News about Valerie Singleton

After a mass reshuffle that culminated in three presenters' resignation within 14 months, Blue Peter landed Shini Muthukrishnan, a 22-year-old Tik Tok veteran, as the new host. Following the slew of departures, there were doubts that the longest-running children's television show could be cancelled, with insiders branding the program a "very sad, sinking ship" in October. Also, show bosses will be hoping that promoting Shini will bring some peace to the much-loved show on January 19.

ROBERT HARDMAN: No one heard the beast coming, and there was nothing to hide anyway. 'I remember the elephant screaming out of the bush and with its ears spread and trunk length,' wrote Prince Charles.' 'I was so shocked by the narrativeness of it all that I was unable to get my legs to respond to any brain signals.' It did the job, and it did not fail. 'The elephant was so taken aback by my not running away from it.' . . It slunk away into the bush once more.'

Staff on the much-loved BBC show Blue Peter expressed their dissatisfaction with the possibility that it would be cancelled after three of its presenters resigned in less than a year. The show, which is well-known for its craft projects, makes liberal use of'sticky-back plastic', according to insiders, as a'very sad, sinking ship'. Mwaksy Mudenda, a popular host, left the show at the end of last month, leaving only two presenters to anchor it for the first time since long-serving daredevil host John Noakes joined Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves in 1965. Insiders are also concerned over viewing figures, with insiders concerned that the broadcast of CBBC's digital channel would be blocked. CBBC is struggling to keep up with YouTube Kids and other distractions, such as computer games, is among the concerns.

The accolades paid to Biddy Baxter are well deserved: 'The BBC has never seen a more dedicated, passionate, and pioneering children's producer in its history,' Sir David Attenborough states in this book. Sir Simon Rattle says, 'Isn't a good lady.' Biddy, a Leicester-based journalist who edited Blue Peter, a twice-weekly magazine publication that has been enjoyed, imitated, mocked, celebrated, revered' in the words of Marson, for 26 years, from 1962 to 1988. Blue Peter, the world's longest-running children's television show, remains a mash-up of animal and pet products, awards, humanitarian appeals, global exploration, cookery demonstrations, and history lessons.

On Monday, Falkirk's Abby Cook was announced as the 42nd presenter to join the Blue Peter crew. Abby is the 42nd host of the country's longest-running children's television show, and he will co-host alongside Mwaksy, Joel, and Henry the dog.

David Bowie was a rock star like no other, and Moonage Daydream is a remarkably singular documentary about his ostensibly miraculous life but actually a journey of two hours in his ferocious mind. The last film I saw about Bowie was the hopelessly misconceived 2020 biopic Stardust, with a disastrously miscasting of Johnny Flynn as the man himself, an effort doubly hamstrung by the Bowie estate's refusal to encourage the use of his music.

DAISY GOODWIN: Did you get up to watch Laura Kuenssberg? We did: The BBC's Sunday morning politics show is something of a ritual in our household, the ultimate accompaniment to a bacon sandwich and a hefty mug of tea as the week's talking points are debated. Laura's debut in the seat that had been vacated by Andrew Marr last year was added to the excitement this weekend. We're huge fans of our family's movie. Laura K is one of the leading figures in contemporary affairs - literally and figuratively, she delivers incisive analysis with a splash of color that makes her stand out in the midst of a bleak, befitting world of television news. Gone were the no-nonsense, primary-colour dresses, and sensible shoes (as a journalist, they meant she could sprint after a minister who was trying to dodge her questions). Whatever the weather, shivering outside No. 10, soaked through on College Green or buffeted on a BBC HQ rooftop, that windswept bob, the result of a thousand 'pieces to camera'. It was a sign of her vanity and her enduring 'let's just get on with this' attitude. What is it about a TV studio that makes women, in particular, feel that they have to dress up?Why did Laura Kuenssberg glam up when no one cared what Andrew Marr wore?