Blue Peter, which began in 1958 and has spanned generations, has seen a host of presenters come and go over the decades. While stars like Matt Baker, Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton still appear on screens today, hosting different shows, others are sadly no longer with us.
The show is currently mourning the loss of longtime editor Biddy Baxter, who was part of the show in the 1960s and 70s and was described as "an absolute powerhouse". Tributes have been pouring in for the 92-year-old, whose death was announced earlier today (Monday, August 11). An official statement said: "We are sad to report that longtime Blue Peter Editor Biddy Baxter has died at the age of 92. We salute a true pioneer, who navigated changing times in the television industry with instinct, tenacity and style."
Here, Express.co.uk takes a look at what happened to the original Blue Peter presenters.
Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter, who turned the show into a national institution, was part of the programme from 1965 to 1988. Her death was announced this morning (Monday, August 11) aged 92 years old.
She intended to become a prison officer, but she noticed the BBC was looking for staff, and the rest is history.
Former presenter Peter Duncan said of Biddy on BBC Breakfast: "She was truly a one-off within the BBC. If something upset her, she would trail off to see the DG (director general) and tell him what she thought. We need people like that now more than ever."
(Image: Getty Images)
When the show was launched in 1958, it was helmed by two presenters, Christopher Trace and Leila Williams. Both are recognised as the original hosts of the show, with Christopher best known for training the puppy Petra and his love of travel, while Leila was crowned Miss Great Britain 1957.
Despite stepping away from the media in the 1970s, Christopher made a brief return to the BBC in the 1990s to guest on and later host the nostalgia series Are You Sitting Comfortably?
His life took a turn for the worse after he was axed from the BBC show and his wife divorced him. He died aged 59 in 1993 from cancer.
(Image: BBC)
Leila Williams was the first female presenter of Blue Peter. She had a prolific acting career before returning to the programme for its 40th anniversary in 1998 and 60th anniversary in 2018.
According to reports, she left the show at the beginning of 1962 after being made redundant by a newly appointed producer with whom she did not get along.
The BBC said up until recently, Leila ran pubs with her husband, including the Royal Oak in Surbiton. The star recently retired to live in Spain.
(Image: BBC)
John Noakes was the longest-serving presenter of all, departing after nearly 13 years. John pursued various ventures, including authoring a book and later running a boat rental business in Spain with his wife.
In 1999, he made a return to television while co-hosting an ITV series called Mad About Pets.
The dog lover, who adopted pooches from the show, died in May 2017, in Palma, Majorca. Half of his ashes her scattered by firework over the playing fields of his old school at Rishworth, and the rest were scattered in Majorca.
(Image: BBC)
