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lu-lus-duckies · 1 month

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@huskers-bar x @nunalastor chapter 4

Tags: enemies to lovers, angst?, eventual fluff, yearning?, soft huskers-bar, both mods are separate people, no beta we die like i do, minor character death, ooc, au: hellaverse (hazbin hotel), nunalastor is head of the marketing department, jealousy?, huskers-bar is an employee at voxtek, lulu as a villain, huskers-bar is a liar, secret dating?

chapter: 4/? / chapter Word count: 2,484 / total word count: 7,426

nunalastor as a single entity is nunalastor, traumatized mod dickmaster and cursed mod nun. and huskers-bar just husk/huskers. babygirl anon will be babygirl anon. I will be lulu. Angie will be angie but is meant to be read as angel dust.

A/N: pure lore this chapter. Almost none of the funny :( sorry. i've decided that as an apology for not being active at all today, the entirety of the next chapter is just going to be nunalastor fucking. I will also stop talking about plot from now on, cuz i'm just bullshitting my way through at this point.

"Hi" Lulu greeted. The room fell into an awkward silence, and the air thickened with palpable tension. Lulu locked his gaze with Alastor's, refusing to look away. The seconds stretched into minutes, elongating the unspoken battle of wills and determination, a staring contest neither wanted to lose, although Lulu was undeniably unaware of the game and was just being a menace.

"how may I assist you today?" Alastor finally spoke, his voice punctuated by a forced smile that failed to reach his eyes. The constant staring wasn't enough to get him to blink even once, but the mundane nature of just staring at Lulu was more than reason enough for Alastor to interject their five extremely long minutes of silence. Plus he didn't need the other members of the hotel to start asking questions. they were too persistent anyway.

Lulu snapped out of his reverie, jolted back to reality by Alastor's question. He rummaged through his bag, shuffling items aside in search of something specific, his actions conveying a sense of excitement. Ugh, he could've been a living vibrator with how jarring the immediate mood shift was. "Ah, right," He mumbled, his attention divided between the bag and Alastor. "I'm here to try and convince you to help me... Again."

Alastor let an exasperated sigh slip, pinching the bridge of his nose. This had been the third time lulu approached him this week alone and this feral... whatever that thing was, wasn't giving up on it "we've already went over this lulu, I am not going to help you steal Lucifers blood"

Lulu pouted, letting out a saddened squeak, his hands immediately stopping their search for the list of reasons Alastor should let Lulu steal Lucifers blood "Not even for 75 souls? Really cute ones?" He bargained, shoulders slumping and posture generally turning a lot more depressed, just like the owner of those shoulders probably was.

"No." Alastor reiterated, "No amount of souls is going to cut it."

The very annoyed and pissed expression on lulus face was honestly disgusting. Lulu leaned in closer, as if the proximity would convince Alastor. oh how wrong he was.

"Dear, why don't you just stop with this nonsense?" Alastor said, the corners of his trademark fake smile twitching in irritation. He put his hands back behind him and stepped away. The more distance between this creature and him the more comfortable he felt.

"what if it was the entire west side of the pentagram?" Lulu offered, sort of as a last ditch attempt... for today at least. Lulu was not exactly sane enough to know when to quit.

"I highly doubt a creature such as yourself is going to be able to achieve such a thing" Alastor answered, mostly as a jab to Lulus pathetic self, but the idea of him gathering so many souls was an amusing one.

However, Lulu didn't think so. Lulus eyes lit up with mischief, immediately switching from that almost-scowl to a smirk even the devil wouldn't be able to mimic. He jumped from the realization, "so that is a maybe! progress"

Alastor shouldn't be surprised but he is. Why is Lulu so obsessed with lucifers blood? sure it tasted good but not that good. Alastor sighed, shaking his head in disbelief and spoke "if that was all you came here for than you're welcome to leave"

"yeah, okay-" Lulu cut himself off as soon as he noticed a sexy four armed hottie walking by the door. "woah! who's that sexy thing over there?"

"excuse me?" Angie turned his head at the directed voice at him. he looked left and right, as if to make sure it was really him that this random imp looking creature was talking to. Once he was sure there was no one else, he put on his trademark seductive smile "oh, are you one of my fans?"

"no, never seen you in my life. what's a beautiful thing like you doing here?" Lulu said casually, running up to Angie and circling around him. The concept of personal space must've been a heaven thing because Lulu was prodding at absolutely every part of Angie.

"oh, that's a first." Angie chuckled nervously as he watched Lulu welcome himself to his body. "well the names angie"

"the names lulu." Lulu answered in a heartbeat. He finally relented the assault and turned to Alastor, waving "Bye Alastor, I'll be stealing your bitches"

"what?"

"he's the most precious thing I have with me here at the hotel!" Angie said petting the pig in question. Little fat nuggets was very comfortably set in his lap and was napping.

"he is a cute pig, i'll admit." Lulu said, laughing along and staring at the adorable little creature. He tapped his fingers against the nearest surface, humming to himself. "hmm... say though, what is it that you actually desire? surely there's more to your existence than just taking care of fat nuggets?"

Angie slumped at that question, he didn't like being reminded of work, especially not when he's supposed to be relaxing. HE looked away, scratching the back of his head "oh, that's complicated"

"how so?" Lulu pried, crossing his legs, picking up his teacup and taking one sip. "It's tea time, and tea needs spillin"

Angie shrugged, reaching out one of his four arms to grab his own cup. he blew on it before taking a sip and sighing. "well, I kinda sold my soul to a blind prick" He began

"ah, gotcha" Lulu nodded, "go on, what's this prick like?" he pried, observing him with a keen eye.

That was all it took for Angie to start going off. "he's a real asshole, and not the sexy kind. he has no sense of personal space and is so insistent on always having me around. it's pathetic really-"

As Angie continued his rambling about how unbearable val was, Lulu listened attentively, observing him with a keen eye. Sensing Angie's frustration and dissatisfaction, Lulu formulated a surprising proposal. "What if I told you," Lulu interjected, his voice filled with intrigue, "that I could help you with that?"

"You're serious?" Angie asked, his voice tinged with both skepticism and caution, but he wasn't too against the idea, who would be?

Lulu nodded, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "Absolutely. I have been trying to find a way to gain status you see, and what better way than to steal the porn overlords most prized bitch?"

Angie leaned forward, his attention fully captured by Lulu's proposition. "And what would you want in return? I've learned the hard way that nothing comes without a price. Not making that mistake again"

Lulu's smile widened as he raised his teacup to his lips, savoring another sip before placing it back on the table. "you're absolutely right. The thing is, the plan I have in mind isn't one I can carry out on my own. I need a helping hand. A partner in crime" Lulu said, letting the rest be left unspoken.

