0:00:04 > 0:00:07John Craven has been appearing on our television screens
0:00:07 > 0:00:10for the best part of half a century.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15He has been with us as we moved from black and white to colour.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20He's reported on conflicts abroad...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23The war in the Lebanon has broken out again with a vengeance.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24..and at home.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28What's it like when you try and play outside?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30There's usually shooting down the street.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33He's seen us through eight prime ministers...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- Morning, Mrs Thatcher.- Good morning. - ..and five recessions.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And throughout it all, John has been a reassuring presence...
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- Hello again. - ..making sense of the world,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44from Newsround to Countryfile.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48It's a well-known phrase that you should never work with children and animals,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and I've spent the last 40 years doing just that!
0:00:53 > 0:00:57This is the story of the man who brought the news to children...
0:00:57 > 0:01:00His role in those early Newsrounds was that of elder brother.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04You did feel it was especially for you.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06..and brightened up our Saturday mornings.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11We all genuinely liked each other and we very much loved John.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'He is one of the most decent entertaining, kind,'
0:01:14 > 0:01:17compassionate people that you could ever want to meet.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Generations of us have grown up with John Craven
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and John has grown up with us.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27This is a journey through...
0:01:33 > 0:01:36MUSIC: "Act Naturally" by Buck Owens
0:01:45 > 0:01:48It's a cold morning in November
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and John Craven is on location in Southport with the Countryfile team.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02Two miles beneath the surface, here, there's natural gas trapped in rocks
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and getting it out involves a new technique in this country
0:02:05 > 0:02:06called fracking...
0:02:06 > 0:02:10'I'm proud of being a journalist. I think its a wonderful job.'
0:02:10 > 0:02:15It's a great window on the world. You get this opportunity to, kind of,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17walk down a street and then some doors you throw a bouquet
0:02:17 > 0:02:21and then other doors you throw a ton of bricks!
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'But all the time you are, hopefully,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'responsibly, reporting to your audience
0:02:26 > 0:02:28'about what is really happening.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:31..I'll be investigating. And also on Countryfile tonight...
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Journalism and broadcasting have been in John's blood
0:02:37 > 0:02:40ever since he was old enough to read and write.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43When I was 11 or 12,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48I asked my parents, as a birthday present, for a microphone!
0:02:48 > 0:02:51And it was like one of those, you know, sports commentators hold
0:02:51 > 0:02:57and...it was plugged it into the radio in the sitting room
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and I sat in the kitchen with the Yorkshire Evening Post
0:03:00 > 0:03:04and read them the stories from the front page of the paper,
0:03:04 > 0:03:05just like a radio newsreader
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and they were very tolerant - they just sat and listened.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The budding broadcaster was born in Leeds in 1940.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17He grew up in a country ravaged by the effects of the Second World War
0:03:17 > 0:03:24and like many children, the harsh reality of conflict was brought home to him in a very personal way.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32My father was captured by the Japanese in 1942, in Singapore,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36and he was one of the few who did survive The Death Railway.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40My mother didn't know if he was dead or alive for nearly three years.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46One of my first memories was going to Leeds station
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and meeting this stranger who weighed about five stone
0:03:48 > 0:03:52because, you know, the treatment he'd had at the hands of the Japanese
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and he carried me on his shoulders, I thought he was a great hero
0:03:54 > 0:03:57returning home from killing tigers and things like that!
0:03:57 > 0:04:02'Well, Mr Nomad, you can't say I didn't pick a grand day for your trip to Bird Island...'
0:04:02 > 0:04:04For young boys with vivid imaginations,
0:04:04 > 0:04:10post-war childhood regained a sense of adventure and excitement through the radio.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14'For me it was Children's Hour, five o'clock every night,'
0:04:14 > 0:04:16with Uncle Mac and people like that,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20and Norman and Henry Bones, the boy detectives, and Wandering with Nomad.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22'I love the little puffin.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26'I think he has the most comical face of any bird I know.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:31This was a naturalist nomad who took a group of children out
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and on the radio explained what they were seeing,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35you know, as they walked down country lanes
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and I think that's first what got me interested in wildlife and nature
0:04:39 > 0:04:40cos I was, then, a city kid.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44MUSIC: "Johnny B Good" by Chuck Berry
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Radio might have nurtured a lifelong interest in the countryside,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55but it also provided the spark for a pop culture explosion
0:04:55 > 0:04:57that would transform the lives of children coming of age
0:04:57 > 0:05:01in the decade of Pop Art, rebels and rock and roll.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Suddenly this raucous American wave swept over us
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and we were very impressed.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21We were the first teenagers - the word had never been heard of before -
0:05:21 > 0:05:26and everything was happening, in fashion, in music especially,
0:05:26 > 0:05:27you know, Elvis Presley, wow.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I had Elvis Presley records and my parents HATED the fact.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32They almost banned the records from the house.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37And I had a DA haircut, a Tony Curtis haircut, you know,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and I wore an Italian suit,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42you know, four buttons down the front and all that.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Brimming with teenage confidence,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57John Craven made his first ever television appearance in 1958
0:05:57 > 0:06:01as a guest on a long-lost youth programme called The Sunday Break.
0:06:03 > 0:06:10This is the cutting about my very first television interview, on The Sunday Break.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13"John Craven, of Grimthorpe Street, Headingley, Leeds,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16"is a braw laddie, as the Scots say.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19"Last Sunday this 18-year-old sales apprentice
0:06:19 > 0:06:23"suddenly found himself in front of the television cameras.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27"I say 'suddenly' because he only had four days warning that he was to appear.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32"But John didn't panic - he didn't even bat an eyelid." Not sure about that.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38The Sunday Break offered teenagers a short-lived taste of TV stardom,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43but one of the shows more famous guests spotted John's potential.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47On the very first program I talked to Sam Wanamaker,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51you know, founded the Globe Theatre, father of Zoe Wanamaker,
0:06:51 > 0:06:56and, in fact, Sam was very kind to me, you know, he took me to one side and he gave me a few tips.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Obviously, my first time on television I was very nervous
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and he said, "You might be able to do this job."
0:07:04 > 0:07:09During a tumultuous decade that spanned free love, moon landings
0:07:09 > 0:07:10and revolting students,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13John honed his journalistic skills on local papers
0:07:13 > 0:07:16like The Harrogate Advertiser.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22It wasn't until the late 60s that he broke into regional television,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25where runaway dogs were headline news.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29He went straight into the acres of wood and grass which surround the airport,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and he's resisted all attempts to capture him.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34He's eating food that's been put down for him,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37but he took no notice of some greyhound bitches
0:07:37 > 0:07:39brought up here to try lure him back with love.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44In 1971, John gained national exposure
0:07:44 > 0:07:49on the BBC's flagship current affairs series Nationwide,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52where the closure of local bus services was headline news.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57We've had a lot of letters from the village,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00letters which say things like,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04"We love our little village, but we don't want to be buried alive in it."
0:08:04 > 0:08:09So we decided to use this as the starting point of our enquiry...
0:08:09 > 0:08:13and feelings are running so high that when they discovered we were coming,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15this is the reception committee that greeted us.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'This is the nine o'clock news.'
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Although John quickly mastered the formal broadcasting style of the time,
0:08:22 > 0:08:28the news was a turn-off for a large and increasingly powerful section of the viewing public -
0:08:28 > 0:08:30children.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Children were absolutely bored stiff by the adult news,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35because of the way it was presented...
0:08:35 > 0:08:38A leading Conservative Shadow Minister, Sir Keith Joseph,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43tonight came out firmly against any statutory incomes policy...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45It was quite inaccessible and often,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48because you didn't understand the context, when it came on,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50we'd just go out of the room
0:08:50 > 0:08:52cos we felt like it had nothing to do with us.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Yet the world was a volatile place in the early '70s, with violence on the streets of Northern Ireland,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04war in Vietnam and Britain on the verge of industrial unrest.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06# Come in from school
0:09:06 > 0:09:10# My head buzzin' with rules
0:09:10 > 0:09:15# That would bring any boy to his knees... #
0:09:15 > 0:09:19The idea that television should guide children through this world
0:09:19 > 0:09:22began to gain ground with BBC bosses such as Monica Sims.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26# ..to my room and I slam the door... #
0:09:26 > 0:09:32I belonged to the school of thought which felt it was a good thing for children to be stretched,
0:09:32 > 0:09:38and to use their imaginations, and to understand, gradually, the world around them.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Five, four, three.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Producers in Bristol were the first to tap into the new mood
0:09:44 > 0:09:46with a programme called Search...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51..and they recruited John Craven to present it.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Hello and welcome once again to Search.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Well, how many boys do you know who can bake a cake
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and how many girls do you know who can mend a fuse?
0:10:03 > 0:10:09'Search was the first current affairs programme in the world for children'
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and what did, we looked at a topic every week,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14made a film about it, a short film,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18and then I had a studio full of children - maybe 30 or 40 children sometimes -
0:10:18 > 0:10:22who all wanted their say on that issue.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I've got a younger brother than myself
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and I usually get the household chores to do
0:10:29 > 0:10:34and he's sitting down watching television or something like that, and I don't think that's fair.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38I think boys should stick to what they're made for,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43you know, being, playing with toy soldiers and things like that.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46'It was probably the first time that anybody had really'
0:10:46 > 0:10:49taken children's opinions seriously.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And we looked at issues, you know, some big news issues,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55we looked at relationships,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58you know, "How'd you get on with your grandparents?
