Four-legged friends for each generation: A look at the pets of Blue Peter
Blue Peter is one of the best-loved children's television shows of all time. There have been so many memorable moments over the last 60 years that will go down in television history – and often these have involved animals of all kinds.
From Lulu the Elephant running rings around presenters John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves before spending a penny on the studio floor in 1969 to the infamous robot dog R4 which in 1981 was introduced to the show's then resident canine Goldie, who circled round to his rear to greet him as only dogs know how.
Pets and animals have always been synonymous with the show, which topped a poll of the greatest children’s TV shows of all time last year
Last night the latest addition in the long line of Blue Peter pet was given his debut.
Adorable rescue dog Henry is a two-year-old beagle basset hound cross and according to the BBC, “loves long walks and is very inquisitive”.
Henry become the 10th dog to ‘present’ the CBBC show in its long history, and the latest in a line of different pets.
“Henry is such a friendly dog,” presenter Lindsey Russell said. “He’s already met the crew, had a good sniff around and seems to love it. Pets have always been such an important part of Blue Peter and it’s so exciting to be welcoming the latest one to the show.”
The first ever television pet was the beloved Petra, who appeared on the show between 1962 and 1977. She made her first appearance when Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton presented the show and became the pet for all children who were unable to have one of their own.
Young viewers were left devastated after her death and sculptor William Timym decided to make a bronze statue of her which was given pride of place at the front of Television Centre, before being moved to the Blue Peter garden in 1984. In 2011 the statue was moved and now welcomes visitors to Blue Peter in Salford.
Other dogs have included the excitable Shep who was the long-time partner of presenter John Noakes whose catchphrase was “Get down Shep” which inspired its very own tribute song by a band called the Barron Knights.
Then there was Goldie, who was the first in a line of Blue Peter Golden Retrievers including her puppy Bonnie who also featured on the show.
Mabel was the second longest serving dog after Petra, and appeared on the show for a whopping 14 years. She was also a rescue dog and joined the show when she was just six months old. Mable was instantly recognisable for having heterochromia eyes which means she had one blue and one brown.
Then was the time of Meg the Border Collie. Belonging to presenter Matt Baker she lived with him and his family in County Durham and left the show when he did in 2006. But this was just the start of the of her glittering career and went on to appear in other TV shows including Crufts, Countryfile and even had a barking part on the Archers.
And just before Henry, the now retired Barney joined the Blue Peter in 2009. A former strayhe was given to presenter Helen Skelton by the Dogs Trust and he left the show in 2013 with her and is happy in retirement.
But it's not just dogs which have captured the hearts of the nation.
Jason was the programme's first cat and joined in 1976. Jason was a Siamese cat and had his most memorable moment in 1975 playing the Cheshire Cat in the Christmas production of Alice in Blue Peter Land
Other felines included rescue kittens Kari and Oke. Their names were given by viewers in 1991 after the Blue Peter Summer Expedition to Japan where presenters John Leslie and Diane-Louise Jordan performed karaoke, and they were the longest serving cats on the show.
But probably one of the most loved pets was George the tortoise. For those who are long time fans of Blue Peter or have watched the show across generations then you'll probably be familiar with George as he was on air for a massive 22 years. His most famous moment actually came in 1988 when burglars broke into the garden and left his cage door open, and despite being a tortoise was able to make it three miles away before being found unharmed.
Viewers to Blue Peter last night saw newbie Henry's journey from the rehoming centre to meeting his new family and then his first trip to the studio. He already appears to be a hit on social media, and no doubt there will be plenty of antics to come which will endear him to children across the county.
