Career details to March 2014 Peter prepares to present an award to Ant and Dec at the NTV Award Ceremony at the Al bert Hall, ably assisted by Valerie Singleton and John Noakes Peter Purves Freelance TV Presenter Writer, Producer, Director and Presentation Consultant www.peterpurves.net [email protected] Career to Early 2009 Peter is one of Britain’s most experienced TV presenters of “live” magazine programmes, with literally hundreds of credits to his name. He is probably best known for his work on the BBC TV children’s programme, Blue Peter , which he presented for ten and a half years from 1967 to 1978. As part of what is affectionately known as the “Dream Team” (together with Valerie Singleton and John Noakes) he appeared in more than 850 episodes of what has become the longest continuously running children’s TV programme of all-time. His career began in the theatre, in what was known as weekly rep., with the Renaissance Theatre Company, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Barrow-in-Furness. It was a time he remembers with great affection, as the best training, the worst paid, the hardest work and the happiest two working years he has ever known. From the early 1960’s he appeared in many of the then current and popular television series for both the BBC and ITV, and in 1965 he joined the original Doctor Who , William Hartnell for a year as his sidekick in the still popular series. He occasionally attends the conventions held around the world for the show’s aficionados. Though he does limit these to one convention every three or four years!! He left the show in the summer of 1966. 2003 is the 40 th Doctor Who anniversary and Peter will be attending the main convention in November and appearing on several BBC programmes including the BBC 1 Doctor Who Documentary Special which was screened over the Christmas period 2006. He auditioned for Blue Peter programme in the autumn of 1967 and first presented the show on November 11th of that year. After ten and a half years he felt it was time to move on and he left the show at Easter 1978 to go to present three other series for the BBC, Stopwatch ( a children’s sports programme), We’re Going Places (a forerunner of Holiday) and a series of Blue Peter Special Assignments. Many other guest appearances followed in various shows, and he has remained in great demand ever since. One of his favourite engagements over a decade in the ‘80’s was the wonderful Motor Cycle Trials show, Kickstart and Junior Kickstart . He has regularly presented the BBC coverage of the world’s greatest dog show, Cruft’s since 1976 and in 1999 - 2007 the coverage also went to the USA for Animal Planet. Interestingly, the American producers are also the producers of Breed All About It, which Peter voiced for the European Discovery Channel market. A chronological CV follows, with details of every programme in which Peter has appeared (though there will be some omissions, which the memory has forgotten). Amongst his recent projects was Teen Trials a series for Granada Television, attempting to recapture the magic of Kickstart . He was also the host of Pet’s Go Public series for Channel 5’s Good Afternoon. In the autumn of 2005 he was navigator for his old Blue Peter colleague, John Noakes in Channel 5’s Britain’s Worst Celebrity Driver which took the pair on a tour of Britain ending at Lands End, after starting in one of the few places Peter had never been to before, John O’Groats. He regularly commentates at major national events such as the Royal Show, Discover Dogs, All About Dogs, the fast-growing Wag and Bone Show, the Cold Wet Nose Show, presented for the young TV channel Horse and Country TV , both at the CLA Game Fair, and from Discover Dogs. He looks forward to a continuing involvement with the company at various Dog events in the future. 2006/7 saw Peter presenting almost 100 programmes of an entertaining chat show for the Overseas Property Channel, called Destination Lunch , and more than 20 shows called Retire Abroad , for the same channel. He also traded commentary for judging, when he sat on the panel of judges in the dog-training reality show, The Underdog Show for BBC2 and a junior version for CBBC. Peter was Managing Director of a video production company, Purves Wickes , which produced a hundred or more corporate videos for clients as varied as BT and Boots, and several TV commercials. Peter occasionally presented these programmes, but more often worked as director, writer or producer. He left the company in 1997. Sadly his long time business partner and friend, Alan Wickes died in 2007. He also has spent several years in the 1990’s as specialist trainer of presenters, for the BBC, at its training centre at Elstree studios, as well as a continuing position as a tutor at The London Academy of Radio, Film & Television . This has www.peterpurves.net [email protected] involved elaborate and definitive training in the use of studio