Anthea Turner has been awarded the rare and prestigious Gold Blue Peter badge more than three decades after leaving the iconic children’s show.
The television presenter, now 64, fronted Blue Peter between 1992 and 1994 and became one of its most memorable faces thanks to her high-energy approach and much-loved “makes” – most famously her Tracy Island model inspired by Thunderbirds, which went on to become the programme’s most popular craft project of all time.
Turner was presented with the accolade during a visit to Blue Peter’s new studio ahead of the relaunch of the long-running series next week.
The presentation was made by current hosts Abby Cook, Joel Mawhinney and Shini Muthukrishnan, alongside puppet star Hacker T Dog, in recognition of her “infectious excitement” and the way she inspired generations of viewers.
Gold Blue Peter badges are reserved for only a select few who have made an outstanding contribution to the show or to society. Previous recipients include Sir David Attenborough, Sir Paul McCartney and Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking at the ceremony, Turner admitted she had been waiting years for the honour.
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“I have coveted the golden Blue Peter badge for so many years and never got one – and now they’ve put this right,” she said.
“All these years I’ve been without one, and at every Blue Peter event I’ve hoped I would get one. It’s now even become a standing joke. So this is my proudest moment and I won’t forget it.”
Blue Peter, which first aired in 1958, remains the world’s longest-running children’s television programme. Its new look will debut on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on Friday 5 September, with a special Blue Peter edition of Bedtime Stories airing the previous evening on CBeebies.
Elsewhere, a 1990s time capsule containing items decided on by Blue Peter competition winners and sealed by Diana, Princess of Wales, at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has been unearthed for the first time in more than three decades.
Among the nostalgic finds were a pocket television, a solar-powered calculator, a European passport, a bottle of tree seeds, a snowflake hologram, and a Kylie Minogue CD.
