ATV Icon: Valerie Singleton

Here’s one we made earlier…

Valerie Singleton OBE, born on April 9, 1937, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, is a distinguished British television and radio presenter, best known for her decade-long tenure on the BBC’s children’s programme Blue Peter.​

Singleton was born to Dennis Singleton, a former RAF Wing Commander and advertising executive, and Eileen Singleton, a music teacher. She exhibited an early interest in the performing arts, studying dance at the Arts Educational School in London. At 16, she earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where she honed her acting skills. Following RADA, she joined the Bromley Repertory Company, performing in numerous stage productions.

Valerie’s broadcasting career commenced in the early 1960s. In 1961, she joined the BBC as a television continuity announcer and soon became a sought-after voice-over artist for commercials and documentaries.​

In 1962, Singleton became a presenter on Blue Peter, where she remained for a decade. Her tenure is often regarded as part of the show’s “golden era,” alongside co-presenters John Noakes and Peter Purves. Notably, in 1971, she accompanied Princess Anne on a trip to Kenya for the documentary Blue Peter Royal Safari.

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After leaving Blue Peter, Singleton continued her broadcasting career with various programmes: including Val Meets The VIPs which was a children’s chat show where she interviewed prominent figures, including a notable episode with Margaret Thatcher.

She joined the BBC News department with magazine series Nationwide where she served as a consumer affairs presenter and later as a main host.​ With current affairs she broadcast features on Tonight and The Money Programme and in the 1990s was reunited with former Blue Peter co-host John Noakes as reporters on What Next, a series looking at enjoying life in your later years hosted by comedian Marti Caine.​

On radio she presented PM on Radio 4.

In recognition of her contributions to broadcasting, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 2001, she was the subject of the BBC’s This Is Your Life, celebrating her extensive career she has returned to Blue Peter for several of its anniversary specials in recent years.