While it's rare for TV producers to become household names, Biddy Baxter is an exception, having steered Blue Peter – now the world's longest-running children's show – for over 25 years, becoming more recognisable than many of its hosts.

Biddy Baxter was the mastermind behind the show's eclectic blend of action, adventure, animals, and nature.

She was the driving force behind the iconic Blue Peter "makes" – crafting everything from a doll's house sitting room to gifts for the whole family – and it was Biddy who launched the annual appeals that raised millions for charitable causes both domestically and internationally, often through recycling drives involving viewer participation.

Her catchy, alliterative name, which rolled in the credits after each episode, twice weekly for ten months annually, resonated with kids and stuck with adults alike.

Interestingly, Biddy wasn't her given name; she entered the world on May 25, 1933, as Joan Maureen Baxter.

The name Joan was exceedingly popular at the time (shared by the likes of Joan Collins, born just two days prior), and on young Joan Baxter's first day at school, she found herself among a sea of Joans. When the teacher sought an alternative, the prompt response was: "Yes. Biddy," despite never having been called that before – and thus, the name endured.

This moment was a testament to Biddy's innate self-assurance, a trait that would eventually see her ascend to the pinnacle of television production, a remarkable feat in an era when such ambitions for women were far from the norm.

Biddy, who died this week at the age of 92, began her BBC career in 1955 as a radio studio manager following a nerve-wracking interview.

An interviewer enquired sternly: "Tell me, Miss Baxter, what would you do in a small space with a screwdriver?" Unfortunately, her response has been lost to history.

Her initial role involved managing the studio's technical operations, including creating sound effects - from footsteps trudging through snow to the gentle clatter of teacups at gatherings.

Several mishaps occurred during this period; she once accidentally toppled a massive studio screen onto a distinguished elderly actress from the BBC's repertory company. On another occasion, she delayed the overseas news bulletin by ten minutes.

"It was the worst moment of my life," she remembers.

A formal investigation report was mandatory, but a sympathetic senior manager rewrote her account, attributing the error to technical difficulties rather than human error. "It wasn't my fault anymore," she chuckles.

"My first lesson in the great BBC tradition of passing the buck."

Transitioning from radio to television, she inevitably faced considerable sexism. However, Biddy experienced no #MeToo moments.

"I used to find a knee in the b******s worked wonders," is how she puts it.

She assumed control of Blue Peter, then a relatively minor weekly programme, in November 1962. From the outset, she was a standout figure.

Towering, blonde and shapely, she was always impeccably dressed in designer garb and striking jewellery.

She became renowned for her signature stiletto heels, flouting BBC regulations that banned them from the studio floor.

The studio was Biddy's realm, the foundation of all her ambitions to expand the show's influence and stature.

She scrapped the conventional set design, opting instead for a vast, brightly lit open area where she declared, "anything can happen" - even if it meant chasing a stray flock of penguins into off-limits parts of the studio with the cameras in tow.

Viewers were quick to embrace her dynamic style, and by 1964, the BBC had upped the programme to air twice a week.

Biddy maintained a relentless pace, seldom taking a day's leave. She enforced a strict "no show, no dough" rule, ensuring presenters showed up despite colds or other maladies.

Her approach to managing her stars was unyielding.

"It was always criticism rather than praise," remembers presenter Peter Purves (1967-1978). "She was absolutely a control freak. The way she managed us just infuriated me. Val [Singleton] shared my sentiments. John [Noakes] despised her as well."

Despite her high-fashion persona and refined accent, Biddy was known to curse with the best of them.

Presenter and future Chief Scout Peter Duncan (1980-1986) was initially approached to join the show in 1978. Biddy Baxter, the show's editor, invited him to observe a live transmission.

"There was a lot of effing and blinding going on - liberal use of the 'C' word," he chuckles. "It was aggressive but quite exciting."

However, Duncan had second thoughts and declined the offer.

It took another two years before he agreed to join the team. Meanwhile, Biddy continued her relentless pursuit for the largest studios and top-notch facilities.

Another long-standing BBC programme, Tomorrow's World, became a fierce competitor as they too vied for the best resources at Television Centre.

"She would want to have a parade of guardsmen in the car park at the same time as we needed it to test a new robot," recalls former Tomorrow's World Editor Richard Reisz.

