Peter Purves

BIO

In a varied and exciting 60 years career, Peter has appeared in approximately 2500 TV shows. Brought up in Blackpool, a hotspot in the 40’s and 50’s for all things showbiz, it was inevitable that the stage would attract him. He was a successful TV actor for several years, including a 46 episode stint as companion Steven Taylor to the First Doctor (William Hartnell) in Doctor Who, before his career changed course and he became a TV presenter.

His ten and a half years in Blue Peter was followed, by 5 series of his own sports program Stopwatch, a holiday series called We’re Going Places, numerous specials, plus the Motor Bike Trials programs, Kickstart and Junior Kickstart, which ran for 13 years. For eight years, he presented many hundreds of the BBC darts programs when the sport was in its heyday. He was also host for three series of the amusing word game, Babble, for Ch4; and he and his Crufts colleague Jessica Holm hosted three series of Superdogs, an entertaining and competitive inter-regional competition for teams of dogs and handlers. He hosted his own 96 episode chat/food/travel show on a satellite channel called Destination Lunch. He also found time to be CEO of his own video production company, Purves Wickes, for almost 15 years until the turn of the century.

He returned to the world of Doctor Who through Big Finish audios, where he has starred in 28 original Doctor Who stories, recreating his original character Steven Taylor, and giving a passable impression of the great William Hartnell as the Doctor, a role he thoroughly enjoys. He has also recorded several Doctor Who stories for BBC Audio Books.

He has appeared in numerous celebrity specials including Antiques Road Trip, Pointless Celebrities, Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook, etc. etc. and was involved in a tribute to his friend and colleague, the late John Noakes. He also made memorable cameo appearances in Eastenders and The Office. The revival of Doctor Who has seen him visiting conventions both in this country, Germany, Czech Republic and various parts of the United States. He has also given numerous talks on cruise ships for P&O, Saga, and Cunard and Thompson.

He lives in the heart of rural Suffolk with his wife, his dogs and a few chickens.