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Blue Peter

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Blue Peter

Blue Peter is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Television Centre in London until September 2011, when the programme moved to dock10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester. The show is currently broadcast from Campfield Studios in Manchester as of September 2025. It is currently aired on the CBBC television channel on Fridays at 5 p.m. The show is also repeated on Saturday mornings on BBC Two, Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and a BSL version is shown on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. For decades the show was regularly broadcast live; however, in March 2025, a fully pre-recorded format was introduced. Following its original creation, the programme was developed by a BBC team led by Biddy Baxter; she became the programme editor in 1965, relinquishing the role in 1988. Throughout the show's history there have been forty-four presenters; currently, it is hosted by Joel Mawhinney, Abby Cook, Shini Muthukrishnan and Hacker T. Dog. The show uses a nautical title and theme. Its content, which follows a magazine/entertainment format, features viewer and presenter challenges, competitions, celebrity interviews, popular culture, and sections on making arts and crafts items from household items. The show has had a garden in both London and Salford, known as the Blue Peter Garden, which is used during the summer and for outdoor activities. The programme has featured a number of pets including dogs, tortoises, cats and parrots. The longevity of Blue Peter has established it as a significant part of British culture and British heritage.

Infobox

Genre
Entertainment
Created by
John Hunter Blair
Presented by
Joel MawhinneyAbby CookShini MuthukrishnanHacker T Dog(See full list)
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language
English
No. of episodes
5,294 (list of episodes)
Production locations
BBC Lime Grove Studios (1958–1960)BBC Television Centre (1960–2011)dock10 studios (2011–2025)Campfield Studios (2025–present)
Running time
15 minutes (1958–1960s)25 minutes (1960s–2008)35 minutes (2005–2006; CBBC Channel Extension)24 minutes (2008–2011)28 minutes (2012–present)60 minutes (birthday specials and documentaries)
Production companies
BBC Children's Productions (2018–2022)BBC Studios Kids & Family (2022–present)
Network
BBC1 (1958–2012)BBC2 (1980–present) CBBC (2012–present)
Release
16 October 1958 (1958-10-16) –present

Tables

· Broadcast history › Summary
1958–1959
1958–1959
Col 1
1958–1959
1959–1960
1959–1960
Col 1
1959–1960
1960–1964
1960–1964
Col 1
1960–1964
1964–1994
1964–1994
Col 1
1964–1994
1994–2006
1994–2006
Col 1
1994–2006
2006
2006
Col 1
2006
2007
2007
Col 1
2007
2007–2010
2007–2010
Col 1
2007–2010
2010–2011
2010–2011
Col 1
2010–2011
2012–2021
2012–2021
Col 1
2012–2021
2022–
2022–
Col 1
2022–
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1958–1959
1959–1960
1960–1964
1964–1994
1994–2006
2006
2007
2007–2010
2010–2011
2012–2021
2022–

References

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