0:10:58 > 0:11:02"What do you think of the older generation?" That sort of thing.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04In a way, quite a breakthrough.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Search offered children a voice,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10but whether they had anything pressing to say was another matter.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14'I can't tell you how pleased I'd be if I could be on television
0:11:14 > 0:11:17'and I know my parents would be pleased
0:11:17 > 0:11:19'and so would my budgie, who enjoys TV,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24'and my pet fish, who also enjoys TV, certainly would.'
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Sorry, Louise, that your budgie and your pet fish
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and indeed you are going to be disappointed
0:11:29 > 0:11:32because you didn't give us any real opinions in that letter, did you?
0:11:32 > 0:11:37In Search, we were encouraging children to respond
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and give their own opinions.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Well, I disagree with making children to sports.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I'm not one of those people who likes sport
0:11:45 > 0:11:47so I rather agree with Jane.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- You should have shown a wider range of schools.- Siobhan, what you think?
0:11:51 > 0:11:55'I have a distant memory of Search'
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and, I think, probably like every child viewer,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01particularly those with my temperament and ambitions,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05fantasised about giving my opinions on the issues of the day on that programme.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10Search also encouraged children to express themselves
0:12:10 > 0:12:12though the medium of film.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Hello again. Well, today is the big day
0:12:15 > 0:12:20when we find out the winners of the Search film competition for 1971.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23One of our innovations on Search was to have a film competition.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26This was long before videotape.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Children sent in their films, they had to edit themselves,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and we picked the best ones.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41# Hey kids You did it all yourselves
0:12:41 > 0:12:46# You'll never change the world So what you think about that... #
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And I was at a reception, a few years ago now,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54and Trisha Goddard and Nick Park were there and we were chatting and Trisha said,
0:12:54 > 0:13:00"Oh, you probably don't remember this, John, but I entered the Search film competition
0:13:00 > 0:13:03"and I came second one year and I got to make a film with the BBC crew
0:13:03 > 0:13:07"and it really got me interested on being on television."
0:13:07 > 0:13:12And Nick Park, you know, from Wallace and Gromit fame, Nick said,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14"Well, do you know," he said,
0:13:14 > 0:13:21"I entered my very first plasticine modelled film animation
0:13:21 > 0:13:25"to the Search film competition and I got nowhere.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27"They didn't even write back!"
0:13:27 > 0:13:29So, what a mistake we made there!
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Congratulations, mainly, of course, to Malcolm Dalton for winning the competition.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37He wins this - an 8mm, battery-operated, zoom lens camera.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40John's performances on Search had caught the eye
0:13:40 > 0:13:43of the BBC's Children's department in London,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45where the idea of a dedicated news bulletin for children
0:13:45 > 0:13:48had begun to gain ground.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51'I know we saw several other people,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55'but John Craven seemed to have a rapport with children
0:13:55 > 0:13:59'that did not involve talking down to them.'
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Most children resented being treated like a child -
0:14:02 > 0:14:06we wanted somebody who could talk straight and John could.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10John had the qualities the producers were after,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14but they'd need access to the full resources of the mighty newsroom
0:14:14 > 0:14:15if their idea was to work.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Edward Barnes, deputy head of the Children's department,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23had to persuade the head of news to collaborate.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28'He poured out two ENORMOUS gins,'
0:14:28 > 0:14:35topped up with a little warm, flat tonic and no ice and said, "Speak."
0:14:35 > 0:14:37So I told him what I wanted to do.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Right, stand by, studio.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45And he gave me use of a news studio, use of all newsgathering facilities
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and the use of correspondents
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and everything you need to set up a news programme.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55With a studio, reporters and a presenter in place,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57all the show needed now was a title.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I thought up the word Newsround
0:15:01 > 0:15:04because I wanted the audience at home to connect with it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I thought, well, a lot of children had paper rounds
0:15:07 > 0:15:11and this is an amalgam of "paper round" and "television news",
0:15:11 > 0:15:12so we had Newsround.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15And then Edward said, "Yeah, but if its a paper round,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19"it's Joe Bloggs's paper round or Jill Brown's paper round,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22"so this is John Craven's Newsround." That's how it got its title.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'First on BBC1, John Craven's Newsround.'
0:15:26 > 0:15:31John Craven's Newsround took to the air on 4th April 1972.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It was soon providing children with reports on everything,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38from endangered birds of prey to Ugandan refugees.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Several thousand Asian children from Uganda
0:15:41 > 0:15:43are now settling down to life in this country -
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and the big problem is getting them back to school.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'What we wanted to do was to explain to children
0:15:52 > 0:15:56'what's happening in the world in a way they're going to understand.'
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Everything had to be totally understandable by a nine-year-old,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02which is quite a journalistic challenge.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- JON CULSHAW:- I remember the first-ever Newsround story,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07which was a great John Craven word.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08It was "ospreys".
0:16:08 > 0:16:13- AS JOHN:- Today we're looking at some nesting OSPREYS
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and how people are helping the OSPREYS.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22The programme broke with many of the conventions of news broadcasting.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26'I didn't sit behind a desk. I didn't want to appear to be a teacher.'
