Peter Purves is an English TV presenter and actor best known for his roles as a Doctor Who companion to William Hartnell, a Blue Peter presenter and for his commentary in the BBC dog show, Crufts.
During his career spanning 60 years, Peter had been in as many as 2500 television shows and shows no sign of stopping. Read on to learn about how his career began and where he is now.
Where is Peter Purves from?
Born 10 February 1939 in New Longton, Peter grew up in Blackpool. He attended Alsager Teacher Training College to become a Mathematics and English teacher and was also the president of the drama society. Peter qualified as a teacher but soon took another direction and decided he wanted to pursue a career in theatre.
“All I ever wanted to do as a boy was to become an actor. I started off in repertory theatre, where I did 96 plays over two years and that’s where I learned my trade.” Peter tells the Express.
In 1962, he married an actress called Gillian Emmett, also known for her stage name Gilly Fraser. They had their son Matthew the following year. In 1964, the family moved to London to find more acting opportunities, and got his first lead role in instalments of Armchair Theatre and The Villains.
Peter Purves’ early acting career
Peter's big break came when he auditioned to play an extra in the second season of Doctor Who in 1965. The director at the time felt he would be wasted hidden behind the costume of an alien butterfly.
A few months later, the director Richard Martin cast Peter as the original Doctor’s companion, the bumbling Morton Dill. Peter stayed on Doctor Who for a year and then was re-casted for another companion by a new producer.
He was later invited to audition as a presenter on the children’s TV show Blue Peter, where he remained for a decade.
Peter Purves in Blue Peter
Peter took the job at Blue Peter in 1967 for what he thought would be six months, however, his great on-screen chemistry with his co-presenters Valerie Singleton and John Noakes meant he stayed for much longer. The trio and Lesley Judd are often regarded as the dream team or the golden age of Blue Peter.
Peter was known for his companionship of the nation’s surrogate dog, Petra and his many adventures on the show. He told Daily Mail: “I travelled to 27 countries with Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s. We were going to places like Morocco on safari in a Land Rover, to where David Lean filmed Lawrence Of Arabia, very remote. I went to the Ivory Coast, to Ethiopia and Mexico at a time when very few people travelled.”
When asked what his favourite moment was on Blue Peter, Peter goes on to say that he loved climbing the Forth Bridge.
After John Noakes, Peter is the second longest-serving male Blue Peter presenter.
"It's just the best job there is. You can't do any other job where you just drop into anybody's life"
In 1976, Peter became involved with the Crufts international dog show. After his decade on Blue Peter, Peter left in 1978 and continued to present Special Assignments. He then went on to present Kick Start, Stopwatch, and the BBC's Crufts dog show.
Commentator of Crufts and Peter Purves’ love for dogs
During the late seventies and early eighties, pantomimes and dogs became a significant part of Peter's life. He directed more than thirty plays and acted in many as well.
It was during this time in the 1978 tour of Cinderella that he began an affair with the actress Kathryn Evans. He divorced his first wife, Gillian in 1982, and married Kathryn that same year.
Peter’s interest in dogs began whilst presenting the children’s TV programme Blue Peter and since then his life has been filled with dogs.
Peter and his wife live with their four dogs, two Pekinese, a wire-hand dachshund and a miniature wire-haired dachshund.
In March 2018, Peter celebrated his 40th Anniversary as TV Presenter and commentator of the world’s greatest Dog Show, Crufts. However, in 2020, Peter was axed from the show due to his age. He stated it was like "a kick in the stomach".
“It’s great to be involved with Crufts, something that has been a huge part of my life for the past 41 years and it just shows there’s certainly life in the old dog yet. We all get older, both humans and dogs, but with the right support and by staying active, we can remain happy and healthy and keep doing the things we love – so here I am!” Peter says in an interview. Dogs have been such a huge part of his career and Peter says he cannot envisage a time when he would not have a dog.
In this clip on This Morning, Peter visits a homeless puppy shelter.
Where is Peter Purves now?
Despite his health scare when he was diagnosed with melanoma, Peter said he has no plans to retire.
He says looking back, Blue Peter was the reason he got skin cancer. “We had medical checks at the BBC before we went, and we were given salt and malaria tablets so none of us suffered from the local diseases. But I would put oil on my skin and fried myself, which is probably why I eventually ended up with melanoma. I either fried it or I didn’t protect my skin at all. It was just stupid.”
Now cancer-free and living in rural Suffolk, Peter shows no sign of stopping.
To learn more about Peter’s life and career you can purchase his autobiography, Here's One I Wrote Earlier, which was released in 2009. You can keep up to date with his work on Peter's website.
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