Blue Peter Royal Safari

The Blue Peter Royal Safari was shown on Easter Sunday 1971. Valerie Singleton accompanied Princess Anne to Kenya, which she was visiting as President of the Save the Children Fund. This was the first solo tour for the 20 year-old Princess and also her first solo television work. The programme was introduced - not by the famous Blue Peter theme - but by Bert Kaempfert's "Swinging Safari".

During the course of the eight-day visit Princess Anne gave several interviews to Singleton. She spoke knowledgeably of the work of the Save the Children Fund, rescuing street children and offering them a fresh start in the Starahe Boys Centre. She also spoke more informally about her love of horse riding, and her ambition to compete in the Olympics. Aside from official duties the Princess and Singleton saw and photographed the wildlife in Nairobi National Park, and went snorkelling at Shimone.

Blue Peter's association with the Royal Family continued after the Royal Safari, which enhanced Princess Anne's reputation with the young audience. This culminated on the programme's 50th anniversary in 2008, when the Queen hosted a Blue Peter reception at Buckingham Palace, to which Singleton and many other presenters past and present were invited.