Janet Ellis MBE

Day two in London (1/3/18) and it was still snowing. Today I met the lovely Janet Ellis.
Janet presented Blue Peter for four years from April 1983 until June 1987.

Janet's first television role was in 1978 when she played the part of Princess Grizelda in Jackanory Playhouse. The following year she played Teka in the Doctor Who story The Horns of Nimon.

Then Janet joined Adrian, Jig, Bigum, The O - men, Noseybonk and Pterry in the crazy world of Jigsaw.  The show ran for 6 series and in 1980 won a BAFTA for The Best Childrens Programme. Janet left after series four in 1983 to become the thirteenth Blue Peter presenter.

Jig

The next four years  were action packed for Janet and some of her many highlights include Singing with the BBC Symphony Chorus at The Last night of the Proms. Taking part in the Royal Marines mud race, practising a cable car rescue, training  to be a British Airways flight attendant and on 8th October 1986 after 3 and a half years of training and a broken pelvis, Janet became the first civilian woman in Europe to jump out of an aeroplane at 20,000 feet.

Summer trips include Sri Lanka, Kenya and Australia where Janet had an asthma attack on Ayres Rock.

Janet in Sri Lanka

Janet left Blue Peter in the Summer of 1987 after she became pregnant with her second child. Janet is the mother of three children including singer Sophie Ellis Bextor. Sophie appeared on Blue Peter with her Mum on several occasions.

Since leaving Blue Peter Janet has kept very busy. Television work includes Open Air, Just the two of us, and she has been a regular panellist on Channel five's The Wright Stuff since 2002. She has provided voice overs for many television commercials including the long running Daz challenge. Then in 2016 published her first novel The Butchers Hook and is presently writing her second.

In 2016 Janet was appointed Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to acting and charity. In 2017 Janet was awarded a Gold Blue Peter badge (see Gold for Janet)

Janet with her daughter Sophie Ellis Bextor at Buckingham Palace
after being honoured with the MBE

Janet features in Blue Peter Books 20, 21,22, and 23.

Click the video below to see highlights of Janet's four years on Blue Peter.