Blue Peter - Eighteenth Book

Annual (1982). 8"x11". £1.95
80 pages; hardback. Full color.
BBC

ISBN-10: 0563179384

Features written by Biddy Baxter, Edward Barnes & John Adcock.

Photo cover.

Contents:

.2 Blue Peter Animals part one
.3 Contents
.4 Hello There! text by Simon Groom, Sarah Greene & Peter Duncan.
.6 Time Gentlemen Please! text feature by Peter Duncan.
.9 Rags Goes Back To School text feature (uncredited).
10 Who Stole The Stone? illustrated feature by Dorothy Smith. a: Robert Bloomfield.
16 Who's Who? text feature (uncredited).
18 Witches And Wizards cut-out feature by Margaret Parnell.
20 Joey text feature (uncredited).
25 Weddings photo feature (uncredited).
26 Great Jumping Bullfrogs photo feature (uncredited).
28 Leap Frog cut-out feature by Margaret Parnell.
30 Kevin Keegan photo feature.
31 Tina's Baby text feature (uncredited).
34 End Of An Era text feature (uncredited).
36 HMS Ark Royal cutaway. a: Roland Berry.
38 Christmas Stamps text feature (uncredited).
40 Marathon Man text feature (uncredited).
44 The Case Of The One That Got Away text story (uncredited).
47 The Big One text feature by Peter Duncan.
50 Malaysia text feature by Sarah Greene.
54 Butterflies And Headhunters text feature by Dorothy Smith. a: Robert Bloomfield.
57 I Don't Care A Pin photo feature by Sarah Greene.
58 Bradgate Park text feature by Simon Groom.
60 Goldie's Puppies photo feature (uncredited).
62 What A Snip! illustrated feature (uncredited). a: Cindi Harwood.
64 Simon And The Thirty Theaves text feature (uncredited).
66 Blue Peter Meets Grange Hill text story by Paul Manning. a: Brian Delaney.
69 The Fishers Of Mousehole text feature by Sarah Greene.
72 Star Gazey Pie recipe by Margaret Parnell.
74 The Bear Facts! illustrated feature.
76 Solutions answers to puzzles printed in reverse.
77 Spot The Spots competition.
78 Blue Peter Animals part two

Under a bolder cover than previous years, the contents are - surprisingly, given the changes made in previous years - rather less different than readers might have expected. There are overly familiar elements, which have been reported on at length in episodes (the Stone of Destiny, the Ark Royal), and blatant plugs for other BBC shows (Doctor Who, Grange Hill), but the essential Blue Peter-ness is maintained throughout, with features on things to make at home, recipes, and plenty of photos of the presenters. This annual is appearing here rather than on the main blog, due to the lack of comic-specific content, and even the aforementioned Doctor Who article is merely a brief overview of the series' history rather than a meaningful contribution.

The most immediately noticeable thing about the features is the bluntness of language. The article on Joey Deacon uses the word 'spastic' freely, which probably contributed to the proliferation of the word as a term of insult in school playgrounds up and down the country in the 1980s, and is at odds with later annuals careful use of language. Of course, even with the worrisome contents, there is enough here for readers to consider - an especially interesting two-page article on Rupert Bear lays out the history of the character, and his early creators. There are gaps in the narrative, along with what seems like a joke on 'Girl Power' over a decade before it was coined, but it does enough to justify its' inclusion.