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Hello again.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'Children had just got home from school -'
0:16:30 > 0:16:34they were entitled to flop in front of the telly and enjoy what was on,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37so I didn't want them to feel they were back in a classroom again.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41John's dress sense also added to his casual appeal.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Some of those shirts, in the '70s,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46you know, the voile shirts with the great big collars
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and the kipper ties.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Hello again. Hello. Hello again.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Hello again. Hello again. Hello again. Hello again. Bye for now.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55That's what everyone else was wearing at the time.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I think informal was right for the kids.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03It was saying, "This is a different kind of programme.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06"Look up and listen up, you might find something interesting."
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Will there won't there be a general election next month?
0:17:10 > 0:17:13General elections are always held on a Thursday
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and many schools are closed because they are used as polling stations.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20I remember watching Newsround, while fighting with my brothers,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22walloping each other with cushions.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I always felt very safe with John. You trusted him
0:17:26 > 0:17:31and, above all else, you understood what the programme was saying.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34John just governed that brilliantly
0:17:34 > 0:17:39with that great sense of authority, but with warmth.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Kashmir is now one of the world's major exporters of walnuts.
0:17:44 > 0:17:472 million pounds in a year.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Nutty story!
0:17:48 > 0:17:49THEY CHUCKLE
0:17:52 > 0:17:54John and the editorial team chose a mix of stories
0:17:54 > 0:17:57designed to capture the imagination of younger viewers.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'We would try and entice the audience in to watching us.'
0:18:02 > 0:18:08Hello again. On Newsround tonight, from Britain, the children who were being turned away from school.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11From the Middle East, a million pilgrims flock to their holy city.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And from Australia, surfers who may not be all they seem to be.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19The most important news of the day around the world
0:18:19 > 0:18:21would be in Newsround,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23but it wouldn't necessarily be the lead story
0:18:23 > 0:18:25as it was in the grown-up news.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30Police in New York have just made the biggest swoop on organised crime in their history.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Striking the right balance between stories was crucial
0:18:34 > 0:18:38if Newsround was to have a long-term future.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40'Not only might we be in serious trouble
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'for parading the horrors of the world
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'to innocent eyes and innocent ears,'
0:18:46 > 0:18:48the ears and eyes and innocent ears
0:18:48 > 0:18:51were in grave danger of switching off or switching over.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54To find out what children really thought of the new programme,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57John hosted a special edition of Search
0:18:57 > 0:19:00that would vindicate all their hopes.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02When you're watching children's programmes,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06do you want to be entertained or, like Newsround, be informed?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- ALL:- Informed. - You learn more that way.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And if you were in charge of children's programmes
0:19:12 > 0:19:15what kind of changes would you make, if any?
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Mostly children, instead of adults.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20You'd want more children involved in programmes?
0:19:20 > 0:19:25- The adults are taking over the world.- So would you prefer Paul sitting in this seat?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- ALL:- Yes.- Oh!
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Divers rescue from the sea a piece of lost history.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37'I heard about this guy who was working in his garden
0:19:37 > 0:19:41'and his child came rushing out to tell him about this sunken ship'
0:19:41 > 0:19:45that had been discovered. And he said, "Where did you hear that?"
0:19:45 > 0:19:49And the child said, "On the news," and his dad said, "Don't be silly,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53"the news isn't on until six o'clock. He said, "No, I heard it on MY news!"
0:19:53 > 0:19:56A massive operation is going on to salvage a rare shipwreck.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00And I thought, "That's it, clicked with the audience."
0:20:03 > 0:20:07- JON CULSHAW:- You did feel it was especially for you.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10It did, sort of, crystallise the news
0:20:10 > 0:20:14in a way that you can understand when you're eight, nine or ten years old.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18MUSIC: "I Only Want To Be With You" by The Bay City Rollers
0:20:25 > 0:20:29With an audience of over four million regularly tuning in,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Newsround's future was secure.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39The main challenge for the programme makers
0:20:39 > 0:20:44lay in taking difficult editorial decisions during unsettling times.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52'We wanted to make a programme which would widen children's horizons,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57'but we also wanted to help them understand'
0:20:57 > 0:21:02the tragedies and disasters happening around the world,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05rather than just be horrific or frightening.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10More than 200 American Red Indians have captured a trading post
0:21:10 > 0:21:13in the state of South Dakota. They're holding people to ransom
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and shooting at police who try to get near.