"i'm not helping you kill someone" Angie said, crossing his first set of arms over his chest and wrapping the second around fat nuggets almost like a shield.

"kill? nonsense" Lulu said, waving his hand in dismissal, as if even the mere idea of it was ridiculous. |I need you to help me collect souls. souls that will give me a name. nothing more. I can guarantee I will not be harming any soul that I collect"

That sounded very sketchy. On one hand, yes it made sense, collecting souls was how other overlords became overlords, but most overlords were also assholes. Angie couldn't let another one like valentino exist in the world. But the offer was too tempting... "how do I know you ain't lying?"

Lulu got up, extending a hand over to angie, pausing first in confusion. He was having trouble deciding which hand would need shaking "uh..." He shook it off. "I'll make a contract. In exchange for your assistance, I promise to free you from valentino grasp. In addition, I promise that I will not harm a single soul in the process"

Angie was sold. That was enough a reason to think this guy wasn't fucking around. "As you already know, I've already sold a part of my soul. no need for the deal. I'll help you"

"wonderful. I'll be discussing the plan with you two weeks before the next extermination"

Vox stared at Huskers, his crimson eyes narrowing as he processed the situation. Alastor, the infamous Radio Demon, had broken another of Vox's employees watches. His anger was palpable and causing static to appear between his antennas. "That fucking bastard?!"

Husk shifted uncomfortably under Vox's gaze. The pitch shift in Vox's voice was stupid but a little intimidating. "I'm sorry. I didn't get to talk to him, I went to this hotel after Angie offered, and I just stumbled upon him there"

Vox looked like he was about to blow a fuse but for a moment Vox's anger got replaced with a smirk. He paced back and forth across his office, his sharp claws clicking against the marble floor. The gears in his mind (literally) spun rapidly, taking into account every single opportunity he had now that husk was attending the hotel.

"Hmm," Vox muttered, his screen displaying a smirk worthy of the sexiest man on twitter. "Maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Someone to gather intel on my dear Alastor-I mean, that asshole!" He turned his attention back to Huskers, his gaze piercing. "It has failed once, but to be fair, that Pentious was a complete idiot." Vox paused, putting a finger up to his face. "Do they trust you?"

Husker hesitated, unsure how to respond. "Uh... not particularly," they admitted. Sure, they were in hell, but they were almost killed on the first day, that can't be a sign of trust.

Vox waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Unimportant. From now on, you are free from all other duties," He declared, his voice full of pure adulterated joy, one only a horny man like vox could make. "Your primary job will be to gather intel on that radio prick. I want to know his every move, his every plan. What he eats. Where he sleeps. What his favorite color is. What time he goes to sleep. What his hooves look like-"

"But sir—" Husker began, his voice tinged with hesitation.

Vox's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Do not even try to negotiate with me on this," he warned, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "I own your soul" He reminded.

Husker's shoulders slumped, defeated. "Okay," he muttered, his voice barely audible. It would be fine. He saw Alastor once the entire day anyway and that was when he needed to break his tech. He wouldn't even get the opportunities to gather intel anyway.

"good" Vox turned away, his mind already racing with schemes and plots. He had been blindsided by Alastor once, but this time would be different. He would have his dear Alastor tied up and begging for mercy!

"and that concludes today's exercises! you're free to go about your days as usual now!" Charlie clapped, signaling everyone's dismissal. She turned to huskers and called out before they could leave "Huskers, may I have a moment?"

"yes, your... highness?"

Charlie chuckled, shaking her head. "Just Charlie," she corrected, her warm smile putting Huskers slightly at ease. "You know we have rooms at the hotel for you to stay at, right? I think it would be beneficial for all of us if you were available as soon as we started, and if it's something you'd like?"

Huskers' shoulders slumped and they sighed. "I mean, it's not entirely up to me, Princess. I'd have to consult with my boss first," They explained. It wouldn't be everyday that Vox showed mercy.

Charlie's expression turned thoughtful, and she nodded understandingly. "Alright, we'll let you talk it out with him and hopefully we can get you here!"

Charlie's excitement died down quickly though, realizing that due to short staff (literally), they were out of rooms where people could actually survive. "Unfortunately, we only have one empty and clean room at the hotel right now, and it's up with our marketing staff."

Huskers eyes lit up. The marketing staff? That's Nunalastor!

"And they tend to get messy at nigh-"

"I'll do it!" they far too quickly accepted, not wanting to miss the opportunity. "I don't mind at all. I'd love to take the room! I'm sure nu-the marketing staff are lovely!" they chuckled nervously, making it way too obvious what their intentions were.

Charlie, bless her heart, either didn't notice or didn't mention it. Her eyes sparkled with joy. "Wow, such enthusiasm! See, I knew I was right about you!"

Alastor hummed to himself as he traveled up the stairs. He couldn't help but overhear huskers little interaction with charlie and he just couldn't let the opportunity for some chaos and fun pass. He approached the door to Dickmasters and Nuns room and knocked thrice. Some thumping could be heard on the other side before the door opened in front of him.

Dickmaster answered "yes?"

"greetings, cohorts" Alastor greeted with that charming smile of his. Both Nun and Dickmaster collectively rolled their eyes.

"do you mind? we're in the middle of a fucking..." Dickmaster trailed off.

"we are not fucking, they're just too dumb to finish that sentence" Nun shouted from behind the room. The fact that they were sprawled across the bed in nothing but a shirt on wasn't helping the situation.

Alastor chose to not comment on it. He didn't care. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he began to speak "I have a favor. you see this new resident of ours is here to make my life miserable. I can hear vox's pathetic begging almost from across the pentagram, and they're a spy of his. I'm sure of it, however I don't view them as a threat"

Dickmaster raised a brow, unamused. "uhm, congrats? what's that gotta do with us?"

Alastor chuckled, leaning in font of them, hands resting on his cane. "oh, nothing much. I simply ask that you make their life miserable with your charming little quirks"

Nun and Dickmaster exchanged glances, contemplating Alastor's request. It wouldn't be hard and could prove to be quite entertaining. Plus, Nun wanted to stick it to that guy for some reason. After a brief silence, they smirked and nodded. "oh, will do at some point. What's in it for us though?"

"Entertainment"

"that's hardly a fair deal"

"By the looks of things, that isn't going to stop you." Alastor doesn't wait for a response and starts to melt away into his shadow. "they'll be staying in the room across from you." is the words he left with.

