3rd September 1962 - 3rd July 1972

Born 9th April 1937

Presented with Christopher Trace, John Noakes, Peter Purves and Lesley Judd.

"If the studio roof collapsed in the middle of a live programme, Valerie would have stepped out of the rubble and said: 'And now for something quite different', without faltering." Biddy Baxter

Glamorous, yet never afraid to muck-in, Valerie Singleton joined Blue Peter in 1962 when Anita West departed after just four months.

Val originally trained as an actress at RADA and she spent a year with Bromley Repertory Company after graduating. During her early twenties Val became a top voice-over artist (included on her CV is the documentary Nudes of the World) and she was soon snapped up to present Blue Peter.

She coined a wonderful phrase to explain the appeal of Blue Peter, saying of the presenters, "We're the people that went behind the rope". Meaning they took the viewers to the places and events that they weren't usually privileged to see.

After leaving the show, Val went on to present Nationwide from 1972 to 1976. She also became Blue Peter's roving reporter, popping up in studio and on film reports and fronting the Blue Peter Special Assignments. Val's last report was in 1981 - nearly two decades after she made her debut.

Stints on the Money Programme for BBC2 and PM on Radio 4 followed. She is still an ardent supporter of Blue Peter and recently returned to the show for the opening of the time capsule for the year 2000 and the second Blue Peter Quest.

In 1994 Valerie was presented with an OBE in 1994 for services to broadcasting.

Top Blue Peter moment: Accompanying HRH the Princess Anne to Kenya for the Save the Children Fund in 1971.