0:21:15 > 0:21:23We were dead straight. We told it as it was, in a way that was acceptable.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I mean, you never saw blood on Newsround.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30It all sounds like the old Wild West come to life again,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33but, in fact, the Indians are members of a group called AIM,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36which stands for the American Indian Movement
0:21:36 > 0:21:39and they want a better deal all-round for modern Red Indians.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41We didn't do murder stories,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46unless there was some sort of a kind of positive end to it,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50like, the Yorkshire Ripper was headlines all over the world,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53but we never mentioned it on Newsround
0:21:53 > 0:21:56until he was actually caught, and then that was a reassurance thing.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01The 11 hostages on the hijacked jumbo jet are now safely on their way home.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06MUSIC: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2
0:22:12 > 0:22:16In a decade scarred by international terrorism,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Newsround had to explain the politics of violence
0:22:18 > 0:22:20right on its doorstep.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Hello. New ways of cracking down on teenage violence in Northern Ireland
0:22:29 > 0:22:32have been put forward by a special government commission.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44We had a large number of children watching us in Northern Ireland
0:22:44 > 0:22:49as we reported some of the horrors that went on there during The Troubles.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So, we were very much aware of that.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54What's it like when you try and play outside?
0:22:54 > 0:22:58There's usually shooting down the streets.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- MARK LAWSON:- I do strongly remember having a sense that there were children of my age and younger
0:23:03 > 0:23:05who were living in Northern Ireland,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08through what was, in effect, a war zone
0:23:08 > 0:23:12and there's always a tendency in children's broadcasting
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to talk down and to sanitise
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and leave out the bits we think children won't get
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and they didn't do that in Newsround.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Explaining the world's most complex and bloody conflicts to grown-ups
0:23:25 > 0:23:28was difficult enough for the newsroom's hardened correspondents.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31..three men, either in the hotel or very close to it,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and so the strategic fire, strategic position...
0:23:35 > 0:23:38"Explaining them to children," Edward Barnes warned,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40"would be even trickier."
0:23:40 > 0:23:42When I talked to them I said,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45"Remember you are talking to highly intelligent people,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48"but they have got no background information at all.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52"This is all new to them, so don't ASSUME knowledge."
0:23:52 > 0:23:56These children live at the Sacred Heart orphanage in Danang,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58once a principal American army base.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Of the 300 here, 50 orphans whose parents have died in the war...
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The way in which children were caught up in war
0:24:05 > 0:24:07had a particular resonance for correspondents
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and the Newsround audience back home.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- MARTIN BELL:- War is about people. One of the features of modern warfare
0:24:14 > 0:24:17is that children are so much caught up in it
0:24:17 > 0:24:19cos they are unable to get out of the way.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22And if I was doing something about the Vietnam War,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and any other wars for Newsround,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28I would often try to relate them to the children
0:24:28 > 0:24:30in the countries I was in.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33In Vietnam, orphans in the past were frequently taken into rich houses
0:24:33 > 0:24:35to become servants.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38To stop that, complex laws have been introduced.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41In one sense, they safeguard the children.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45They also make adopting them an almost interminable legal operation.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Of the 300 children at Sacred Heart,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53only 17 will be with their new families by Christmas.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55'Writing for Newsround taught me to simplify,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59'which was a very good lesson. To try to avoid jargon,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03often to let this sound run a little bit or the music
0:25:03 > 0:25:05or whatever it might be...
0:25:05 > 0:25:07THEY SING
0:25:07 > 0:25:13I think that writing for Newsround made me a better journalist, actually.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It always used to give me a huge kick, when they'd send in their pieces and they'd say...
0:25:17 > 0:25:21This is Michael Bourke for John Craven's Newsround in Yorktown, Virginia.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25This is John Humphrys for Newsround in Salisbury, Rhodesia.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29This is Martin Bell reporting for John Craven's Newsround.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Wow, yeah! HE LAUGHS
0:25:31 > 0:25:33What're we missing?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35No page five.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Come on, Lucy. You're late.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Newsround's stories might have resonated with its young audience,
0:25:43 > 0:25:48but not everyone was pleased with the glimpse of the real world that the show offered.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Some people criticised us. I had one letter from a lady saying I was
0:25:52 > 0:25:56"destroying the garden of childhood," and I dispute that.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I like to think that what we were doing on Newsround
0:25:58 > 0:26:02was in that garden of childhood
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and putting a ladder up against the wall
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and letting children climb that ladder,
0:26:07 > 0:26:12see what was happening in the grown-up world over the top of the wall
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and I was there as an adult friend, if you like,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19to explain to them what they were seeing...
0:26:19 > 0:26:21in a way that they would understand.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And that's always been my philosophy.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Victims of war...
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Gang of thieves...
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Computer tapes...
0:26:37 > 0:26:41John's convictions were borne out by Newsround's growing stature
0:26:41 > 0:26:44as a lynchpin of the weekly schedule.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50But in the summer of '76, as Britain baked and punk rock brewed,
0:26:50 > 0:26:55he was about to embark on an adventure that would introduce him to a wider audience
0:26:55 > 0:26:58and reveal a very different side of his personality.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03'Well, I'd been doing Newsround for about four years, I think,'
0:27:03 > 0:27:06when children's television decided to do a Saturday morning show,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10a non-stop light entertainment show for three hours.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12First time it had ever been attempted,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I think it was the longest programme the BBC ever transmitted, apart from sports.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20'It's now 9.30, time on BBC1 for the Multi-coloured Swap Shop.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Taking to the air in October 1976,
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Multi-coloured Swap Shop offered viewers the chance to swap unwanted toys and games on air.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39You want to get rid of a Stylophone and you want to swap it for what?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41'A leather football.'