"Her attitude was, 'I'm afraid we need it, so you'll have to find somewhere else'."

Her ace in the hole was her excellent rapport with most of the BBC's senior (and predominantly male) management. "If there was a stalemate," one of her producers explains, "she would just put in a call to the Controller of BBC1. She treated him like an oversized school child."

When incoming Controller Michael Grade tried to cut costs by making Blue Peter and Tomorrow's World share a studio, Biddy was ready for a fight.

"Oh my God!" exclaims Grade. "Every time I saw her, she was relentless and passionate that this couldn't work. Her life was that show. Without that obsessional talent, the programme would never have maintained the quality that it did."

The Blue Peter garden (a concept borrowed from ITV's competing programme Magpie) was created from a patch of derelict land behind the Television Centre restaurant building. "Biddy claimed it like Captain Cook," her colleague and superior, Edward Barnes, subsequently remembered.

Creatures formed a significant element of the show's charm; not merely the visiting variety (most notably, Lulu the defecating elephant, in 1969) but the collection of resident animals, from Petra and Shep the dogs, to Jason and Jack and Jill the cats, plus various parrots.

"Fur and feather are more popular than flesh," Biddy would warn stubborn presenters.

It was considered essential to keep the animals on screen whenever possible - an enraged Biddy once hurled her handbag at a director who had missed filming a close-up of Goldie, the programme's golden retriever.

The pets' birthdays were invariably occasions for grand festivities. When the late Caron Keating proposed that presenters' birthdays might also be marked, Biddy responded: "Oh darling! You'd never get as many cards as the dog!".

The programme's popularity made it irresistible to visiting stars. Paul McCartney telephoned, volunteering to publicise his Frog Chorus single.

"So sorry, darling," Biddy responded. "I don't think children will know who you are."

When Elton John graced the show in 1983, he was asked by an assistant producer why he had chosen to appear.

His response?

"Because I want to meet Biddy Baxter," adding, "Is it true she wears high heels in the studio?".

Each day of intense rehearsal culminated in a live broadcast, with no autocue in sight. Presenters were expected to memorise their lines and adapt to Biddy's last-minute edits and alterations.

Presenter Peter Duncan (1980-1986) fondly recalls, "You knew by the pace of her heels how bad you had been," Simon Groom (1978-1986) adds, "Biddy's script would be covered in subtle comments like 'rubbish', 'mean it' or 'not convincing', almost as though she was marking a piece of schoolwork."

Despite its rigour, this system led to the show's esteemed reputation, and many of the presenters who worked under Biddy's demanding regime now look back with respect.

"Biddy was the best teacher," asserts Janet Ellis (1983-1987). Peter Purves (1967-1978) concurs, stating, "The show was successful because of Biddy, not in spite of her. Her control of the programme was exemplary."

Biddy didn't leave Blue Peter of her own accord.

In the summer of 1988, she was gently pushed out by a new head of children's programmes who envisioned the show evolving without its formidable matriarch.

Although privately heartbroken, Biddy made a quiet exit.

She had no desire to create another TV show - after all, what could surpass Blue Peter?

Instead, she spent her post-Blue Peter years working freelance as a consultant for various Director Generals until her retirement in 2000.

Despite her innate understanding of what captivated young minds, Biddy never became a mother herself.

When probed by journalist Mark Lawson on the matter, she sharply retorted, "Rose West was a mother!"

For Biddy, Blue Peter was akin to her own offspring.

Her disinterest in household life meant that juggling a career with the roles of wife and mother was out of the question. Her long-standing partner, the distinguished musicologist John Hosier, respected her independence.

The couple enjoyed social events, hosted gatherings, and holidayed together, yet they maintained separate residences – only tying the knot shortly before Hosier's untimely passing in 2000.

Taking over as Editor from 2003-2007, I ensured that Blue Peter remained true to the lofty standards Biddy had established.

Getting to know her and experiencing her extraordinary character firsthand, I became convinced that her tale was ripe for an enthralling biography.

Yet, amid all the accolades and recognition during her illustrious tenure, she never lost touch with the ability to view the world through a child's eyes.

Richard Marson is a former Blue Peter editor-in-chief and TV historian.