A pioneering TV producer who turned Blue Peter into a national institution has died at the age of 92, the BBC has confirmed.
Biddy Baxter’s visionary leadership cemented the children's programme as a cornerstone of British broadcasting, fostering deep engagement with its young audience.
Born Joan Maureen Baxter in Leicester, she began her career at the BBC in 1955 as a radio studio manager, following her studies at St Mary’s College, Durham University.
After producing Schools Junior English programmes and Listen With Mother, she transitioned to television.
Taking over as editor of Blue Peter in 1965, Baxter introduced groundbreaking viewer engagement initiatives.
These included the famous Blue Peter badge and the widely recognised national appeals, actively encouraging children to send in letters, pictures, and programme ideas and making them integral to the show.
Baxter served as editor for more than two decades, winning two Bafta awards and receiving 12 nominations.
She departed the show in 1988 as her husband John Hosier, who previously worked as a BBC Schools music producer, had accepted a job offer in Hong Kong.
As a farewell, Baxter was awarded the programme’s highest honour: A gold Blue Peter Badge.
“I didn’t want to do anything other than Blue Peter,” she told The Guardian in 2013.
“I certainly never wanted to be an administrator or in charge of anything.
“It was an absolute dream and I never wanted to do anything else.
“It was a terrific time to be in television.”
Upon her return to the UK in 1993, Baxter continued to act as a consultant to BBC directors-general John Birt and Sir Michael Checkland.
In 2008, to mark Blue Peter’s half-century anniversary, she released a book entitled Dear Blue Peter...: The Best of 50 Years of Letters to Britain’s Favourite Children Programme.
She received the special award at the Bafta Children’s Awards in 2013.