0:27:41 > 0:27:45At the helm was former radio DJ Noel Edmonds.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47..9.30, Saturday morning. Welcome.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51I hope we find you fit and well and you'll stay with us as long as possible.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55- Hello, Keith!- Hi, Noel. - Good morning!- How are you? - Good. Have you had a good week?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Marvellous week, no problems...
0:27:57 > 0:28:00He was ably assisted by two bubbly newcomers -
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Incredible! Now, tell me what on earth made you decide to make shoes
0:28:06 > 0:28:12like this and that dragon shoe? It's quite fierce, actually!
0:28:12 > 0:28:17'I was a raw student from Manchester. I'd never done anything like this ever.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'I didn't really know what I was doing.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:22And I'd asked. I'd said, "Should we have a run through?"
0:28:22 > 0:28:26"Oh, no, no, we don't have run throughs. Don't worry about it."
0:28:26 > 0:28:30'It was a very casual, but a deliberately casual approach.'
0:28:30 > 0:28:34As always on the Swap Shop, we've got a new swap and good morning to John Craven.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35Morning, Noel.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38In order to add a measure of experience,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41the producers turned to John Craven.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46'They asked me if I would take part because I think they wanted a bit of grit.'
0:28:46 > 0:28:50They felt it was necessary to have a bit of seriousness, so that was my role.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53A team of experts from the British Museum is to fly to Egypt
0:28:53 > 0:28:56to try and save the Sphinx from crumbling.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59We've got a really packed programme today, a programme...
0:28:59 > 0:29:02- Morning!- Morning!
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Morning, John.- Morning, Noel.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Between them, the Swap Shop foursome would have to deliver
0:29:07 > 0:29:11a marathon of entertainment to the newly awake.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14This was a programme that went on for hours!
0:29:14 > 0:29:18This was, like, three hours! How can you do a programme for an entire Saturday morning?
0:29:18 > 0:29:21And then you started to watch it and "Oh, right, this is how it works.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25"There's a few cartoons here and then there's a phone-in bit there."
0:29:25 > 0:29:26'Hi, Delia, I want to know
0:29:26 > 0:29:30'at what age did you take an interest in cooking?'
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Well, I'm 38 now and I started cooking at 22.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38- NOEL:- 'We were dealing with very serious matters at times...'
0:29:38 > 0:29:411981 is now the International year of the disabled.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45..the frivolous, humorous, anarchic...
0:29:45 > 0:29:48We don't have any hard-working cameramen!
0:29:48 > 0:29:49All we've got is this mob here.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51How long has he taken so far?
0:29:51 > 0:29:5325 seconds.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56KEITH SHOUTS
0:29:56 > 0:29:59John might have been recruited to add some gravitas to proceedings,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02but he was soon caught up in the freewheeling energy of the show.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07The borders gradually eroded between being serious all the time and having fun.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11He looks like something out of Blake's 7, doesn't he?!
0:30:11 > 0:30:14'If you know John, there are two Johns.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20'And he is brilliant as a broadcaster of serious matters.'
0:30:20 > 0:30:22- Say something! - I can't talk, I'm a dummy.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25He also has a devilish sense of humour.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27# Hands, knees and a bump!
0:30:27 > 0:30:29# Oops a daisy
0:30:29 > 0:30:32# It's lovely to dance with a prince. #
0:30:32 > 0:30:35'We used to do pantomime every year. I remember once,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37'Noel and I got dressed up as the Ugly Sisters
0:30:37 > 0:30:41'and we had Ricicles stuck to our cheeks as warts.'
0:30:41 > 0:30:46That is my face cream, sister dear. Perhaps you'd like to try some.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52A girl must always look her best to catch a fella handsome.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56I had a few letters from viewers saying, was my hair real?
0:30:56 > 0:31:00'Could you please tell me if it's true that John Craven
0:31:00 > 0:31:02'wears a hair piece as I've heard...
0:31:02 > 0:31:05'As I've heard many rumours about it.'
0:31:05 > 0:31:07I had this jet black hair at the time
0:31:07 > 0:31:13and some people thought I looked like Mr Spock...so we did Swap Trek.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20John was a great performer. He really enjoyed performing
0:31:20 > 0:31:27and I think his performances reached their height in the role of Spock.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Ah, Mr Speck, what kept you?
