A recent episode of Blue Peter failed to draw a single viewer.

The episode, which was a repeat, was aired on digital channel CBBC on June 13. The original airing of the episode, which was broadcast at 7.30pm on June 8, amassed 53,100 viewers, according to the Daily Mail.

Cheryl Taylor, CBBC Controller told Huffington Post : “It is very important to put the comments made about viewing figures for Blue Peter in context.

But the BBC defended the figures of the children’s show, which once attracted 8 million viewers.

“The episode in question is our repeated ‘signed’ version which needs to air on CBBC in order to appear on BBC iPlayer – an important service for viewers who use BSL.

“An additional repeat of this episode in a different time slot had an average audience of 46,000 and a 10.3% share of children aged 6-12 which is above the slot average. It has also been viewed 39,000 times on BBC iPlayer so far.”

Ten years ago, it was watched by an average of 917,000 viewers on BBC One, which has fallen to around 83,000 viewers following its move to digital channel CBBC in 2012.

The current Blue Peter presenting line-up is Barney Harwood, Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya.


“I challenge any naysayers to check out last week’s enthralling episode on iPlayer if they have any doubts at all about its value and enduring appeal to the curious and clued-up CBBC audience,” Taylor added.

Former Blue Peter presenter John Noakes died earlier this year, aged 83.

Noakes served as a host on the flagship BBC children’s programme from 1965 to 1978, where he became a viewer favourite due to his daredevil antics and his friendly relationship with the show’s dog, Shep.

A statement from Noakes’ family at the time confirmed his passing, clarifying that he had “endured and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.”

He was spotted after performing in a play in Leicester.