Wikipedia

Valerie Singleton

Valerie Singleton OBE (born 9 April 1937) is an English television and radio presenter best known as a regular presenter of the popular children's series Blue Peter from 1962 to 1972. She also presented the BBC Radio 4 PM programme for ten years as well as a series of radio and television programmes on financial and business issues including BBC's The Money Programme from 1980 to 1988.

Valerie Singleton
OBE
Born (1937-04-09) 9 April 1937 (age 87)
Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupations
Years active1959–present
Notable workBlue Peter (1962–1972)
Money Programme (1980–1988)

Early life

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Valerie Singleton was born on 9 April 1937 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire,[1] the daughter of ex-RAF wing commander Dennis Singleton OBE, later an advertising executive with J.W.Thompson, and Eileen Singleton LRAM (née Reed).[2] She studied dancing at the Arts Educational School, London, and at the age of twelve, appeared as a young dancer in Cinderella at the Finsbury Park Empire.[3] When Singleton was 16, she danced in Aladdin at the Kings Theatre, Edinburgh with Stanley Baxter playing Wishee Washee and was also a young singer in the Ovaltineys. She went on to spend two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, winning a scholarship for her first term and began her career as an actress at the New Theatre in Bromley.[4]

Career

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Career beginnings and acting work

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For several years Singleton pursued her acting career, including Nest of Robins, a No 1 Tour starring Jessie Mathews and Sonnie Hale. In 1959, she starred in the BBC television sitcom The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull. She began presenting on BBC Radio in 1963, hosting On the Sunny Side of the Street for the Light Programme.[5] She was also a reporter on BBC2's Time Out in 1964.[2] She became a voice over commentator for television commercials and presented, with Arnold a cartoon character, the Arnold Doodle Show on ITV on Sundays.[6]

Blue Peter

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Singleton joined the BBC in 1961 as a television continuity announcer and on 3 September 1962 joined Blue Peter, where she remained as a regular weekly presenter until 3 July 1972. In 1971, Singleton accompanied Princess Anne (later the Princess Royal) to Kenya on the Princess's first overseas trip as the newly assigned President of The Save The Children Fund, for the film Blue Peter Royal Safari. In 1998, the two women met to reminisce about the Royal safari for Blue Peter's fortieth anniversary programmes. At Christmas 1971 Singleton and the Blue Peter presenting team hosted the annual Disney Time on BBC1.[7]

The documentary Blue Peter Royal Safari led to the spin-off series, Blue Peter Special Assignments, in which Singleton was solo presenter. It was shown at weekends and ran from 1973 to 1981. Initially each edition focused on European capital cities, but later covered islands and the homes of well-known historic figures.[8] After making the last of her 'in studio' appearances on Blue Peter in October 1975 [9] she was featured as part of the end-of-year 'review'. She returned in January 1976 to mark the death of the first Blue Peter cat, Jason. Just a few weeks later, producer Edward Barnes wrote to tell her that as she was no longer associated with the show in any genuine sense, they were replacing her as the presenter of the Special Assignment series. Her fees were reportedly a factor in their decision.[10]

The programme continued to repeat items featuring Singleton for many years and she returned for a final series of the Special Assignment spin-off in 1981 reporting on the Yukon and Niagara Rivers. For both the 20th and 25th Anniversary editions of Blue Peter in 1978 and 1983 respectively, Singleton moderated the live link-ups from around the UK to launch the anniversary badge balloon hunts, thus extending her presenting tenure to 21 years. As a guest, she presented the "Outstanding Endeavour" award to its young recipient on the programme's 30th anniversary edition. Richard Marson states in his Blue Peter 50th Anniversary book that "Singleton never really left Blue Peter".[10]

During her time on Blue Peter, Singleton presented another BBC children's show, Val Meets The VIPs, a chat show which ran for three series during 1973–74.[11] Each edition featured an interview with a single public figure to which an audience of children were invited to put across their questions. A guest in March 1973 was the then Secretary of State for Education Margaret Thatcher, who when asked if she would like to be Prime Minister said that she did not have enough experience, nor would there be a "woman Prime Minister in my lifetime".[12]

Later work

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Plaque commemorating Singleton's opening of Priory Country Park

Having co-hosted a special programme about Metrication in July 1973,[13] she joined Nationwide in October 1973 as the show's "Consumer Unit" presenter with Richard Stilgoe, later becoming one of the main hosts of the show. Singleton was the co-anchor of Nationwide's royal wedding coverage in November 1973.[14] She left Nationwide in 1978 to present the BBC's late-night news programme Tonight, replacing Sue Lawley. In 1980, she was the presenter of BBC2's series A Kind of Childhood.[15] She made a brief return to Nationwide in the summer of 1983, presenting a series of films looking at people forced to leave their homeland and settle in Britain.[16]