"fuck that guy with his own cane, seriously"

#lulu is delulu #nunwhiskers #lulu is feral #lulu fed you twice this week #don't expect a new one anytime soon #huskers-bar x nunalastor #this is a nunalastor simp blog #now if you'll excuse me I have probably a 100+ nunalastor posts to read through <3

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theramseyloft · 2 years

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Up and Coming Babies!

They aren't ready yet, but these are the nestlings, weanlings, and youngsters under nine weeks that will be available after they receive their boosters.

Bravo 3/3/22 7 Weeks Old KT/CO/RH/PT/ODC/STRH x Feral/RH/COF/FB/GH Indigo Check Sired by Pilea out of Lulu 1/13/22 Bred by The Ramsey Loft Initial vaccines administered 2/24/22

Bravo is a shy little peep of unknown sex who generally just stays out of every one's way.

Today (3/8), they made a big step forward in their evaluation by loafing beside me while their keeper sibling preened my leg and got up in my lap.

Kimi 3/6/22 7 Weeks Lahore/DHF/RH x RH/COF/FB/GH Pied, Dirty, Smoky Blue Bar hen Sired by Satin out of Couture 1/16/22 Bred by The Ramsey Loft

Kimi is going to be classed as special needs because of how big her muffs are and how drastically developmentally behind she is.

A seven week old should not look like this.

Her little beak looks more in line with a four and a half week old's, but her flights and tail feathers are way too long and well developed for her to be that young.

The sire of a clutch usually continues to feed his nestlings once they come down for one to three weeks, as the individual needs.

And couture has dome this for all of his prior babies.

But he stopped feeding Kimi before she was quite old enough to wean.

Her half-sibling, Orchid, had to be fostered under Satin and Chiffon because they were not both being fed.

This is why their parents are now retired.

Kimi may technically be a partial imprint, since I had to show her where food and water are, instruct her in dealing with flock mates, and bring her in for a week when it became apparent that she couldn't run from the adults the way other babies her age easily could.

Her feet are going to be very sore during molts, and the new feathers will need to be trimmed once they are fully grown in to diminish the clown shoes effect.

She is intensely affectionate and may benefit from some training while her vaccines need to be delayed.

Being a confirmed hen, the maladaptive behavior complex that I have come to call Imprint Syndrome will be much less severe than it would be for a cock.

Dici 3/4/22 4 Weeks Old Feral/ODC/STRH/CO/COF/RH/FB/GH x Classic Old Frill Pied Brown Spread, het Toy Stencil Sired by Pretzel out of Domino 2/4/22 Bred by The Ramsey Loft

Dici has only just come down from their nest a few days ago.

They were quite docile during handling sessions and perfectly content with being gently pet in their nest as a nestling.

They picked up immediately on self feeding, and are currently in the "Must stay out of the way at all costs!!!" step through the Hazing Phase.

We'll see during the next few weeks whether or not they will figure out to seek me out for shelter from older birds while I'm out in the loft.

NS3-2 3/5/22 3 Weeks Old Seraphim/COF/RH/ODC/STRH x DHF/RH/VF/Lucerne Lavendar Bar Sired by Nimbus out of Slate 2/12/22 Bred by the Ramsey Loft

A hilariously spicy baby that is ok once gently scooped up, but will stand as tall as they can, poofball, and snop every step of the way up to that point.

As absolutely hysterical as these defensive reactions are, it's important that the babies feel safe in my hands, so I keep handling and contact in the nest as brief for this one as they require.

Snowdrop 3/5/22 2 Weeks Old Ringneck Dove Suspected Albino Sired by Gordon out of April 2/19/22

I have been hatch controlling that pair since 2017...

And they snuck. An oops.

Past.

Me.

Ringneck Doves are legally considered Cage Birds in Ga, and can only be sold twice a year with out a license.

By which I mean, you can either only hatch two clutches a year, or sell everything you have bred on two specific dates.

That's only part of the reason I try so hard to keep Gordon and April so strictly hatch controlled.

I never want to let eggs hatch from this pair!

April is over 15 years old, inbred to shit, blind, and detrimentally small.

Eggs alone are hard enough on her that I am in no hurry to remove her fakes.

There was a second egg, but I am sad to be relieved to say that it didn't succeed in hatching.

April could not have survived raising two, and as it is, Snowdrop is SO tiny...

Thankfully, they are as healthy as their genes will allow and quite tractable, thanks to Gordon's sweet temperament.

Snowdrop will be an EXCELLENT prospective companion bird. ^v^

But I am going to have to be a LOT more vigilant to ensure that this NEVER happens again!

Baby pigeons get their initial PMV and Paratyphoid vaccines at 6 weeks of age, and are ready to go home after they have had their boosters at 9 weeks.

As tiny as Snowdrop is, I will never feel safe dosing them.

Ringneck doves are usually shipping safe at 6 weeks, but I think I will hang onto snowdrop until they are 8 or 9 weeks, just to be safe.

Babies are to be priority matched with people on the wait list whose criteria they fit.

If they don't fit any ones by the time they are ready to go home, they become available to the general public.

#baby pigeon #baby ringneck dove #available in the future

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dreadhaus-literature · 5 years

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{Valentine’s Collection} #12

Note: This is set a bit in the future, allowing Monica to see what she’s working toward by giving the Family, and pregnancy, a chance. ♥

“Let’s run away together.”

Monica couldn’t help her startled laugh, turning her pretty green eyes toward her second oldest son. Deavon flashed her a cheeky grin that was way, way too reminiscent of his father’s near infamous grin. Monica had to clear her throat twice and look away before she could get that image out of her head enough to ask--

“What, Deavon?”

“You heard me,” Deavon shifted his accelerating car with expert ease--after all, the second thing he learned to do after walk was drive stick. Having a Dad whose a mechanic definitely has it’s perks, especially when his Ma had a love affair with pretty, souped up cars. “Let’s just elope.”

“Deavon Dreadful you are sixteen years old.” Monica shifted in her seat with another laugh.

“So? That’s old enough.”

“It’s not, and it’s definitely not old enough to take on your father, who will be after us the second this car goes outside it’s planned route for this trip.” Monica reminded, pointing to the dashboard, where the Haus Network was plotting the round trip on the car’s screen. “You know he sits and watches the car’s trip until we’re back on Haus property.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it,” Deavon grumbled, resting his wrist against the steering wheel. “He makes fun of Uncle Lu for being over-protective but he’s the same fuckin’ way.”

