Blue Peter Book Six

The sixth Blue Peter book was published in 1969 and featured a photograph of the 'fab three' team of presenters, John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves with mutts Petra and Patch and cat Jason all seated in one of the Emergency Doctors Cars which had been purchased for Biafra and Nigeria in that year's wool and cotton appeal.

By 1969 the dream team were getting into their stride, even if the signs were that John was more of the daredevil (or fall guy?) whilst Peter and Valerie were living the more sedate life. 

High flying

There were articles, for instance, about John's free fall parachute jump from 2,800 feet with the Red Devils and another about his day spent with the Royal Ballet School which he described in his own words as "the toughest thing I've ever done on Blue Peter".

Meanwhile, Peter got to make a Tottenham Hotspur rattle, baby sit the Blue Peter baby Daniel and make a layout for the Blue Peter model train layout. Valerie seemed to have been consigned back to 'mainly makes', collections and telling stories from history.

In fairness, the imbalance may be more perceived than a true reflection of the year's programmes and my nitpicking clouds the fact that this book, like its predecessors, was rich in variety. Peter's rattle make was followed by a great article about the F.A.Cup which I recall made me personally very happy as a child as it included the story of how the cup was stolen from a Birmingham shop in 1895 after my team Aston Villa had won it. I wonder how many football teams have had a mention in Blue Peter books over the years?

Ground breaking

Peter's feature showing him caring for the Blue Peter baby was actually very radical for the time, in spite of his alledged protests to Biddy at being made to look after a baby whilst Noakes was off jumping out of aeroplanes, to his great credit Peter's demonstration to the young audience of 1969 that men could provide child care as well as women was probably much more ground breaking.

Book Six saw the intrepid trio flying off to Oslo in Norway to collect London's annual gift of a Christmas tree and, well actually, if its action you want, there was a dramatic sword fight featuring John and Peter dressed as muskateers. Peter's former acting career coming to the fore as he looked every bit the part of D'Artagnon! 

Bleep and Booster remained firm favourites in 1969, as did Bengo the boxer pup and Paddington the bear was getting into trouble once again. Geoffrey Wheeler's amazing cut away diagramme that year was a Fowler BB1 traction engine and Val's history story was about the great Russian Prima Ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Something for every child's interest.

By December 25th 1969 the format was now well and truly tried and tested and for children of the 1960s and early 70s like me, the Blue Peter book was becoming as much a part of Christmas as presents under the tree, my dad cracking open his Brazil nuts and the family settling down for the Morcambe and Wise show with a large tin of Quality Street.