BBC Worldwide is to launch a magazine based on its flagship children’s TV programme Blue Peter.
The monthly Blue Peter Magazine will be aimed at the programme’s core fans, aged five to eight. It will have an initial print run of 150,000 with a cover price of £1.25 and the first issue will come out on 27 June.
Claire Yude, editor of the BBC’s children’s title Smart, is editor. Yude, who worked on pre-school titles for BBC Worldwide for five years, will continue to oversee Smart, which she launched in 1998.
The rest of the team consists of assistant editor Emma Fogden, sub-editor/writer Helen Speight, art editor Maria Goodspeed and editorial assistant Tasha Browning.
It is the first time in Blue Peter’s 43-year history that the programme has been supported by a monthly title.
Yude said staff had been working on dummies for more than six months. "There is a gap in the market at the moment for a general interest magazine for this age group.
"Children grow out of characters by the time they are six or seven and the rest of the stuff is aimed a bit too high," she said.
"Blue Peter has just increased its frequency to 52 weeks a year and it is on three times a week so it’s the right time to launch." The title will feature the programme’s pets and presenters as well as a mix of features, games and puzzles.
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