We love Leila

Before anyone emails me to complain that I have turned my Blue Peter appreciation blog into a retro girlie magazine blog, I need to explain that this is the front cover of Picturegoer with Disc Parade Magazine week ending September 1959, featuring beauty queen Leila Williams on the front cover.

For younger Blue Peter viewers, well ok anyone under the age of 65, lovely Leila Williams from Walsall was the first female Blue Peter presenter from 1958 to early 1962, co-hosting the brand new children's show alongside the legendary Christopher Trace.

But Leila had many strings to her bow, in 1957 she won the Miss Great Britain title and after she was made redundant from Blue Peter because producer Clive Parkhurst couldn't think of anything for her to do (well how many presenters does it take to make a model train set), she went into a spot of acting then married Fred Mudd (the lead singer with The Mudlarks - yes that Fred Mudd).

Back in September 1958, Picturegoer with Disc Parade celebrated their Miss Great Britain front cover scoop thus:

Our Cover Girl

Leila Williams, this week's cover girl, has earned herself a new title . . . "Miss Weather." In April this ex-beauty queen took the job of broadcasting weather forecasts for a commercial TV company. Although the experiment of having woman forecasters failed, the name has stuck - as far as Miss Williams is concerned.

"They just decided they didn't want glamorous girl announcers any more," she sighed. "Still, I enjoyed it while it lasted." After small parts in The Lady Is A Square and The Mouse That Roared, she says: "I'm determined to become a straight actress. The Money I've earned through winning beauty contests and from TV roles has gone towards dramatic training. So I'm hoping that the forecast for me is now bright and cheerful."

Leila shows off the prototype doll for her successor Valerie Singleton

        
There was no mention of Blue Peter in this snippet of an interview with Miss Williams in Picturegoer with Disc Parade though her first appearance must surely have been imminent. Leila's post-Miss GB / weather girl / Blue Peter presenter  career path would include working as store manager at Dorothy Perkins and then being a publican alongside singing hubby Fred.

And if anyone is wondering who was in the hit parade in 1958, the magazine's pop round up included Vince Eager, The Megatrons, Conway Twitty, Ella Fitzgerald, Knuckles O'Toole, Mel Torme, Dizzy Gillespie, Big Bill Broonzy and George Hamilton.    
        

Fred Mudd and his group would knock spots of both Knuckles O'Toole and Conway Twitty