0:31:31 > 0:31:34What seems to be the problem, Captain? Why this display of emotion?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37The problem is we are heading out of control towards
0:31:37 > 0:31:39an unknown planet and unless checked,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42the total destruction of our team is inevitable
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and Grandstand will just have to start earlier.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49They stuck some great big ears on me. There was a passing likeness.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53- I think those ears have gone to his head.- What about you?
0:31:53 > 0:31:55He's just trying to browbeat us.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58It was great fun to do those things because, you know, for me,
0:31:58 > 0:31:59it was out of the ordinary.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03I didn't normally get dressed up to go on the telly!
0:32:03 > 0:32:07Saturday mornings bought an extra dimension to John Craven
0:32:07 > 0:32:11because you were able to see the real John Craven
0:32:11 > 0:32:13as well as John Craven, the newsreader.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17I'm getting messages to say that we haven't got the film at the moment.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I've been told to tell you that we haven't got the film.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- Oh, thank you.- Sorry about that. - That's all right.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26I loved working with Noel - you never knew what to expect.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28We've got a reputation for springing things on people
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and for running a studio where anything can happen.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35He took all sorts of chances. He was great fun to work with.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39I learnt a lot about live television,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43and the informal side of live television, from Mr Edmonds.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49For some, the show's spontaneity was too much.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Certain parts of the BBC were not very pleased about this.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59The idea of going off into unlit areas was an anathema,
0:32:59 > 0:33:01and I remember getting a memo
0:33:01 > 0:33:06from somebody saying, "The BBC has a reputation throughout the world
0:33:06 > 0:33:11"of providing the finest pictures and you're just chucking it out
0:33:11 > 0:33:13"without a single thought."
0:33:13 > 0:33:16And that's really what made the programme!
0:33:16 > 0:33:20On a programme where technical hitches were an occupational hazard,
0:33:20 > 0:33:26even veteran newsman John had to be ready to improvise with anything that came to hand.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30And...at the moment, a gentleman upstairs is winding
0:33:30 > 0:33:34the machine through so we can see Brown Sauce.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38'The videotape broke down so we had to fill for about five minutes...'
0:33:38 > 0:33:40I am sorry.
0:33:40 > 0:33:46..and I picked up this lamb, popped under the desk and brought it up.
0:33:46 > 0:33:52..have a chance, I will give all the details again...in a moment.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Lamb then became quite a big fixture.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Lamb, of course, is here. You can come out now.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02Since the stardust fell on him, Lamb has taken his fame very seriously.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Every Saturday, he plays back the programme on his video machine
0:34:05 > 0:34:07to check his performance.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Sometimes it was quite hard to separate John from Lamb.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16And you'd be saying "Right, John, you've got the news to do."
0:34:16 > 0:34:19And he would still be operating Lamb.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to reveal the lamb's mentor,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26in the sense that you haven't done it all on your own, have you?
0:34:26 > 0:34:30In fact, a very famous impresario
0:34:30 > 0:34:33has had a hand in... the lamb's success.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38And I don't know which camera will get it best of all...
0:34:38 > 0:34:43Have a little look at what goes on down here! Come on out, John.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49APPLAUSE
0:34:53 > 0:34:55This is a favourite picture of mine.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57It's the four of us on Swap Shop.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02Keith and Maggie, and Noel and myself all having a big smile
0:35:02 > 0:35:04and actually, it's not fake.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07We were great friends and were having a wonderful time doing that show
0:35:07 > 0:35:11and I think it shows in that picture.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Hello, Vince.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Swap Shop came to a close in 1982
0:35:17 > 0:35:19and, in a fitting symbol of the show's reputation
0:35:19 > 0:35:23for unscripted chaos, one of the guests made short work
0:35:23 > 0:35:26of the only bit that was written down.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32- Was that anything important? Was that the news?- A script!- Is that it?
0:35:36 > 0:35:40MUSIC: "House Of Fun" by Madness
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Swap Shop had made Saturday morning television essential viewing
0:35:43 > 0:35:46and the BBC was quick to devise a replacement.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50In a year that saw war in the Falklands,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54the launch of Channel Four and the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole,
0:35:54 > 0:35:58John Craven returned to action on the Saturday Superstore,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00accompanied by DJ Mike Read
0:36:00 > 0:36:03and a host of the biggest names of the day.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Hello, I'm Mike Read, it's 9.30 on Saturday morning
0:36:05 > 0:36:09and time for me to open the Saturday Superstore.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12# Saturday morning Get down to the superstore. #
0:36:12 > 0:36:16What a thrill to get up on Saturday morning and go "Who's coming up?
0:36:16 > 0:36:19"Elton's coming in." "Is he? Oh, great!"
0:36:19 > 0:36:24"And a choir, and the England cricket captain, Mike Gatting."
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Great! So it was terrific fun.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33You'd have poets, painters, astronauts, politicians.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35And, of course, like Swap Shop before us,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38we were accessible to kids, you know, "Call in,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40"we'll put you on air. Oh, that's great!"
