When John Noakes joined in 1965, his co-presenters were Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton. Noakes went on to spend 12 years on the show and became a children's TV legend.
Viewers' pictures flooded in to the Blue Peter office for the hosts - and the show's pets - to inspect.
Noakes was never far from his trusty companion Shep, whom he got as a puppy at the start of the 1970s.
Noakes was known for his fearless stunts, including becoming the first civilian in Britain to make a five-mile freefall with the RAF.
He also went down the Cresta Run bobsleigh track in Switzerland - but came off halfway down.
"And here's one I made earlier..." Noakes also did more sedate activities, like making Christmas cards in 1975.
Noakes and Shep got to grips with Doctor Who's robotic dog K9 in 1977.
There was nothing Noakes couldn't do - including appearing with RAF acrobats.
His co-hosts included Peter Purves. "Peter and me worked so well together, like Laurel and Hardy," he said.
The programme covered - and still covers - a huge array of topics, from technology to hobbies to gardening.
Noakes stayed on the programme until 1978. Here, he's pictured just before his departure with Lesley Judd and Simon Groom.
Presenters past and present (with Noakes right in the centre) got together to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary in 1998.
- Published29 May 2017
- Published29 May 2017
- Published29 May 2017
- Published29 August 2012