Monica laughed behind her hand. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”

“I say it to his face.” Deavon quipped immediately, showing that he inherited more than just his father’s face. He also got that brash, stubborn personality--a stubborn personality that was likely amped up by his mother’s as well. Deavon had a real problem with backing down, but Monica never had much of a problem with him. Cavon, on the other hand...well, the two locked horns...a lot. The only time Monica had a problem with Deavon’s unbending spine was when he had her literally pinned against the wall, insisting on joining with his Ma because he “needed it” before he could go to school. Unaware of his mother’s thoughts, Deavon brought his free hand up to scratch at his shaved hair. “I ain’t scared of him, Ma. I’ll fight him for you.”

“D-Don’t--You don’t need to do that.” Monica shook her head. “In fact, please don’t.”

Deavon turned, his hand still in his half-shaven hair. True to his age and his rebellious future, Deavon was sporting a mohawk, but he left the sides a little longer, and he kept the tails by his ears--all because he’d heard from his Dad that Monica liked them that way. His green eyes matched his Mom’s and when they locked, he gave her another grin. “Are you sayin’ that ‘cause Dad always marks you up after he thinks you’ve been siding with me too much?”

“You are entirely too much like your Dad.”

Deavon nodded, dropping his hand to shift gears again, easily overtaking two cars on the freeway as he did so. “Yeah, that’s why you’re sayin’ it.”

“That isn’t--I didn’t agree with you!”

“You didn’t disagree.”

“A good mother never tells her son no.” Monica tried, putting on her best imperial tone, as if her word was final--except the problem was, it hadn’t been final for Deavon since he was a pre-teen. Wolf pups are primal, from birth, and have to learn to control their urges, their wants and desires. Deavon may be half-Werewolf, half-Vampire, but he seemed to inherit all the Dreadful emotions and Monica hadn’t been ready for the change from Raphael. Her oldest son was far more like the rest of the Frenzy’s when it came to emotions and for some reason she’d been expecting repeats of that with the pups she had with the Alpha Triplets--all of them had proven her wrong. Even Lulu, her daughter with Luvon, was such a savage mix of emotion and raw, silent need that Monica had a hard time meeting her daughter’s fiery orange gaze anymore. Lulu was ruthless; out of the pups she was arguably the “worst”, because she was so much like her father. Lulu may only be sixteen, and she may be the daughter, but like her father she checked in on her Momma’s location even when she was at school, and she was fiercely overprotective of her regardless of who was around. To say Monica had her hands full with her pups was probably an understatement, but it was far more a blessing than a curse.

“You tell me no a lot more than you think you do, Ma,” Deavon reached over for Monica’s little hand--his already dwarfed hers and he wasn’t nearly done growing. He laced his fingers through hers with that sharp-toothed grin. “It’s only, you do it in bed.”

Monica cursed the fact that she could blush, again, because it always seemed to take her by surprise. How long before she got used to it?

Years ago, when the Family hit it’s 5th year anniversary, Monica was given a gift she would carry with her for the rest of her life. The Dreadful’s together had started her heart again. Every single member of the Tribe contributed their blood and when she fed from the Patriarch, her Poppy, she got to experience what it was to truly be alive, to be joined with her lifemates and have them be tied with her. It was far more permanent a tie than the ring that sat upon her finger (also a 5th year gift from the entirety of the Family) but she savored every tie she had with a Family she’d had to work very hard to hold onto. It was no secret that years ago, when the Family was first getting off the ground, there had been some rough patches. There were times Monica worried she’d lose what she had, what she wanted to keep. The early years hadn’t been easy but she’d stayed the course, she’d fought past dark days and depression, she’d fought off negative thoughts and as the days, weeks, months, years passed, the more rewards she gained. The first true step forward with the Family had been her pregnancy with the Von Triplet’s pups, and it hadn’t been an easy decision. It had taken weeks of conversations, of reassurances and her tip-toeing around the idea before she finally took the plunge and offered herself to the Von’s for their birthday. The result had been more rewarding than she could ever have hoped for. It opened a door to permanent, physical ties with loved ones--not just Dreadful’s, but the entire Family was suddenly seen in a new light for a woman who had been hesitant to try again after Raphael.

Deavon knew, because he was a telepath and an empath, and a Dreadful (good luck hiding anything from him), that his birth, and the birth of his twin Heavon, and his other siblings, was a monumental occasion in the Haushold. It started a new path for the Family to grow and become closer to his Ma, who was at the center of it all. That was a sentiment the pups could relate to, as she was and had been the center of their lives from the moment they’d been conceived. The closeness they’d shared with her in the womb had simply transcended to a physical relationship the day they all turned sixteen--it would have been sooner, but it was stressed by both their Fathers and Grandfather Atamu that they needed to come of age, first. Now that they were sixteen going on seventeen, the future for the pups grew brighter and brighter and Deavon was not the only one planning on marrying his Ma the day he turned eighteen. His comment of “running away” may have been posed as a joke to make her laugh, just to get her attention because he always wanted it, but the truth was he may be as selfish as his Dad but even he couldn’t bring himself to take his Ma away from a Family that needed her. She often thought she was the one who needed her Family, but he knew for a fact she didn’t see the way everyone leaned upon her for support, too. She was more important than she ever gave herself credit for, but Deavon had overheard Uncle Luvon saying before that her pups, all her children, would be good at proving that to her. All her children, all of them, leaned on her, depended on her, same as she did them, and they helped her see how needed and loved she really was. Hell, Deavon’s twin Heavon was the clingiest child to have ever been born; she was constantly vying for Monica’s attention...though in truth, any of Monica’s children could take that title.

“Love you, Ma,” Deavon extended his long fingers before tightening his hold around his mother’s hand.

“I l-love you too, Deavon.” Monica returned the squeeze to her son’s hand.

“Forever?” He moved her hand to his mouth, pressing wandering kisses to her knuckles, looking between the highway and her.

“F-Forever.” She promised, nervous gaze taking in his square profile. It nearly stole her breath away, that her son was nearly a man. Nearly old enough to make good on everything he’d been promising her since he could speak--yeah, Monica had been her son’s first girlfriend and he’d said that when he was three years old. She’d had to stop Cavon from devouring his own son in a jealous fit.

“Good. I’m gonna add my ring to this promise,” he murmured, kissing Monica’s ring finger, “the day I turn eighteen. It’ll be official.”

Deavon, as well as all his siblings, had already made other aspects of their relationship with their Mother “official”. Monica found out pretty quickly that pups were a lot needier than their fathers could be. Sixteen was the age all had agreed was old enough to mate with their beloved Mother but all the pups had tried their luck younger than that. If Monica thought the original Dreadful’s were handsy, needy...her children took it to another level. Heavon, at times, still insisted on sleeping with her mouth latched to Monica’s breast, as she couldn’t, wouldn’t sleep otherwise. Savon’s pup was arguably the most fussy, a little prince if there ever was one, but Monica had no complaints about any of her children--of course she didn’t. It may be hard for her to take how much she was loved, and needed, but it was good for her all the same. It had been scary to start down this path, to let herself trust the Family to catch her when she stumbled, to weather her storms with her, but she’d never been let down and now, years later, she trusted she never would be. Deavon, Heavon, Lulu--her flesh and blood were living proof forever meant forever to the Stone Spider Family.

Monica gave her son a genuine smile. “I can’t wait, baby.”

Deavon returned her smile effortlessly, his love for his mother evident on his handsome face, in the depths of his eyes. “Trust me, Ma. None of us can, either.”

#{theme} : for monica #{collection} : 14 days of valentine's #{character} : deavon dreadful

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gossipgirl2019-blog · 6 years

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Sex, lies and double-sided sticky tape! As it marks 60 years, the secret history of Blue Peter – by its star presenters

New Post has been published on http://gr8gossip.xyz/sex-lies-and-double-sided-sticky-tape-as-it-marks-60-years-the-secret-history-of-blue-peter-by-its-star-presenters/

Sex, lies and double-sided sticky tape! As it marks 60 years, the secret history of Blue Peter – by its star presenters

Peter Purves on his office romance. Valerie Singleton on THAT lesbian myth. Konnie Huq on the fake phone-in scandal. Blue Peter presenters past and present lift the lid on a scandalous 60 years

Valerie Singleton, the Blue Peter legend, has a wicked glint in her eye. ‘I’m always chatting to nice men in bars thinking, “I’m getting on rather well here.” Then they suddenly go, “I have to tell you, I was so in love with you when I was five.” It’s an absolute killer.’

It’s great to hear she’s still out there enjoying herself but it’s also disconcerting to hear Singleton talk like this, because the 81-year-old is the queen of Blue Peter, the BBC’s longest-running and most wholesome children’s programme, which celebrates its 60th birthday this month. But when Blue Peter presenters young and old get together to look back at the show’s history and discuss whether it’s still relevant, the gossip flies, the triumphs are recalled, scandals are revisited and myths are busted.

A Blue Peter reunion. A ‘blue Peter’ is a flag flown by ships leaving port, and was chosen for the programme’s name because children were being taken on a voyage of discovery

‘Kids of the right age with the right mentality still love it,’ says Konnie Huq, host from 1997 to 2008. ‘As long as there are fun, intelligent, curious-to-learn kids – which there always will be – then there’s a place for Blue Peter.’

From 15 minutes about trains… to TV gold

The programme began in 1958 with actor Christopher Trace (a stand-in for Charlton Heston in Ben Hur) and Leila Williams, 1957’s Miss Great Britain. The format was simple: the pair played with trains and dolls in a studio. A ‘blue Peter’ is a flag flown by ships leaving port, and was chosen for the programme’s name because children were being taken on a voyage of discovery.

The young actor Valerie Singleton, who graduated from Rada with Albert Finney and Peter O’Toole, was not keen on the idea when she was invited to audition. ‘I bumped into Christopher Trace and he said they were looking for a girl on Blue Peter, which he described as a 15-minute programme once a week about trains. I thought: “That sounds dull”.’

Singleton auditioned anyway, but didn’t get the part. ‘Anita West got it because apparently they fancied her more than me, which was infuriating. She was blonde and rather sexy. Then six months later, she fell out with them and I got the job.’ (West has said she resigned because she was getting divorced: ‘In the Sixties, divorce wasn’t very accepted and I didn’t want my personal life to drag the show into disrepute.’)

Biddy Baxter, who had worked on radio’s Listen With Mother, took over as producer, then editor, beginning a 23-year reign that made the show a legend. By 1964, it had gained a second weekly slot, and Singleton had to choose between Blue Peter and her more lucrative work as a continuity announcer. ‘I chose Blue Peter. My parents were horrified. They said, “You’ve got this jolly sensible job, what’s this Blue Peter thing?”’ But she became a vital part of the classic line-up when the daredevil John Noakes arrived in 1965. The former RAF aircraft fitter had been acting in television dramas. His fellow actor Peter Purves followed in 1967, having been one of Doctor Who’s earliest companions.

‘I was thrilled, because I was broke,’ says Purves now. ‘I did Doctor Who for a year and I was well known when I left, but it was nearly 18 months before I started Blue Peter. I didn’t have a lot of work in between.’

Suddenly Purves was famous again. ‘There would be no point taking my children somewhere we’d publicised on the show. We went to an event in Coniston, and I got recognised in the car park. We never got out of the car park.

‘But it was the best job in television. The worst paid, but the best. When I joined, my starting fee was based on my fee for Doctor Who, so it was 35 guineas. John Noakes was paid five guineas more than me. Valerie was on five guineas more than John.’ So Blue Peter was ahead of its time, paying its female presenter the most.

The trio were together for one of the most memorable events in the history of children’s TV, when Lulu the elephant came on the show in 1969. She urinated and defecated on the studio floor and sent her keeper flying, while the hosts slipped about in the mess.

‘Valerie was gamely trying to continue and keep the show on the air,’ says Purves. ‘John was having fun. I just laughed through most of it. It’s fabulous TV.’

Everyone thinks that scene was chaos because it was live, but it was prerecorded. ‘We didn’t usually prerecord the show, but we were all flying to Sri Lanka the next day for a Blue Peter assignment,’ says Purves. ‘It was put out without any editing, exactly as it had happened. I don’t give Biddy Baxter a lot of praise, but I give her praise for that.’

They had a tricky relationship, he says. Baxter kept strict control over her young presenters, told them off when they fell short of her high standards and did not want them anywhere near the production office, unlike today. ‘She was a very difficult woman but a great editor,’ he says. ‘The show succeeded because of Biddy. She kept a very firm rein on it. She treated us like kids.’

The truth about that lesbian rumour…

Baxter couldn’t control what they did off screen though – and as Purves has admitted, he was instantly attracted to his co-star: ‘I went weak at the knees the first time I saw Valerie. I fancied her like mad.’

Singleton revealed in 2008 that they’d had a one-night stand while filming on location. ‘We’d had a few glasses of wine at our hotel, and one thing led to another,’ she said. ‘It was one of those impulsive, enjoyable experiences but more a friendship thing than anything else. Sleeping with people you work with is generally not advisable, so we didn’t want to pursue it. There was always an unspoken acknowledgement that something rather nice had happened.’ She also revealed that she had become pregnant – not by Purves – soon after joining Blue Peter and had an abortion when it was still illegal. ‘I’ve just never felt maternal. And I never remotely considered that the children I met on Blue Peter were a replacement for not having my own.’

