Valerie Singleton

Singleton's Blue Peter presence made a practical activity or a new subject feel worth paying attention to. Her composed delivery gave the programme's mixture of makes, reports and live surprises a dependable centre, particularly alongside John Noakes and Peter Purves. Look for the studio demonstrations when revisiting her work: the attraction is the serious attention given to something a child could try. The wider team supplied the ideas; she helped make them feel approachable.