An Afternoon with Peter Purves – Review

By David Schuster, October 2025

“I don’t get it. I don’t watch it. And I don’t care.” Says Peter Purves, dismissing the last few seasons of Doctor Who with a chuckle. His voice has the rich, sonorous tones of a trained actor that belie his 86 years. He’s clearly quite comfortable using the privilege of age, and his status as a national treasure, to speak his mind and it doesn’t always reflect well on the BBC. “They were criminal in their disregard for archiving,” he says. And he’s right to be offended: Of the 46 episodes of the much loved time travel show, in which he appeared as the Doctor’s companion, only 17 survive.

Purves is speaking at the latest ‘An Afternoon with…’ show, organised by Who77 Promotions. Over the last eight years these periodic events have become a highly anticipated Leeds institution. Each follows an established format; a relaxed interview with the guest speaker for forty five minutes or so, then a break during which fans can also get signatures from and have selfies with the featured speaker. This is followed by a second interview session, and the afternoons conclude with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. It’s a format that works well, maintaining interest throughout.

Peter Purves (seated) and the Who77 Promotions team
image: Steve Bartle

“Fascinating insights”

As the name suggests, Who77 Promotions’ events are focussed on guests that have played a key role in the hit television series, Doctor Who. However, this is only part of the interest offered by these sessions. The speakers invariably have had long and varied careers beyond this. Purves is arguably much better known for his 11 years as a co-presenter of the BBC children’s television show, Blue Peter. It’s this wider experience that provides many fascinating insights into the world of entertainment.

For example, we discover that his love of acting came from growing up in and around Blackpool, which he remembers fondly as the place where all the stars of stage were clamouring to appear at that time. Then there’s always those realisations, offered by hindsight, where seemingly unconnected experiences have made seismic changes in people’s careers. Living by the sea, with access to excellent swimming baths he earned a number of life saving awards, and it was through a feature about life saving that he was introduced to the Blue Peter team.

Another crux moment was when Biddy Baxter, the long term Producer of Blue Peter asked the actor to look after Petra, one of the famous ‘pets’ that appeared on the show. Purves had never owned a dog before, as he was often away from home for extended periods. However, he agreed, and became a huge dog lover, at one time owning no less than seven. It was this love and knowledge of the animals that led directly into his forty year association with Crufts and other prestigious dog shows. On these small chance occurrences careers are often made.

“Avenues of memory”

Chris Hoyle, Who77 Promotions’ regular host, is the ideal interviewer; enthusiastic, informed and respectful. He gently teases a succession of interesting and entertaining anecdotes from the guests. He’s also flexible enough to allow the speaker to wander down the avenues of memory, often yielding otherwise forgotten gems.

One such moment occurs when the actor recalls being interviewed by Lesley Judd on Blue Peter. After leaving as a regular presenter, Purves sometimes returned to introduce special features on the show. He remembers: “Lesley asked me what else I was involved with. So I told her that John Noakes and I were performing together in panto that year. When I returned to the theatre, the Manager asked me what was going on, as the queue for pantomime tickets stretched right around the building. We sold out in three days! It was only later that I discovered that Lesley had been specifically instructed by Biddy Baxter not to ask me anything like that.” He smiles fondly, “I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody that before.”

To find out about future events from Who77 Promotions, see who77promotions.co.uk and follow them on Facebook.

David Schuster( Writer )

David Schuster describes himself as an “adventurer, collector, musician and writer. Not necessarily in that order.” Growing up west of the Pennine hills of the UK and living his adult life east of them, he’s inclined to think that the Wars of the Roses were a mistake. David loves discovering new bands and musicians and is happiest listening to live music. He has travelled extensively in the UK and is fascinated by the variety, history and landscapes of the thousands of islands that comprise the British Isles. David is always reassured when online shops confirm that he’s not a robot.

You do not have any posts.