Singleton hosted many other programmes, notably undertaking a ten-year stint on the Monday-to-Friday BBC Radio 4 PM programme beginning in 1982 (having previously presented the station's Midweek with Valerie Singleton[17]) and eight years presenting BBC2's The Money Programme from September 1980 to March 1988. While hosting PM, Singleton admitted she had a difficult relationship with co-presenter Hugh Sykes and threw a cup of water in his face while live on air. For the 1983 UK General Election held on 9 June, Singleton covered the results from two constituencies, Torbay and Truro. She interviewed the winning candidates, Frederic Bennett (Torbay) and David Penhaligon (Truro), after the results for the BBC's Election results programming.[18]

When she left PM in 1993, she presented a travel programme for ITV and became a regular travel writer for several national publications. She made a one-off return to PM on 29 February 2016 to co-present a special 'Leap Day' programme, alongside Eddie Mair.[19][20] In 1994, she was awarded the OBE for her services to children's television.[21]

In the 1990s she presented the quiz show Backdate on Channel 4. In the late 1990s she presented 12 episodes of Playback for the History Channel, a programme that asked well-known figures about events that have influenced the course of their lives. In 2019 she appeared in Can I Improve My Memory? for Channel 4. She was an early enthusiast for and patron of the painter Jack Vettriano.[22] In 2005, the story of Singleton's move from London to Dorset and the sale of the flat she had lived in for more than forty years was reported in The Times. According to the Metro newspaper in 2007, Singleton intended to publish her biography in time for Blue Peter's fiftieth anniversary in October 2008. According to the article, the book would reveal "a few things that will shock". The book is yet to be published.[23]

Singleton was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2001 when she was surprised by Michael Aspel.[24] Earlier, in 1974, she had been the featured castaway on Desert Island Discs.[25]

Personal life

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Singleton has never married or had children. In an interview, Singleton said she had an abortion during her time as a presenter on Blue Peter, and had brief relationships with her co-star Peter Purves and actor Albert Finney.[26][27] She was also once engaged to radio presenter and DJ Pete Murray.[3] She lives in Templecombe, Somerset.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Profile, screenonline.org.uk; accessed 25 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "TIME OUT – BBC Two England". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 30 April 1964. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Valerie, don't burst the Blue Peter bubble". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Here's one they made up earlier". The Guardian. 24 June 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. ^ "ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET – Light Programme". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 10 April 1963. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Ex-Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton on career and beyond". Yours. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Disney Time – BBC One .date=27 December 1971". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 27 December 1971. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Blue Peter: Special Assignments". Frank Finlay. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Blue Peter – BBC". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 20 October 1975. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  10. ^ a b Marson, Richard (21 September 2008). "Blue Peter" 50th Anniversary Book: The Story of Television's Longest-running Children's Programme. Hamlyn. ISBN 978-0-600-61793-8.
  11. ^ "BFI profile". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  12. ^ "BBC - Val Meets the VIPs, Series 1, Val Meets... Margaret Thatcher". BBC.
  13. ^ "Nationwide goes Metric – BBC One London". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 20 July 1973. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Wedding Breakfast – BBC One London". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 14 November 1973. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  15. ^ "A Kind of Childhood – BBC Two England". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 19 December 1979. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  16. ^ "Regional news magazines". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 21 July 1983. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Mid-Week with Valerie Singleton". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 7 May 1980. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Election '83". Off The Telly. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  19. ^ Valerie Singleton's wedding proposal to Eddie, BBC Radio 4, 29 February 2016.
  20. ^ Val Singleton returns to the PM Programme on Radio 4, Radio Moments, 1 March 2016.
  21. ^ Singleton, Valerie showreel.thetvroom.com, accessed 25 October 2020
  22. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over art gallery" [art gallery resources and information]. Everardread.co.za. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  23. ^ "Blue Peter autobiography 'to shock'". Metro. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  24. ^ "Blue Peter star Valerie Singleton says she almost didn't land life-changing role on BBC show". Daily Mirror. 24 June 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Desert Island Discs – BBC Radio 4 FM". Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 27 July 1974. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Singleton reveals Purves 'fling'". BBC News. 23 June 2008.
  27. ^ "Blue Peter's Valerie Singleton admits to having sex with Peter Purves". Daily Mirror. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  28. ^ "Blue Peter legend's Somerset village to fight new housing plan for third time". Somerset Live. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
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