Lesley Judd

Lesley Judd (born 20 December 1946) is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter (1972–1979). Background Born in London, the daughter of Leslie T. Judd and Hilda Madeline Haddock, Judd was educated at the independent Arts Educational School, Tring Park (Hertfordshire). In 1959, she appeared in the BBC Television adaptation of Heidi, playing the part of Clara. Another early appearance as a child actress was as a schoolgirl in the Z-Cars episode "Person Unknown" on 14 November 1962. An early dancing appearance came on BBC TV's The Language of Love in 1964. In 1967, Judd was one of the "children" dancers on Gillian Lynne's BBC2 show Hey Riddle Diddle starring Roy Castle and Nelson Riddle. She was a hostess on the Associated-Rediffusion game show Exit! It's the Way-Out Show hosted by Ed Stewart. Beginning in 1967 with The Rolf Harris Show, Judd appeared as part of the dance troupe The Young Generation on several television shows, but walked out in breach of her contract. When offered the role as a BBC presenter soon after, the BBC contracts department was furious that she was being hired by the corporation once again and insisted the contract was "watertight." She was one of the background dancers in the filmed musical Half a Sixpence (1967) and had a small speaking role in the first Monty Python film And Now for Something Completely Different (1971, the "Hell's Grannies" sketch), and the Christopher Lee horror film I, Monster (1971). Judd made a brief return to dancing in 1976 when she joined Pan's People on Top of the Pops for a one-off routine (the rehearsals were later shown on Blue Peter), and later she often danced on the BBC show All Star Record Breakers.