Nineties Blue Peter presenters Tim Vincent and Konnie Huq reunited on Monday night at the opening of The Producers in London, as the long-running children's show undergoes a major revamp to attract younger viewers.
The BBC programme, which first aired in 1958, has seen viewing figures plummet to an average of 37,700, with a 2017 repeat recording zero viewers, according to The Times. To compete with YouTube and TikTok, producers have overhauled the format, moving to a smaller Manchester studio designed to resemble an influencer's home, with exposed brick walls and wooden flooring.
Changes include scrapping live broadcasts in favour of pre-recorded, edited episodes, and adding a puppet, Hacker T Dog, as the 44th presenter—the first non-human host. Presenter Joel Mawhinney, 25, said the new set 'feels like a loft where we're all just having fun.'
Vincent, 52, hosted Blue Peter from 1993 to 1997, while Huq, 50, remains the longest-serving female presenter, with an 11-year stint from 1997 to 2008. Huq later co-wrote the Black Mirror episode 'Fifteen Million Merits' with her husband Charlie Brooker.
