Yours chats to Valerie Singleton
Ever wondered what happened to the stars of yesteryear? We take a look at the life of the much-loved presenter who found fame on Blue Peter
Even at the age of 81 and four decades on from her Blue Peter days, Valerie Singleton still gets letters from fans of the show. “People still write to me and say how much they enjoyed watching and how I meant so much to them,” she says.
Valerie started life as the daughter of an RAF Wing Commander and spent much of her early childhood moving around, until the family settled in London when she was 11. From the outset performing was a passion and she trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After a year in rep theatre with the likes of Sheila Hancock, Frankie Howerd and Nigel Hawthorne, she became a voice-over artist and then a continuity announcer with the BBC alongside Judith Chalmers. But it was in 1962 that an opportunity like no other came knocking at her door that would give her a decade of amazing work.
“I had so much fun on Blue Peter. It was a great opportunity to meet all kinds of people and to travel around the country and all over the world. I visited almost every city in Europe. In 1971 I even accompanied Princess Anne to Kenya for the Save The Children Fund which many people remember for the incontinent baby elephant which was totally uncontrollable. We were all crying with laughter.”
Partnered with Peter Purves and John Noakes on the show, they were hailed by some as the greatest Blue Peter team of all time. Valerie is still in contact with Peter today with whom she says she always had a great friendship, as she did with John Noakes who sadly passed away last year aged 83. “Not long ago, we appeared on a Blue Peter edition of The Weakest Link, and John arrived in my dressingroom when I was in my bra. We were so comfortable with one another, I wouldn’t have minded if John walked in when I was in the bath!”
Even after she finished officially on Blue Peter, Valerie continued to make regular appearances, most notably in 1976 to mark the sad death of the first Blue Peter cat, Jason, and for anniversary editions. She also presented another BBC children’s show, Val Meets the VIPs where she interviewed public figures in front of an audience of children who were invited to ask questions.
Valerie never married, though she was once engaged to the DJ Pete Murray. “I expect if I had ever been married, I’d probably be divorced by now,” she says. “I think the chances of having a relationship that lasts a lifetime are pretty slim. I’m rubbish at them.” She also says while she loved working with children on Blue Peter, she isn’t sad not to have children of her own. “I haven’t yearned for children, although I like their company. Maybe that’s helped me be more objective in dealing with them.”
Valerie now lives in the beautiful Somerset countryside. “I’d like to have lived for a while in another country, but then I’d also like to have spoken another language fluently, to have been better with money, to have had better relationships and maybe to have done different kinds of programmes!”