Through the annals of British television, there are just a handful of shows which form a rite of passage for cultivating the next generation of TV auteurs. Indeed the children’s entertainment series Blue Peter has been responsible for spawning an unprecedented amount of talented entertainment professionals who have each gone on to dominate their respective industries. Yet it’s not just on screen talent who have benefited from this unique grounding as the show boasts a great history of nurturing production staff to move on to bigger and better things. Writer, producer and television director Richard Marson followed in the footsteps of giants as he became editor of Blue Peter in 1998, replacing the legendary Biddy Baxter who had been in the position for the past thirty years.
Growing up as a TV viewer in Bill Cotton’s golden age of BBC Light Entertainment, the young Richard Marson was bred on a healthy diet of The Generation Game, Vision On and Top Of The Pops. Studying for his O Levels, on one particular afternoon whilst pretending to undertake a revision session, Marson would experience a watershed moment when he tuned in for an episode of Blue Peter. Far too old to fulfil the demographic quota of the show, Richard found himself immersed in a section where presenters took viewers behind the scenes and introduced them to the many production crew who made vital contributions to the programme being on air. It was here that Richard was to have an epiphany and now recognised exactly what he was destined to become.
Joining the show in 1988, Marson witnessed the changing of the guard as Biddy Baxter retired in the same year and thus became his mantra to preserve many of the elements of the show which she helped to nurture. He soon learned that there are just a handful of BBC programmes that represent core values of the corporation and Blue Peter sits amongst this elite group alongside the news, Saturday morning entertainment and The One Show. These remain intrinsic BBC programmes which no other broadcaster could ever make and despite the corporation being the constant subject of scrutiny and controversy, it’s for this reason that Richard believes that the BBC remains vital. Like all major organisations, there are a wide host of fatal flaws within the corporation and debates still rumble on surrounding the position of the BBC in contemporary culture. Yet Richard believes that irrespective of the negativity surrounding it, the BBC shall forever occupy a significant place in public life.
Stepping out from his children’s television background, in 2007 Richard turned his hand to documentary making when he embarked upon the BBC Four special Who Peter which revelled in the many surprising connections between Doctor Who and Blue Peter. So many talented folk have managed to straddle both sides of the entertainment spectrum and have made formidable contributions to both. The legendary Peter Purves and Janet Ellis made the perfect Doctor companions before joining Blue Peter. Also being a youth orientated show, Biddy Baxter forever wanted Blue Peter to feature exclusives of the most popular series of the day and this meant regular interviews with the cast and crew of Doctor Who. Indeed it was fascinating to learn just how many connections there are between these two British institutions which offered the documentary a three dimensional image.
The success of Who Peter brought Richard to the attention of BBC Four executives and when the decision to close Television Centre was announced in 2012, he was put forward to work on the celebratory documentary. Originally commissioned as an authored documentary fronted by the iconic Sarah Greene, this was the brainchild of the BBC Comedy department with the aim of making a satirical sketch spoof paying homage to the original theatre of dreams. However, when approaching comedy stars like French and Saunders, it was realised that this wouldn’t be possible and therefore a decision needed to be made on the show’s purpose. The documentary was then forced in a completely different direction.
This was to be a definitive celebration of the magic and influence of TV Centre through the ages, featuring contributions from some of the most defining figures of the corporation. With a very limited BBC Four budget, Richard realised that he had taken on a mammoth, seemingly impossible task. As he set about working out a way to balance expectations, he set about attempting to make contact with the major protagonists in the story. TV royalty, acting dames, broadcasting legends; everyone who was asked, each instantly accepted and were more than happy to contribute to the ninety minute extravaganza. For Richard, this became the ultimate passion project and one which seemed extremely important.
It seems that the career of Richard Marson has spanned the very period which I hold very dear to my heart. The vivacious nature of quintessential BBC Light Entertainment never fails to capture my imagination and stirs my curiosity in a way that very few things can. He may not be a recognisable face or name to the general public but Marson’s contribution to the preservation of the Arts is unprecedented and thus makes him the perfect guest for any entertainment podcast. It was an honour to welcome him to Beyond The Title and wish him the very best for the future.
Beyond The Title