Vandalism of The Blue Peter Garden

Vandalism was nothing new even in 1983 but the news that the Blue Peter garden had been destroyed in a senseless act made national headlines. Blue Peter was a long-running magazine show broadcast twice weekly on BBC television, aimed at children its variety of features appealed to all ages. The garden was a regular feature on the programme, created in 1974 by Percy Thrower (the original celebrity TV gardener) it featured a greenhouse, a vegetable patch and a sunken garden with a pond.

The vandalism was reported on the programme itself by then presenter Janet Ellis, damage reported included a broken urn, trampled-upon vegetation and oil deposited into the pond, poisoning the goldfish within. She appealed on-air for information which would lead to the arrest of the vandals, but the identity of the culprits remained a mystery until, in an apparent confession in the year 2000, former QPR, Newcastle and Tottenham football player Les Ferdinand said he 'might have' helped others over the wall including fellow former player Dennis Wise (a schoolfriend of his at the time). Although Ferdinand claimed this was said in jest, the press published it as a confession and the story made national headlines once again.

A more amusing reference to this incident came in the 2006 TV cop/time travel series 'Ashes To Ashes'; in the story, a suspect is being chased by DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister) when he suddenly climbs over a wall. Hunt climbs after him while, closely behind, DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) launches a missile over the wall and (incredibly) hits the suspect with it. The missile was an oil can, and Hunt is seen coming back over to demand assistance in apprehending the suspect, still unaware of where he is. When the camera zooms out, the famous 'Blue Peter' logo is revealed.


 As for the garden itself, it was eventually restored and many years later, was relocated when the BBC moved the children's section north to Salford. 'Blue Peter' is still shown but is nowadays broadcast on the specialist CBBC channel, a far cry from the days when it commanded millions of viewers of all ages.