The Editor,
Blue Peter,
BBC Television Centre,
Wood Lane,
London. W12.
29th January, 1990.
Dear Sir,
I caught your programme for the first time for a long while today (what with having to work for a living these days) and I was horrified to see that you are now, like almost every other children's programme, promoting pop music (viz the latest single from a couple of unknown starlets going under the name of Yell).
This is not what Blue Peter used to be about. It would never have happened in my (or 'Biddy' Baxter's) day and it certainly shouldn't be happening today either. I dare say the kiddies enjoy a bit of pop music (as do I - I'm no square), but Blue Peter was never the forum for that kind of stuff. You may not realise it (though I'm sure that Yell's record company does), but your programme carries an awful lot of street cred' with youngsters: if a song is good enough for Blue Peter to support, it's good enough for them.
Stick to the sticky-back plastic (just like John Noakes used to do)! Keep the carrot cake and the silly stunts! Forget trying to become trendy! You are, quite simply, in danger of ruining the best television programme children (and many adults) ever had.
Yours very sincerely,