BLUE PETER BEHIND THE BADGE - Alex Leger
Alex Leger entertained members with a talk about his career, describing his behind-the-scenes journey through four decades of Britain's best-loved children's television programme, Blue Peter.
He left the army at 25 years old and worked as an Industrial Engineer but he really wanted to get into television. He was employed by the BBC initially as a trainee attached to various television programs.. His ambition was to produce a program from beginning to end.
Alex told us about his most memorable moments on location during 36 years as a program producer and director. He survived storms, landmines, erupting volcanoes, dehydration, food poisoning, tapeworms and attacks with stones and bullets to produce some six hundred films worldwide.
He spoke of working with John Noakes and filming him climbing Nelson's Column using a step ladder with no safety harness. He experienced working in live television and related the time an elephant and it's keeper appeared on Blue Peter which ended in havoc, and John Noakes pretended that the elephant had stood on his foot. He also worked on the live program "Multicoloured Swop Shop".
He decided to write a book "Blue Peter Behind the Badge" to record the hits, misses and near-death experiences. He left the BBC in 2011 when they relocated to Salford.
He left the army at 25 years old and worked as an Industrial Engineer but he really wanted to get into television. He was employed by the BBC initially as a trainee attached to various television programs.. His ambition was to produce a program from beginning to end.
Alex told us about his most memorable moments on location during 36 years as a program producer and director. He survived storms, landmines, erupting volcanoes, dehydration, food poisoning, tapeworms and attacks with stones and bullets to produce some six hundred films worldwide.
He spoke of working with John Noakes and filming him climbing Nelson's Column using a step ladder with no safety harness. He experienced working in live television and related the time an elephant and it's keeper appeared on Blue Peter which ended in havoc, and John Noakes pretended that the elephant had stood on his foot. He also worked on the live program "Multicoloured Swop Shop".
He decided to write a book "Blue Peter Behind the Badge" to record the hits, misses and near-death experiences. He left the BBC in 2011 when they relocated to Salford.