Blue Peter scraps 66-year tradition in shock shake-up to BBC favourite

• Blue Peter will no-longer be recorded live.
• It is set to be fully pre-recorded in a bid to adapt to ‘changing viewing habits’.
• But the show will still be broadcast on CBBC and BBC Two.

Blue Peter is set to undergo a radical shake-up after six decades on the air, the BBC has announced. The beloved children’s TV favourite will no longer be filmed and transmitted live.

The longest-running kids show in the world will now be fully pre-recorded - with its last live episode having been filmed. Former presenter Janet Ellis told BBC News that the show will lose some of its “magic” by ditching the old format.

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But despite the change, Blue Peter is going nowhere. Here’s all you need to know:

Blue Peter ditches live format in shock shake-up

The beloved children’s show has been filmed and transmitted live since its debut all the way back in October 1958. However in a move inspired by changing viewing habits of modern viewers, the programme will instead be fully pre-recorded.

A BBC spokesperson explained: “The programme has been a mix of live and pre-recorded shows for decades and has transitioned to a pre-record model as viewing habits change. Blue Peter continues to be loved by generations across the UK.

"As we continue to navigate a challenging market and young audience viewing habits evolve, it is necessary to make some changes to ensure that BBC Studios Kids and Family Productions delivers a dynamic, digital-first brand that will future-proof the show and sustain its legacy for years to come."

The show will continue to be broadcast on CBBC and BBC Two, as well as on BBC iPlayer.

Blue Peter favourites react to change

Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas got his start on the BBC show back in the early 2000s. Reacting to the end of the live recordings, he posted on Instagram: “We probably didn’t realise it at the time; but we were working in the last years of the golden age of children’s TV, a time when children’s programmes filled the afternoons and Saturday mornings on BBC1 and ITV.

“An era when audiences were measured in the millions rather than the thousands. I don’t say golden in arrogant way; but everything has fragmented now and the way children consume entertainment has changed forever. There will never be another era like it again.”

Former presenter Richard Bacon added that “being live is what made it alive”.

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