Blue Peter was once the BBC's flagship - the longest-running children's programme in the world, watched by eight million during its heyday every Monday and Thursday.
Christopher Stevens argues that the BBC ruined Blue Peter by making it relentlessly preachy with an agenda of worthiness and virtue-signaling, causing viewership to plummet and leading to the show's relegation to a less prominent channel and format. He contrasts this with Blue Peter's earlier popularity, its focus on initiative and fun, and the iconic status of its presenters.