talkback, interview techniques, single camera and multi-camera presentation, and general reporting skills. Peter regularly wrote a monthly column, Purves Unleashed, for Our Dogs newspaper, which was also syndicated, and has written feature articles for several National and local newspapers, and has, on many occasions, been the subject of such articles. He is the author (in collaboration with the late celebrated photographer, Fay Godwin) of Tess – The Story of a Guide Dog. The book was written in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Guide Dog for the Blind Association, and made the Best Sellers list in 1981. Peter has directed many of Britain’s top variety and TV stars in pantomime, including The Chuckle Brothers, Hale and Pace, Ross Kemp, Bobby Davro, Linda Robson, Dennis Waterman, Rolf Harris, John Inman, Wendi Peters, The Grumbleweeds, Vicki Michelle, Anita Harris, Cheryl Baker, Cannon and Ball, Colin Baker, John Noakes, Lance Percival, Basil Brush, Harry Worth, Sylvester McCoy, Lesley Joseph, Tom O’Connor, Robin Askwith, Rula Lenska, Ben Warris, Matthew Kelly, Sarah Kennedy, Paul Daniels, Norman Bowler, Jean Ferguson and many others. Due to his successful involvement with Cruft’s dog show, and Superdogs for the BBC, he regularly hosts awards events for a number of the major dog-food manufactures. And he spent 12 months to July 1998 as the editor of Peter Purves’ Mad About Dogs Magazine monthly. Chronology – Major Credits Television, Radio & Events To March 2014 2014 Royal Anniversary Trust Commentator and host. London Guildhall 2014 Crufts Dog Show Commentator and Presenter More4 and Ch4 TV 2014 Memorabilia Attendee NEC Birmingham 2014 Association of London Clubs Guest Speaker Kennel Club 2013 “Hound Waves Radio Contributor Bayer Animal Healthcare 2013 Doctor Who 50 th Guest BFI BBC TV 2013 Doctor Who 50 th Guest BBC London Excel 2013 “Upstairs” Doctor Who Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2013 “The War to end all Wars” Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2013 Pointless Celebrities Guest BBC TV 2013 “The Bounty of Ceres” Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2013 10 th Planet – Doctor Who Guest Newcastle 2013 “An Ordinary Life” Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2013 Santander Markettiers Presenter Markettiers 2013 Doctor Who special Interviewee BBC TV 2013 Top 50 Children’s TV Shows Contributor Ch 5 TV 2013 Saga Ruby World Cruise Celebrity Speaker Saga 2013 Crufts Dog Show Presenter/commentator More 4 TV 2012 Dick Whittington Actor Act One Panto’s Harpenden 2012 Adriatic Cruise Guest Speaker P&O 2012 “The Return of the Rocket Men” Actor (Steven Taylor|) Big Finish Productions 2012 Baltic Cruise Guest Speaker Thomson Cruises 2012 Crufts Dog Show Presenter/ Commentator More 4 TV www.peterpurves.net [email protected] 2012 “The Anachronauts” Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2011 10 th Planet Guest Newcastle 2011 The Perpetual Bond Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2011 The Cold Equations Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2011 The First Wave Actor (|Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions. 2011 Tales from the Vault Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2011 The 5 Companions Actor (Steven Taylor) Big Finish Productions 2011 Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles Actor/Narrator Big Finish Productions 2011 Senior Tutor at the London Academy of Media Film and Telvision 2011 P&O Cruises Celebrity Speaker 2011 Ant and Dec's Push the Button Commentator 2011 Crufts Dog Show Senior Commentator The Kennel Club Webcast 2011 Waste Management AVP Productions Narrator 2011 Crufts Dog Show Senior Commentator More4 TV 2010 The Royal Anniversary Trust Host/Commentator 2010 John Smiths Bitter Voice Over TV Commercial 2010 P&O Cruises. Celebrity Speaker 2010 Senior Tutor at the London Academy of Media Film and Television 2010 Crufts Dog Show Commentator The Kennel Club Webcast 2010 Crufts Dog Show Commentator/Presenter More4 TV 2010 Doctor Who DVD's several Actor/Narrator 2009 Senior Tutor at the London Academy of Media Film and television 2009 Jack and the Beanstalk Lincoln Theatre |Royal (Cannon and Ball) Director 2009 BBC Audio Book The Dalek Master Plan (with Jean Marsh) Narrator 2009 Doctor Who DVD's several Actor/narrator Big Finish Productions 2009 Crufts Dog Show "Live" Webcast for the Kennel Club Commentator ** Denotes ongoing 2009 BBC Breakfast Guest 2009 Doctor Who The Space Museum Contributor DVD BBC 2009 Doctor Who The Chase Contributor DVD BBC/Stellanstar 2008 Paul O’Grady Show Guest 2008 Your Dog/Your Cat Awards : Host/Presenter 2008 Cooks Daily Challenge Guest/Judge ITV1 2008** Discover Dogs Presenter Horse & Country TV 2008 Doctor Who DVD – Guest Presenter 2008 Blue Peter 50 th Anniversary Show BBC 2008 Generation Sex Guest Channel 5 2008 Blue Peter Interactive Quiz Presenter CBBC 2008 ** CLA Game Fair .