Former Blue Peter Peter Purves feels sad about one thing looking back at show

Put two former Doctor Who stars and a companion together on stage and you'd be forgiven for assuming they had time travelled there in their trusty Tardis. But no blue police box was required to unite Tom Baker and Colin Baker with Blue Peter veteran Peter Purves, who played the companion to the very first Doctor, William Hartnell, back in the 1960s, for their new venture - just a message from the beyond the veil (of sorts).

The trio are starring in a new touring stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with Victorian London as their destination. Colin, 82, plays the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge, while Tom, 91, appears in a recording as the ghost of Scrooge's business partner Jacob Marley. Peter, meanwhile, narrates the much-loved spooky classic as author Dickens.

"The show is presented as an on-stage radio drama, which is a lovely format," says the 86-year-old actor, who is in fine form as he chats to the Daily Express from his home in Suffolk. "I am dressed in Victorian costume to the side as Charles Dickens, and there are four microphones on stage.

"What I love about the staging of this production is it is set out like an old radio play, or like The Archers. There is just a table of equipment for the sound effects and four microphones.

"But there is still plenty of activity on stage with the cast members playing multiple parts. It's really very clever. There are just seven of us, including the stage manager who does all the music and sound effects on stage with the cast using different voices to play the different roles. The words are taken straight out of the novel."

So, something for real Dickens aficionados as well as Doctor Who fans then?

"It's performed as if it was being done at the BBC," nods Peter. "But although it is essentially a radio play there is plenty for the audience to look at and a lot to keep people entertained. And because we are playing in relatively small theatres of 300 to 400, the atmosphere is cosy and there are also Christmas carols and old-fashioned radio play music played, too."

Peter, who appeared in more than 40 episodes of Doctor Who as Steven Taylor and reprised the role in 2023 in spin-off series Tales of the Tardis, says Colin - who was the sixth Doctor - makes for a "wonderful" Ebeneezer Scrooge.

"And because it is presented as a radio play, the great thing is that we can have the scripts, so I haven't had to learn the lines," he continues, before hastily adding: "I still can learn lines, of course!"

The show, in which three Christmas ghosts - Past, Present and Future - visit miser Scrooge on Christmas Eve to show him the error of his ways before it's too late, is being produced by the Crime and Comedy Theatre Company.

Why does this famous tale continue to enthral new generations? "Partly because it is a very short book, but also because it is a moral tale of redemption and a really clever little ghost story," says Peter. "I love reading Dickens, although I would have to say my favourite kind of book to read would be a John le Carré spy thriller."

He is clearly enjoying being back on stage and admits it was acting, rather than presenting, for which he is better known, that was - and always will be - his true love.

Born in New Longton, Preston, in 1939, Peter initially set his sights on teaching, but he eventually abandoned his training to return to his childhood love of acting.

"I started out in a repertory theatre in Barrow-in-Furness and did 96 plays in two years," he says. "The work was so varied, it was a new play every couple of weeks and just two weeks off a year. It was the hardest I have ever worked but it was the most enjoyment I'd ever had. I was starting to build a name for myself as an actor."

He appeared on TV in shows like Z Cars, The Saint, Dixon of Dock Green and The Villains...but then, suddenly, his acting work dried up to nothing.

"I was on the verge of giving up completely when Blue Peter came knocking," he admits of the children's teatime show which made him a household name in the 1960s. "I wasn't in a position to turn it down - it ended up being one of the best things I've ever done."

He stayed for more than 10 years, appearing in 850 episodes in all.

"I initially signed up for Blue Peter for six months but I did not have an option to leave and then that was extended for another six months and so on," he explains. "Although I had started out wanting to be an actor and only got into presenting when the acting jobs stopped coming in, Blue Peter ended up being an absolutely brilliant job which took me all over the world.

"I visited 27 countries at a time when travel really wasn't as accessible as it is today - places like Fiji and Tonga, Singapore and Sri Lanka. And I got to do some amazing things, like being at the helm of the QE2."

He adds: "I also got to do the Royal Signals White Helmets obstacle course at Catterick in Yorkshire during my time on Blue Peter and I am very proud of my honorary White Helmet, and was sad when the Display Team was disbanded in 2017. They were a legendary team of riders, and I thoroughly enjoyed my few days training with them."

That particular high-octane stunt led to Peter being offered the presenting job on the kids' motorbike trials TV show, Kick Start.
He also presented the children's sport programme Stopwatch on the BBC for five series in the 1970s and early 1980s, alongside co-presenters Daley Thompson, Suzanne Dando and Nigel Starmer-Smith. After that, he became a presenter at the Darts World Championships for eight years.

"I am not boasting but I am actually a pretty good darts player myself and played for the BBC team, which is how I got that gig," he laughs.

And then of course there was Crufts, which Peter presented for an incredible 41 years from 1978 to 2019. "It was looking after the Blue Peter German Shepherd dog Petra which got me the Crufts job and I have always loved dogs," he explains.

He was unceremoniously dropped from his role as a show commentator after 41 years and admits he was "shocked" and "hurt" by the decision - accusing broadcaster Channel 4 of "ageism". Pooches, however, continue to play an important part in his life. At home with his second wife Kathryn Evans, 73, the couple have dachshund and Pekinese dogs, as well as an English shorthair cat... so it mustbe a bit like the Blue Peter studio.

But not one to just sit back and relax with his dogs at home, Peter has also launched his own podcast series.

"I started the series off with a chat with Colin Baker and here we are again acting together in A Christmas Carol next month - so it really does feel like I've come full circle," he says.

He has also recently been working on the pilot episode for a TV series called Henry House in which he plays a dementia patient, who's also got PTSD.

If that wasn't enough, there are four film scripts on offer, sitting in his office. "There are some great projects out there by some very creative people and I have been offered some great roles recently, but it is so difficult for films to get the funding these days and for projects to get off the ground."

So no plans at 86 - having been working for well over 60 years - to retire, then?

"Retirement? What's that? Retirement is a dirty word in our game, actors don't retire," the TV legend laughs. "We collapse on stage... just hopefully not during A Christmas Carol!"

A Christmas Carol tours from November 7 to 16. For tickets and venue information, visit crimeandcomedytheatrecompany.co.uk; all episodes of the Peter Purves Podcast can be found at peterpurves.podbean.com