Purves has been married twice, the first time to scriptwriter Gilly Fraser. They have two grown-up children, Matthew and Lisa. He met his second wife, the actor Kathryn Evans, when they were in pantomime together and they have been married since 1982.

Janet Ellis, Helen Skelton and Konnie Huq. The show was – and is – aimed at children aged between six and 15

Singleton had a long-term relationship with the DJ Pete Murray, until he broke off their engagement. She later lost a partner to the IRA, when 24-year-old journalist Philip Geddes was killed by a bomb outside Harrods in 1983. She said in 2008: ‘My big personal regret is not having sustained a deep relationship and, maybe if I’d achieved that, I might have wanted children. I seem to have crammed most of my men into the early part of my life, and then there were great deserts of nobody at all except flings.’

What made her decide to be so candid? ‘I was fed up with everybody thinking I was gay. So I thought, it’s time I put the record straight. I was fed up with looking at Wikipedia and finding I’ve lived with Joan Armatrading when I’ve only met the bloody woman twice. Ridiculous.’

She’s talking about a notorious rumour that began in 1978, when Singleton interviewed the singer-songwriter for a current-affairs show. They were said to have begun a three-year affair, at a time when there were hardly any openly lesbian public figures.

So Singleton set out to quash the rumours with a piece in The Mail on Sunday revealing that she had actually slept with a member of Joan’s band, who was a man. This did not go down well with the self-appointed guardian of Blue Peter’s purity, Biddy Baxter, even though both women had long since left the show.

Right: the Blue Peter line-up in 1971, from left: Peter Purves (with Petra), Valerie Singleton (with Jason) and John Noakes (with Shep)

‘Biddy has never sent me a Christmas card since then, to which I would say: ‘Did you spend 30 years being accused [of being gay]?’ Everybody goes, “Oh, she’s gay isn’t she?” No she’s not. Anything but.’

Did the rumours harm her love life? ‘How do I know? It might have done. How many people thought, “It’s not worth asking her out?”’ Even now, Singleton wishes Armatrading would say something. ‘She must’ve heard of it. Why doesn’t she stand up and say it’s absolute rubbish?’

The action hero who set the bar for stunts

The third member of the classic Blue Peter line-up was John Noakes, the daredevil Yorkshireman with a broad accent and matey attitude, who was the show’s longest-running and probably best-loved presenter. Noakes joined in 1965 and left in 1978, taking his faithful Blue Peter dog Shep with him to other popular shows such as Go With Noakes before retirement.

‘I felt we were telepathic together. I loved that man,’ says Purves. ‘He was a great friend and I miss him very much.’ Noakes died aged 83 in his adopted home of Majorca last year after suffering from Alzheimer’s. Having been such an enthusiastic and engaging man, his decline was very hard for friends and family to take, says Purves. ‘It was horrible. I remember his son saying to me that towards the end it wasn’t Johnny. It developed over a time. He was always a little bit scatty, so you might not have spotted the dementia coming in. Alzheimer’s is so cruel.’

But Noakes will always be remembered for daring stunts like skydiving with the Red Devils and crashing on the Cresta Run. He paved the way for the amazing feats of subsequent presenters, most notably Helen Skelton, who kayaked the Amazon and walked a tightrope between chimneys at Battersea Power Station.

Noakes’ finest – and maddest – moment was climbing Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square without any kind of safety harness in 1977. ‘That was the tops,’ says Purves. ‘Absolutely unbeatable.’

Even now, it is an eye-watering piece of footage, as Noakes climbs the 180ft column using only ladders tied on with ropes, including one that goes backwards at the overhang of the plinth. Noakes hauls himself over the void and still somehow remains cheery.

All of which goes to show Blue Peter was a lot racier and more thrilling than its reputation at the time, when there was a great rivalry with the funkier Magpie on ITV. Magpie presenter Mick Robertson looked like an off-duty rock star, Susan Stranks and Jenny Hanley were hippie chicks less aloof than Singelton. The shows came to stand for two sides in a cultural war – the flashy, ambitious world of commercial television and the fuddy-duddy BBC. ‘I know we were rather straight,’ says Singleton. You were either a Magpie kid or your parents would only let you watch Blue Peter, it was said. But the shows were more similar than people realised and the rivalry was real. ‘Sometimes we were fighting for items. We would watch them and think, “Damn, we were going to do that!” Maybe Magpie thought the same thing.’

But during Baxter’s tenure, Blue Peter did innovate, introducing pets and gardens that could be cared for by viewers who didn’t have any of their own. Petra the eight-week-old mongrel puppy was the first Blue Peter pet, arriving in 1962. Petra brought the first whiff of scandal, when she died after just one appearance but was replaced without viewers being told. ‘It wasn’t appropriate to cause them that distress,’ said Baxter later. ‘It wasn’t noticed and I am convinced we did exactly the right thing.’

Champions of the TV charity appeal

The show was – and is – aimed at children aged between six and 15, but it didn’t spare them the realities of life and taught them to care for the less fortunate. The first appeal was in 1962 in aid of the homeless, when viewers were asked to collect postage stamps. Forty-eight more followed over the years, raising the equivalent of £100 million (with bring-and-buy sales bringing in another £57 million) for good causes.

‘Nobody was doing appeals before Blue Peter,’ says Konnie Huq, a later presenter. ‘Comic Relief, Sport Relief, Children In Need, they all followed.’

The Blue Peter badge was an early and very successful experiment in audience interaction, introduced because Baxter had written to Enid Blyton twice as a child and got the same standard reply both times, as she once told Desert Island Discs: ‘I remember bursting into tears and going to my mother and saying: ‘She doesn’t remember me.’”

Incredibly, the number of letters to Blue Peter has soared again in recent years, from 40,000 in 2011 to a staggering 106,303 last year. Current presenters Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya say that’s because children still want authentic responses in a digital age. ‘Interactive normally means you tap buttons and images appear on a screen, but this is physical interaction. You may receive a Blue Peter badge. It costs you the price of a stamp.’

He has a strong emotional connection to the show because of what it did for him as a child, when his home life was in turmoil. ‘Blue Peter was just always there.’ Chinyanganya was a superfan who managed to get hold of the same kind of BBC mug the presenters used. He wrote in at the age of ten to say he sat there drinking his tea from it at the same time as they did on the telly. ‘I felt for the badge before I opened the reply. I’m a working-class boy from Wolverhampton, whose parents were splitting up at the time. Life wasn’t great. But that badge let me know: “You matter”.’

