Summary
"Blue Peter" is a magazine programme for children offering a mix of news, entertainment and educational features. The show is famous for teaching youngsters how to make things from everyday objects. Classic makes include a pencil case made out of a washing-up bottle, a hammock for dolls, a chocolate Easter cake and the most famous one of all, Tracy Island, the home of the Tracy family in Thunderbirds, put together using a grocery carton, paper bowl, sandpaper, drinking straw and pipe cleaners. Long-standing traditions include creating an advent crown using wire coat hangers, taking a summer expedition abroad, launching an annual charity appeal and awarding "Blue Peter" badges to deserving children and adults who have made a notable contribution to society or fulfilled a particular accomplishment. For many years the programme has featured its own garden and there has been a veritable zoo of pets adopted by the programme. Christopher Trace and Leila Williams were the original presenters in 1958. When the series returned in September 2011, Barney Harwood and Helen Skelton presented the long-running show from their new studio in Salford Quays.
