Richard Bacon was fired from Blue Peter in October 1998 after admitting to cocaine use. The BBC dismissed the 22-year-old presenter just hours before the show was honoured at the British Academy Children’s Awards . The Richard Bacon Blue Peter scandal became one of British television’s most discussed dismissals of the decade.
Bacon joined Blue Peter in February 1997 at age 21 . He presented alongside Katy Hill, Konnie Huq, Stuart Miles, and Romana D’Annunzio. His tenure lasted roughly 20 months before the tabloid News of the World published a report about his drug use .
The story alleged Bacon took cocaine following a 12-hour drinking session . He did not deny it. In a statement to the newspaper, Bacon said: “I have been stupid and regret making a silly mistake experimenting with drugs” . He also apologised to “all loyal Blue Peter viewers.”
The BBC acted swiftly. Lorraine Heggessey, then Head of BBC Children’s Programmes, terminated his contract immediately . She explained the decision publicly: “For 40 years, Blue Peter has been a force for good, providing positive role models for children” . She added it was “vital that nothing tarnishes that reputation.”Quick Bio: Richard Bacon
Notes: Birthplace and birth date are corroborated by the Library of Congress and archived Wikipedia records . Net worth figure comes from a single celebrity estimation source and should be treated as unconfirmed. Education details could not be verified through authoritative sources. Social media follower count reflects a 2015 BBC profile and may have changed.
Bacon accepted the decision without resistance. In a statement released through the BBC, he said: “I fully accept and agree with the decision that has been taken” . He noted the incident occurred in his personal time but acknowledged it reflected poorly on the show. He became the first Blue Peter presenter in the programme’s history to have his contract terminated mid-season .
The timing was brutal. Blue Peter had celebrated its 40th anniversary just days earlier. On the same weekend as Bacon’s dismissal, the programme received a special BAFTA at the British Academy Children’s Awards for “outstanding contribution to children’s television” . Presenters Katy Hill and Stuart Miles attended the ceremony but refused to comment on their former colleague .
Heggessey addressed young viewers directly on the following Monday’s programme . She explained the situation in age-appropriate terms. Newsround also carried a short report about the sacking. Bacon had recorded no future segments, so he never appeared on Blue Peter again .
The immediate fallout extended beyond Bacon. His father, Paul Bacon, a criminal defence lawyer, told the Yorkshire Post: “It is probably the worst day of my life, and the worst day of Richard’s life” . He supported the BBC’s decision. Bacon himself told the newspaper he wanted to “lie low for a while and then rebuild my career in adult television” .
Rebuilding took time but proved possible. Bacon moved to Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast, a programme whose host Johnny Vaughan had also faced drug-related legal trouble . The fit was ironic but functional. He later presented Top of the Pops and built a substantial radio career, including a long stint on BBC Radio 5 Live .
For years, the scandal remained attached to his name. When Bacon nearly died from pneumonia in 2018 and was placed in a medically induced coma, several news reports still referenced the 1998 cocaine incident . The association proved remarkably durable.
Bacon has since spoken about the personal cost. On the How to Fail podcast, he revealed that his mother told him the scandal was the only time she ever heard his father cry . His father turned on the shower to hide the sound before going to work. Bacon said the memory gave him “a deep sense of shame” that persisted decades later .
Yet he has also framed the dismissal as formative. “Getting fired from Blue Peter is an essential part of who I am,” he told Victoria Derbyshire in 2018 . In a separate interview, he said the incident “changed the whole course of my life” and that “out of adversity came opportunity” . He acknowledged he would likely have drifted into lighter entertainment work without it.
Redemption arrived at the programme’s 60th anniversary in October 2018. Behind the scenes at the celebration in Manchester, former presenter Peter Purves pinned a Blue Peter badge onto Bacon’s shirt . Purves told him “Welcome back to the fold.” Bacon had handed in his original badge two decades earlier, a detail he later compared to leaving the Los Angeles Police Department .
Bacon tweeted about the experience: “I can never hold down a job for long. I’ve hosted a lot of shows in a lot of places. And yet the one I have the most affection for is the one I got fired from” . The sentiment captured a complicated relationship. Blue Peter had ended his children’s television career, but the programme remained, for him, a source of pride rather than resentment.
The Richard Bacon Blue Peter episode remains a case study in institutional reputation management. The BBC prioritised the programme’s role-model status over an individual presenter’s potential. Bacon, meanwhile, built a durable adult career from the wreckage. The badge ceremony in 2018 offered a tidy ending to a story that had lingered for 20 years.
Q: Why was Richard Bacon fired from Blue Peter?
A: Bacon was dismissed in October 1998 after admitting to cocaine use. The BBC acted swiftly, with children’s programming head Lorraine Heggessey stating the show’s 40-year reputation as a positive role model for children could not be tarnished .
Q: Was Bacon the first Blue Peter presenter to be fired?
A: Yes. He was the first presenter in the show’s history to have his contract terminated mid-season, after roughly 20 months on the programme . He was 22 years old at the time .
Q: Did Bacon have to return his Blue Peter badge?
A: Yes. Bacon revealed in his 2013 memoir that he was asked to hand back his badge upon leaving, comparing the formality to leaving the Los Angeles Police Department . He later received a replacement badge at the show’s 60th anniversary in 2018 .
Q: What did Bacon do after leaving Blue Peter?
A: He rebuilt his career in adult television, hosting Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast and later Top of the Pops . He also became a prominent radio presenter, including a long stint on BBC Radio 5 Live .
Q: How did Blue Peter eventually reconcile with Bacon?
A: At the programme’s 60th anniversary celebration in October 2018, former presenter Peter Purves pinned a badge on Bacon and told him “Welcome back to the fold,” with other presenters applauding . Bacon had tweeted that the job he got fired from was the one he had “the most affection for” .
