David Attenborough’s description of Biddy Baxter, when he introduced her in 2013 with a particular Bafta for her 25 years’ work on Blue Peter, was simply the perfect: devoted, passionate and pioneering. However because the producer has died, at 92, and different reminiscences have poured in, you may’t assist however discover what number of of them are synonyms for “scary”.
“Producer” and “creator” describe Baxter’s work on Blue Peter, however don’t convey how completely and completely the whole lot was her thought: from Tony Hart to the Blue Peter badges, from the golden retrievers to the Blue Peter backyard, from “right here’s one we made earlier” to the charity appeals, she conjured all of it, to make a cultural artefact that left no youngster untouched. If you happen to ever obtained a Blue Peter badge, it’s odds on you continue to have it – and, if it’s a gold one, that you just nonetheless speak about it.
My mum labored on Blue Peter as a set designer, on and off, over the identical interval and was at all times utilizing phrases akin to “formidable”, “uncompromising” and “takes no prisoners” about Baxter. It made no sense to me as a child, as a result of my mum was terrifying at work. She revelled in how scary she was, how she may make totally grown carpenters quake with one eyebrow. How may there be two of them? Absolutely that might trigger some sort of chemical response? Additionally, my mum didn’t prize the “female” traits of amiability and compliance, so why did she sound faintly essential once they have been void in different ladies?
They have been completely different manufacturers of scary: Baxter was stilettos-on-the-studio-floor scary; my mum was dungarees-and-cigs scary. Baxter saved presenters of their place by insisting the true stars have been the Blue Peter pets, whereas your entire design division (if reminiscence serves) acted like neither pets nor folks held any which means in any respect, in contrast with a scale mannequin of an aquarium made from balsa wooden and sticky-back plastic.
However nonetheless, you’d have anticipated perhaps a hint of solidarity, a collective “actually, neither of us is horrifying in any true sense, we’re simply professionals with sturdy views who occur to be ladies”. I didn’t see any of that, which speaks to Attenborough’s level about pioneers: when you’re ever sporting stilettos at work and telling folks what to do with out putting terror into anybody, it’s as a result of Baxter and her ilk, from the 60s by means of the 80s, have been those they made earlier.
Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist