Blue Peter cut back to 2 shows a week

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2088135,00.html


Titles says it all really - usual argument when things of cut back of focusing on quality rather than quantity!


I think though the shows days are numbered myself!

I think this is very sad indeed, as the future is not looking as rosy for Blue Peter as it once was. Still, one must remeber that Blue Peter is sort of reverting to its original 1990s state of 2 shows a week (and the 5 editions a week referred to on the site... presumably including the repeats on CBBC?). Mind you though, for a couple of years they have simply used one show a week to repeat previous editions' clips. Providing they stick to not repeating old material, and having two live shows a week, this could well reinvigorate the programme. I hope and pray that Blue Peter makes it to its 50th anniversary - then the BBC could let it go out on a bang.

I still remember all the three-times-a-week hype. Whoever-the-CBBC-presenter-was-then would go "Good news, Blue Peter's going three times a week!" and music would play and him and Otis the Aardvark would start dancing, before he'd go "Wait, wait, stop the music! Not until next Monday". Every single day.

I haven't watched it regularly for years but there was a really interesting edition on the other day where they got these kids to watch programmes from the 70s, 60s and 50s (and possibly 80s and 90s although I tuned in late) and comment on them. The highlights included one of the kids saying "This is just like Tikkabilla!" while watching Playschool, and Konnie (I can't believe she's still presenting, must be a decade now) saying how they can only aspire to be like Val, John and Peter.

Yes, it is, ten years. In fact they had a Spoof programme on CBBC recently, and they made jokes like, 'hello, I'm Konnie, I've been here since I was one'.

Shame about this episode reduction, I think it was good when it was 'Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays'.

Konnie finishes in February I think - she's doing a Tony Blair and going for 10 years to smash Valerie Singletons record!

With three shows a week though, she must have done at least twice as many shows than any other presenter.

I didn't know Valerie Singleton was prime Minister

I am surprised that Blue Peter will be fifty nest year and Konnie is the last of the four presenters I grew up with, with Matt, Simon and Liz

Mind you though Jugalug, Blue Peter got messed around earlier on this year (I think when it came back on in the Autumn) and went to being Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is mainly due to the demise of the two staple CBBC shows of Grange Hill and Byker Grove. Apparently, new dramas were to be commisoned in their wake. As yet, the only well produced new drama that has been commisioned is the MI High.

Probably Toby Anstis, now apparently a presenter on the London radio station Heart 106.2. Or just possibly Richard McCourt, who's older than he looks.

She's been around longer than that - according to Blue Peter Book 27 she appeared on the programme as a child and won a badge.

Sorry if this counts as threadjacking, but I've never actually seen Spoof - what's it like in comparison to Dead Ringers , 2DTV , Spitting Image et al?

E. Heath, H. Wilson, V. Singleton, B. Brush. Don't they teach you anything in school these days?

Not forgetting G. Gopher and A. Aardvark. I hear the next candidate for the Lib Dems is a Ms. K. Huq.