Blue Peter star unrecognisable decades since quitting 'out of touch' show

Stuart Miles famously quit Blue Peter after slamming the TV series for being "out of touch" with its young BBC viewers. It had been just three months since his friend and co-star Richard Bacon had been sacked for taking cocaine, and Stuart was arguing that children were no longer interested in sticky back plastic and pets.

"With the year 2000 nearly here we've got to make Blue Peter more relevant to modern-thinking children," he said. "Less twee, more hard-hitting. I know it's like a comfort blanket for a lot of people, a programme that will never shock or offend you, but we err on the side of caution."

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Then 27 years old, Stuart was, at the time, Blue Peter's longest-serving presenter, with his exit coming as a huge blow to the corporation, who had been wrestling with the drug-taking expose of Richard Bacon and his replacement on the show.

But, 26 years later, what has become of Stuart?

He went on to guest-present shows including This Morning and Holiday and also became a regular on Sky Vegas, an interactive TV gambling channel. He went on to present a breakfast show for Heart FM alongside his former co-star, Katy Hill.

And in 2008, he launched a drag show at Edinburgh Fringe, The Adventures of Pink Peter, dressing up as Vera Singleton who was portrayed as sister of Valerie Singleton, one of the show's early presenters.

A decade later, Stuart spoke about his regret over not coming out as gay during his time on Blue Peter. Speaking to Metro, he said: "I only have one regret and that is I spent a lot of my time on the show feeling conflicted about my sexuality. I was frightened of the reaction I may get both in the press and from the parents of children who watched the show if I came out as a gay man.

This may seem daft to someone growing up gay in 2018 but it’s easy to forget how, as little as 20 years ago, we were in a very different place."

In fact, Blue Peter had sacked one of its presenters in 1985, Michael Sundin, with many claiming it was because of his sexuality. This was refuted by the show's then-Editor, Biddy Baxter, who said it was simply that Michael was unpopular with viewers. He sadly died of an Aids-related illness in 1989.

Now aged 56, Stuart is barely recognisable from his Blue Peter days and also has a new career, as a professional speaker for Great British Speakers.

Just months ago, 66 year old Blue Peter itself received a huge shake-up, as its legendary live broadcasts were axed to make way for pre-recorded shows. Last year, former presenters Anthea Turner and Janet Ellis launched a bid to save the show when it was put out to tender.

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