"He set the standard," she said.

"He wasn't pretending to be anyone. If he was nervous, he said so. He definitely was his own man. He set the tone for how Blue Peter is today."

She said that, together with Valerie Singleton and Purves, Noakes "grew the programme."

Ellis said: "It's that have-a-go spirit that continues in the programme now.

"Everyone then was speaking in received pronunciation.... He bounced in with that ability to cope with whatever was thrown at him. It was like watching a big brother on screen."

She said: "His enthusiasm and naturalness set the tone for the presenters of the future and he insisted that viewers could cope with that. It's a real loss".

Almost two years ago, worry was sparked after Mr Noakes went missing near his then-home in Majorca.

He had apparently fallen into a storm drain and was dehydrated after being outside with no water for hours.

His wife confirmed at the time he had Alzheimer's and that he had been suffering with it for a number of years.

She added: "You learn to live and cope with things. But this is a little different this time and I am concerned because it is the hottest day of the year so far here.