Tesco and Sainsburys this year, I was incredulous to see Peppa Pig and One Direction both on the shelves alongside the more deserving diehards like The Beano, Viz, Private Eye and Dr Who. But I draw the line at Cheryl Cole, JLS and Queens Park Rangers and feel quite aghast that these fly-be-nights all have annuals whilst a classic like Blue Peter has been assigned to the great bookshelf in the sky.
But no one can say that Blue Peter hasn't passed the test of time and proven its dissenters wrong on more than one occasion, so I for one will be keeping the faith and holding out for the return of 'the annual book' in some format once publishers start to realise that even the anorak market made up of collectors like me must surely to God represent a higher readership than Cheryl Cole and Queens Park Rangers stuck together?
In the meantime, I am pleased to say there has been no shortage of other BP books published in the past few years which kind of make up a little bit for the lack of the annuals. The programmes 50th anniversay year in 2008 saw the publication of books by former editors Biddy Baxter (Dear Blue Peter - The best letters sent to Blue Peter) and Richard Marson (Blue Peter 50th Anniversay - a personal account). The first of these is a lovely anthology of readers' letters which collectively and individually capture the spirit of Blue Peter and the relationship between programme makers, presenters and viewers.
The second of these books, Marson's anniversary book, is a rich and colourful history of the programme from its inception by the eccentric model train loving John Hunter Blair through to the new millennium and beyond. A book which both builds on and develops the 1989 history written by messrs. Baxter and Barnes (Blue Peter The Inside Story).
2009 saw the publication of the autobiography of Peter Purves, Here’s one I wrote earlier... and with so many well known presenters over the years, there must surely be scope for many more of these. There were noises a few years ago that Valerie Singleton was about to release her autobiography, though I don't think we have seen it yet - perhaps she was waiting to hear what Purves had to reveal first. In 2000 we had Fools Rush In the autobiography of Anthea Turner and in 2005 Gloria Hunniford published Next To You a powerful and moving biography of her daughter Caron Keating who died of cancer in 2004.
As if these books aren't sufficient, Richard Marson in particular has been prolific in terms of providing plenty of archival material for the Blue Peter junkie. His revised work Blue Peter Inside the Archives, second edition published in 2008, is a veritable feast of material to keep all of us occupied for the odd five years whilst they decide how to bring back the annual. Marson's chronicle covers the fifty year life span of the programme and provides a comprehensive guide to every show ever made.
Of course, it isn't the first time that the continuity of the annuals has been broken, there was no book published in 1986, in 1990 and a five year gap between 1993 and 1997. During these gaps however there were other books published instead, for instance in 1990 The Blue Peter Green Book was published in partnership with Sainsburys.
The period between 1993 and 1997 saw the publication of:
1993 The Blue Peter Action Book and Hello, 21st Century
1995 The Blue Peter Book of Things to Make
Even so, five years was a very long time to wait for the return of that most essential Christmas stocking filler and it seemed like the end of a long and sacred tradition. Five years without a tray on Boxing Day on which to carry your other presents upstairs to your bedroom!
So this latest announcement will not be too much of a shock for Blue Peter stalwarts like me. Been there, got the badge and all the annuals, as it were.
When I looked through the annuals on sale at Tesco and Sainsburys this year, I was incredulous to see Peppa Pig and One Direction both on the shelves alongside the more deserving diehards like The Beano, Viz, Private Eye and Dr Who. But I draw the line at Cheryl Cole, JLS and Queens Park Rangers and feel quite aghast that these fly-be-nights all have annuals whilst a classic like Blue Peter has been assigned to the great bookshelf in the sky.
But no one can say that Blue Peter hasn't passed the test of time and proven its dissenters wrong on more than one occasion, so I for one will be keeping the faith and holding out for the return of 'the annual book' in some format once publishers start to realise that even the anorak market made up of collectors like me must surely to God represent a higher readership than Cheryl Cole and Queens Park Rangers stuck together?
In the meantime, I am pleased to say there has been no shortage of other BP books published in the past few years which kind of make up a little bit for the lack of the annuals. The programmes 50th anniversay year in 2008 saw the publication of books by former editors Biddy Baxter (Dear Blue Peter - The best letters sent to Blue Peter) and Richard Marson (Blue Peter 50th Anniversay - a personal account). The first of these is a lovely anthology of readers' letters which collectively and individually capture the spirit of Blue Peter and the relationship between programme makers, presenters and viewers.
The second of these books, Marson's anniversary book, is a rich and colourful history of the programme from its inception by the eccentric model train loving John Hunter Blair through to the new millennium and beyond. A book which both builds on and develops the 1989 history written by messrs. Baxter and Barnes (Blue Peter The Inside Story).2009 saw the publication of the autobiography of Peter Purves, Here’s one I wrote earlier... and with so many well known presenters over the years, there must surely be scope for many more of these. There were noises a few years ago that Valerie Singleton was about to release her autobiography, though I don't think we have seen it yet - perhaps she was waiting to hear what Purves had to reveal first. In 2000 we had Fools Rush In the autobiography of Anthea Turner and in 2005 Gloria Hunniford published Next To You a powerful and moving biography of her daughter Caron Keating who died of cancer in 2004.
As if these books aren't sufficient, Richard Marson in particular has been prolific in terms of providing plenty of archival material for the Blue Peter junkie. His revised work Blue Peter Inside the Archives, second edition published in 2008, is a veritable feast of material to keep all of us occupied for the odd five years whilst they decide how to bring back the annual. Marson's chronicle covers the fifty year life span of the programme and provides a comprehensive guide to every show ever made.
To top these publications, 2012 has provided us with yet another revealing look at Blue Peter, this time by Alex Leger, ex-producer, director and cameraman in his book Blue Peter Behind The Badge - a truly delicious feast of untold stories from the nation's favourite children's programme. A beautiful and engaging book of very high quality. My signed copy will keep me happy for a good couple of years.
And so, a second Christmas has been and gone without a precious Blue Peter annual to lovingly explore. But all is by no means lost thanks to this fantastic recent output of Blue Peter literature. Long may it continue.
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