The line-up of presenters was stable for many years, but by the late Seventies the team began a revamp. The actor Peter Duncan was meant to replace Noakes, but turned Blue Peter down, fearing it would ruin his career – he had been part of the company at the National Theatre for two years and appeared in Space 1999.

He eventually joined in 1980 and became the next daredevil by running a marathon and cleaning Big Ben without a safety harness. But he was soon involved in scandal, when a newspaper claimed he had appeared naked in a porn film. The Lifetaker was not actually pornographic at all, but the myth was born. These days he finds it amusing. ‘I’ve always enjoyed the mythology,’ he says. ‘It’s quite funny that you’d have a Blue Peter presenter who’s supposedly a porn star. The dinner party jokes are quite fun: “Would you like a copy of the film?”’

Duncan reveals that he threatened to walk out on Blue Peter because the producers wouldn’t show his wife, Lucy’s breasts. ‘The thing I enjoyed most was the show following my eldest daughter’s first year, when I was a dad for the first time. But I nearly quit over breast-feeding, and thought about pulling my wife from the show. In the Eighties there was a feeling of, “No, we can’t show that.” I said, “Well, I’m sorry, that’s what we do.”’ Duncan won. ‘My wife is now a midwife, and my daughter, now aged 31, has got recordings of the show.’

Duncan was with Blue Peter from 1980 to 1986 with a one-year break in the middle, before making documentaries and eventually leading the worldwide Scouting movement as Chief Scout. He was part of Blue Peter’s second golden age in the Eighties with fellow presenters Sarah Greene and Simon Groom – most famous for introducing an item on the restored doors at Durham Cathedral and slipping in the phrase: ‘What a beautiful pair of knockers.’ That went right over the head of the core audience of young children but became part of Blue Peter legend.

Janet Ellis also joined during this time, when Blue Peter had an audience approaching eight million. Ellis had a child, Sophie, who appeared on the show as a four-year-old – and then again many years later as the pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Her worst moment involved a cat fight, literally. ‘We reunited a family of cats from a litter live on air and they did not have any feeling of affection. They went for each other like anything. The poor woman who had homed the mother had a gouge out of her.’

Ellis is clearly delighted to be among former presenters again, as she watches Chinyanganya chat with Singleton at our photo-shoot in London. ‘I became friends with everybody I worked with. I was especially close to Caron.’ Caron Keating, presenter Gloria Hunniford’s daughter, joined the show from 1986 to 1990, but died of breast cancer in 1997 aged 41.

Valerie Singleton wearing a space suit for feature on Blue Peter TV programme about women astronauts

How does Ellis feel about the oft-repeated accusation that Blue Peter is too middle class? ‘I am a middle-class person but I don’t think it’s a middle-class programme. If you scrapped it now, someone would say in a week’s time, “Let’s have a programme for kids”, and the content would look like that. There was never a suggestion that I needed to be middle class to represent Blue Peter. I don’t think it had an agenda to do anything other than what the viewers suggested to it.’

Nor was she sacked in 1987 for being an unmarried mother when she became pregnant again, she says – despite rumours to the contrary. ‘I always found that weird, because I was so obviously pregnant on the programme,’ she says. ‘I left at the end of July, and had a baby in August, so you couldn’t have disguised it. My last programme was a surprise visit from the RAF Falcons [with whom she had jumped 20,000 feet and set a European record for a woman]. They released this safety net and all these nappies fell out.’

Ellis does say there was a strong expectation that presenters would live a moral life away from the show. ‘You can’t be unaware of the fact that you are an ambassador for the programme when you’re on duty. People would have killed you to get the job, so if you can’t do it properly, then don’t do it.’

Bacon sacked and fake phone-ins…

That moral code kicked in when Richard Bacon was sacked in 1998 for taking cocaine, just after the show had celebrated its 40th birthday. ‘I have been stupid and regret making a silly mistake experimenting with drugs,’ the 22-year-old told a newspaper, but his contract was terminated.

Lorraine Heggessey, the head of BBC children’s programmes, famously appeared on television before the show to tell viewers: ‘I believe that Richard has not only let himself and the team on Blue Peter down, but he has also let all of you down very badly.’

Helen Skelton, who joined as a presenter in 2008, was then a viewer of 15. She says Blue Peter has to have standards. ‘There still is an association of what a Blue Peter presenter should be and represents. I’ve got kids. I love that brand. I love what that badge means. And I think anybody who’s looking to be on that show should be good.’

Konnie Huq was on the show when the Bacon scandal broke, having joined the previous year. She was surprised at what happened, given the probing questions the producers had asked before giving her the job. ‘If I had said to them, “Well, I’ve snorted cocaine, got on tables in nightclubs on many occasion and I’ve got photos from when I was a stripper”, then I’m pretty sure I would not have got the job.’ She hadn’t done any of those things though. ‘I don’t drink, I’m a really good girl, so there are no skeletons in my closet. I’m totally boring. They got a dream candidate.’

One question did get her worried. ‘I did temping at Q magazine and I remember being at their party with people like Rod Stewart. Somehow we ended up in a hotel suite. There’s all sorts of things going on in those environments. I’m the good girl. But then people are taking photos and stuff. Blue Peter asked me, “Are there any photos that might surface?” I’ve never done illegal substances, but it does make you think about when you’ve been in the company of people who have. It’s like when you’re driving and you see the cops are behind you and you feel guilty even if you’re not.’

She clearly felt some sympathy with Bacon, because they started dating four years later. She was still on the show at that time but he had gone on to host programmes for BBC Radio 5 and ITV. They were reportedly together for six years before a mutual parting. Huq now plays down the scandal: ‘It didn’t really change things. Blue Peter will just bounce back and keep going.’ It didn’t do Bacon much harm either. He has broken America in recent years with a National Geographic series called Explorer that began with a walk with Barack Obama. He spent 12 days in a coma this summer after going down with pneumonia but declared his recovery by tweeting: ‘I am alive.’

However, in 2007 Huq had to apologise for one of the show’s big lies, when the production team faked the results of a live charity phone-in competition. Nearly 14,000 calls were made but a ‘technical failure’ meant that the producers couldn’t access the callers’ details. A girl visiting the studio was asked to pretend to be the competition winner.

The BBC was fined an unprecedented £50,000 by Ofcom over the affair and it was castigated for making a young studio visitor ‘complicit’ in the deception.

