John Noakes famous for "Down Shep"

Noakes worked as an aircraft engine fitter and then as an actor, before he became a Blue Peter presenter in 1965, joining Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton. Trace left the programme in 1967, and was replaced by Peter Purves, thus creating the famous "Val, John and Pete" line-up that lasted until 1972, probably the most popular set of presenters the programme has had in its long history. After Singleton's departure, Noakes and Purves presented with Lesley Judd, another popular (and even longer-running) line-up. At a time when most BBC presenters spoke with received pronunciation, Noakes's broad Yorkshire accent was a novelty.

Noakes usually played the role of action man in the programme. Highlights included free-fall parachuting with the Red Devils and bob-sledding (his sled hit a hole in the ice and turned over, injuring him).

Like most presenters, Noakes was encouraged to take special responsibility for one of the shows pets. His original dog was Patch, a son of Petra (the first and most famous of all Blue Peter 's pets). After Patch's death, Noakes was given another pet dog, Shep, a Border Collie, on the show. Noakes's attempts to control the excitable Shep led to his catchphrase "Get down, Shep!".

After leaving Blue Peter in 1978, he and Shep made several series of Go With Noakes. However, when he left the BBC's employ, he was not allowed to keep Shep, who eventually died in 1987.

In 1982 he and his wife made an unsuccessful attempt to sail around the world. A second attempt in 1984 got no further than Majorca, where they settled down to run a boat rental business.

Many years after leaving the programme, Noakes came up with several surprisingly bitter comments. Despite having come across as a very natural presenter, he claimed his television personality was a fake, and he was merely acting a role. The Purves/Singleton Noakes team was reunited in January 2000 for the disinterment of the time capsule they buried in 1972, though Noakes appeared without much apparent enthusiasm.

In 2004, John took part in the Living TV reality TV show I'm Famous and Frightened!