TV’s ‘action man’

John Noakes was Blue Peter

IT IS paradoxical that John Noakes, television’s original ‘action man’, was actually terrified of cameras. For, to all intents and purposes, the Yorkshireman was a natural whose sense of adventure on the BBC’s iconic children’s programme Blue Peter was emblematic of a more carefree era.

That viewers of all ages took the informal Noakes, and his faithful border collie Shep, to their hearts spoke volumes about his popularity and willingness to perform death-defying stunts which gripped viewers and which would not be allowed today due to health and safety concerns.

Everyone has a personal favourite, from the Yorkshireman hurtling off a bobsleigh in St Moritz and showing off the bruises to an aghast audience, to the time he climbed Nelson’s Column on a series of rickety ladders without a safety harness. The horror etched across his face as he told viewers “I found myself literally hanging from the ladder with nothing at all beneath me” has to be seen to be believed; it was that terrifying.

Yet, in true John Noakesstyle, he made it to the very top before having to repeat the feat due to a sound failure. And this is how he deserves to be remembered – a natural entertainer whose relationship with his ever-faithful Shep was broadcasting at its best as Blue Peter became a national institution.

That he’s still remembered for his catchphrase ‘Get down, Shep’ nearly 40 years after leaving Blue Pete ris testament to an acclaimed performer who says he only survived the job by playing the clown and developing an on-screen persona as “this idiot John Noakes”. It was a role that he played to perfection.