Richard Bacon overjoyed to be 'welcomed back to the Blue Peter fold' 20 years after he was fired
The TV presenter and his former colleagues were celebrating the show's 60th anniversary
Presenter Richard Bacon has been welcomed back to 'the Blue Peter fold' almost 20 years to the day after he was fired from the show.
Legendary BP host Peter Purves pinned a coveted Blue Peter badge on the former star – who was sacked from the children's show in 1998 after admitting to taking cocaine –at the Blue Peter 60th anniversary celebrations, saying "welcome back into the fold". The two then shared a hug, drawing a line under a painful bit of Blue Peter history that saw Bacon forced to return his original badge when he left the series.
Many old school Blue Peter fans then shared their delight at this on Twitter – and some reckon a few other former presenters deserve similar recognition.
"Quite right Richard has been welcomed back – he is part of its history and after his recent health scare it's good to see him in the studio," Paul Jackson wrote. "When will legendary presenters like Leila, Anita, Sarah and Mark finally receive their long overdue Gold Badge?"
The longest running children's TV series in the world celebrated its 60th birthday in style on Tuesday night with an anniversary special broadcast live on CBBC, which was followed by a party attended by Bacon, Purves and fellow former presenters including Katy Hill and Matt Baker, as well as pop stars Ed Sheeran and Sophie Ellis Bextor, daughter of former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis.
