View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
June 7, 2001updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Blue Peter fans to get monthly magazine

By Press Gazette

BBC Worldwide is to launch a magazine based on its flagship children’s TV programme Blue Peter.

The monthly Blue Peter Magazine will be aimed at the programme’s core fans, aged five to eight. It will have an initial print run of 150,000 with a cover price of £1.25 and the first issue will come out on 27 June.

Claire Yude, editor of the BBC’s children’s title Smart, is editor. Yude, who worked on pre-school titles for BBC Worldwide for five years, will continue to oversee Smart, which she launched in 1998.

The rest of the team consists of assistant editor Emma Fogden, sub-editor/writer Helen Speight, art editor Maria Goodspeed and editorial assistant Tasha Browning.

It is the first time in Blue Peter’s 43-year history that the programme has been supported by a monthly title.

Yude said staff had been working on dummies for more than six months. "There is a gap in the market at the moment for a general interest magazine for this age group.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

"Children grow out of characters by the time they are six or seven and the rest of the stuff is aimed a bit too high," she said.

"Blue Peter has just increased its frequency to 52 weeks a year and it is on three times a week so it’s the right time to launch." The title will feature the programme’s pets and presenters as well as a mix of features, games and puzzles.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network