Huq left the following year after beating Singleton to become the longest-serving female presenter. She married the writer Charlie Brooker in 2010: ‘I’d still be doing Blue Peter now if I had my way, but you’ve got to let others have a piece of the pie,’ she says. ‘It’s the ultimate job.’

Skelton says that as a devoted fan growing up in rural Cumbria she loved the show’s upbeat attitude. ‘I know some people go, “Oh, it’s all a bit giddy”, but positivity breeds positivity. Blue Peter was a smiley, happy place and you went around the world with them. I didn’t take a holiday for years because I didn’t want to miss out. You take a day off and someone else is off to meet the Queen or fly with the Red Arrows.’

She also took the challenges to another level, becoming only the second woman ever to finish a 78-mile ultra-marathon in Namibia in 2009. ‘I was lying behind a bush, hallucinating, freaking out, seeing seals that weren’t there. I’d been running for 12 hours. But I thought of all the letters from kids saying, “You’re going to win it”. I didn’t want to come back on the show and go, “I didn’t do it”. As if you want to be the person who turns round and tells the kid the tooth fairy’s not real! You want to tell them anything’s possible. And that’s what makes you do it.’

The mystery of the missing viewers

Skelton entered the Guinness Book Of Records after kayaking all 2,010 miles of the Amazon and became the first person to reach the South Pole on a bicycle. She left after five years in 2013, and has gone on to appear on Strictly Come Dancing and Countryfile, by which time Blue Peter had switched to CBBC, and many people were predicting its end. The average audience began to fall below 400,000 and reached a nadir with an episode that was repeated at 2.30pm on June 13 last year, when the Broadcasters Audience Research Board gave it an audience of zero.

The BBC responded by stressing that the episode had been watched by 252,000 people across all its broadcasts as well as 39,000 times on iPlayer. Others pointed out that the repeat was on at a time when most children would have been at school.

But it is Peter Purves who puts up the most robust defence. ‘It’s absolute nonsense – you can’t compare the eras. People don’t watch TV in the same way now. Blue Peter is huge. The best thing that’s happened to Blue Peter in a changing world is that it went on CBBC. Now you’ve got it on a channel that is devoted to people who want to watch the show.’

The 37th and most recent presenter is Radzi Chinyanganya, who ambushed a presenter to get noticed. ‘I went to the BBC Television Centre with my showreel but they said, “We can’t take unsolicited material.” I thought, “What am I going to do?” Then Andy Akinwolere [who had just announced he was leaving the show] walks past. I thought, I’m going to have to do this, so I went up to him. He said, “That’s a showreel isn’t it? Do you want me to take it to the editor?” He very graciously did that.’ He didn’t get the job but he did get to work as an intern at the BBC. Then, after a stint on CBBC show Wild, in 2013 Blue Peter producers offered him the job he had always dreamed of. ‘I’m not an emotional guy but I cried when they told me that. Cheryl the commissioner said, “I think we should leave it there.” I couldn’t form a sentence. It was the accumulation of all that hope, all of that frustration, all of that dreaming that you think might be futile.’

His job is to represent the children who watch, he says. ‘When Blue Peter’s at its best, we are the viewer. If I’m talking to WrestleMania wrestlers, I’m going to ask them questions I think you want to know. “What’s it like to get slammed on the mat? What’s it like to hear the crowd respond to your name?” And I will be as excited as the viewer.’

Chinyanganya grins when the legendary Valerie Singleton appears in the doorway and starts chatting away about the perils of live presenting. ‘I love it when things go wrong,’ she says at the end of a day of laughter and revelations. ‘The secret is not to be embarrassed. You just keep going.’

And they shoot each other a look that says: ‘Just like Blue Peter…’

Blue Peter celebrates its 60th birthday with a live one hour special on CBBC on October 16 at 5pm, then continues every Thursday on CBBC at 5.30pm

How John Noakes kept a stash of badges in his car to bribe traffic wardens… and other tantalising facts

1 Blue Peter first aired on October 16,1958 with Christopher Trace and Leila Williams.

2 There have been 11 versions of the theme tune, Barnacle Bill. The latest is by composers Banks & Wag.

3 The Blue Peter badge was launched on 17 June 1963. There are eight types, the highest being Gold (the Queen received hers in 2001). John Noakes once admitted he kept some starter-level blue badges in the glovebox of his car as potential bribery for parking wardens.

John Noakes’ five-mile freefall with the Red Devils earned him a civilian world record in 1973

Blue Peter cat Willow, left, a beautiful but vicious Burmese cat that was the only animal to be sacked from the show. Right: In 1977, the intrepid John Noakes executed one of his most famous and dangerous stunts – climbing Nelson’s Column

Children who appeared on the show and went on to become famous include Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton

Blue Peter first aired on October 16,1958 with Christopher Trace and Leila Williams

The most popular Blue Peter ‘make’ was Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island. The show which received 100,000 requests for the factsheet in 1993

4 There have been nine Blue Peter dogs, five tortoises, two parrots and nine cats, including Willow, above, a beautiful but vicious Burmese cat that was the only animal to be sacked from the show.

5 In 1977, the intrepid John Noakes executed one of his most famous and dangerous stunts – climbing Nelson’s Column without any safety equipment. At one point he was hanging from a ladder with nothing beneath him. On reaching the top, he puffed out his cheeks and said: ‘Oh, it’s a long way up really, isn’t it?’ His plucky cameraman had to go up first to film Noakes’ ascent.

6 Children who appeared on the show and went on to become famous include Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton, pop star James Blunt (then James Blount) and actor Jude Law.

There have been some memorable mishaps on the show: Lulu the incontinent elephant peed and pooed her way around the studio in 1969

7 Many Blue Peter presenters are also record-breakers: in 2010, Helen Skelton broke the Guinness World Record for longest solo journey by kayak; John Noakes’ five-mile freefall with the Red Devils (top) earned him a civilian world record in 1973; and in 2002 Matt Baker earned his place in the record books with the highest tandem hang-glide behind a microlight, at 11,000ft.

8 There have been some memorable mishaps on the show: Lulu the incontinent elephant peed and pooed her way around the studio in 1969 (above) and Andy Akinwolere dropped the star off the top of the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree in 2008.

9 Blue Peter appeals have raised more than £100 million since 1962. Funds raised have bought two guide dogs, 25 lifeboats, eight flats for homeless people, 32 ponies, 57 lorries, three caravans, two day centres, six bungalows, 12 houses in Romania, three schools and 8,350 toilets.

10 The most popular Blue Peter ‘make’ was Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island (above). The show which received 100,000 requests for the factsheet in 1993.

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