0:36:40 > 0:36:41- 'Hello, Paul.'- Yeah?
0:36:41 > 0:36:44'Do you get on well with your children?'
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Yeah, I do actually, I'm very lucky.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49The live phone-in was a risky prospect for Superstore's guests
0:36:49 > 0:36:52in an era when children could be candid in their views.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54That was the quickest answer we've had!
0:36:54 > 0:36:57It was decided to have the political leaders on the show
0:36:57 > 0:37:00and they all agreed. First, we had David Steele from the Liberals,
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Hello, you're through to David Steele.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- 'Hello?'- Hello, Christian.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07'Do you get fed up with the Spitting Image puppets poking fun at you?'
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Yes, but you've got to to laugh at yourself in politics.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The next week, we had Neil Kinnock from Labour
0:37:13 > 0:37:17and on the third week, along came the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20We do have the Prime Minister with us this morning.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Mrs Thatcher making her first visit to Saturday Superstore.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26You can ring her and talk to her. The phones are open now.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31You cant imagine many other shows having that appeal.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35We welcome our special guest this morning, one of the world's most powerful women,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37the Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- Good morning, Mrs Thatcher.- Good morning.- Thank you for joining us.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45Margaret Thatcher's appearance led to one of the most awkward encounters of her career.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47You're nervous? I'm nervous!
0:37:47 > 0:37:50That's good - that gives me a lot more confidence!
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Some of the questions really surprised her.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55In particular, there was one from a young girl.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56- 'Hello?'- Hello, Alison.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00'Hello. In the event of a nuclear war, where will you be?'
0:38:00 > 0:38:03LAUGHTER
0:38:03 > 0:38:04Oh, my goodness me!
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Gasps from everybody.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09And Margaret Thatcher said, "Well, the whole point of our policies
0:38:09 > 0:38:12over the last 30 years is that this will not happen."
0:38:12 > 0:38:16The whole point of those weapons is to say, "Any war will be
0:38:16 > 0:38:20"so horrific that it doesn't start" and that's been right - it hasn't.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23So that's the purpose of it, dear.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26- 'But if there is one, where will you be?'- I shall be in London.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28So the child was persistent.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31"You know, if it did...have you got a bunker under number 10?!"
0:38:31 > 0:38:33'Have you got your own bunker or something?'
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Look, dear, let me again point out that the possession of these weapons
0:38:37 > 0:38:40has kept the peace for 40 years.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Questions you couldn't ask. It would be naive to do that.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46"Do you have your own bunker?" Nailed her to the wall.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48It's like the bully in the playground.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52They don't attack strong guys, they try to attack the weak ones.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Thank you, let's move on to the next call...
0:38:54 > 0:38:58And it was left to the Sunday papers to reveal there is indeed
0:38:58 > 0:38:59a bunker under Number 10.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03After a bruising encounter with a persistent caller,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07the Prime Minister then had to face an even more daunting task...
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Judging the week's pop videos.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11# A heartache. #
0:39:11 > 0:39:14They used to sing in Wham! That's Pepsi and Shirlie and Heartache.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Good voices, professional production,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19but not quite what I would expect of Heartache.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20I would say three.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24She was honest. I mean, she could easily have mugged up
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and got her people to say "We want to know what the videos are."
0:39:27 > 0:39:30She could have sat down at home and watched them and made some notes.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32But she didn't.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36She was honest and said "Look, I won't pretend to be a big pop fan,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40"I won't pretend to know anything about them, I'll judge them on what I hear."
0:39:40 > 0:39:41- Kelly, thank you.- Thank you, Kelly.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44That's all we have time for, Prime Minister.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Equally at ease with heads of state and stubborn children, John Craven's
0:39:48 > 0:39:51appearances on Saturday morning brought a new audience to Newsround.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56'Help at last for the victims of Africa's man-made famine.'
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Newsround figures went up,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05as a result of John becoming more of a friendly figure than a newsreader.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08It worked tremendously well for us.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Newsround's reputation had grown with its audience,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17with the programme often breaking stories that would once have been exclusive to the newsroom.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25'Shocked reaction to the news that Pope John Paul II has been shot.'
0:40:25 > 0:40:29A gunman shot at the Pope in his Popemobile just before he was about
0:40:29 > 0:40:33to make his appearance at a regular audience in St Peter's Square, Rome.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Newsround, for a long time, was the first bulletin of the day.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45There was no breakfast news, no lunchtime news,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47no 24-hour news stations.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51It meant that we got quite a few scoops.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55NEWSROUND JINGLE
0:40:59 > 0:41:03In a decade when nations woke up to the plight of the third world,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07from famine in Africa to poverty in India, Newsround dispatched John
0:41:07 > 0:41:12in person to report back on global issues and meet iconic figures.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15for the Newsround Extra strand.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18For being a good boy, sitting in the studio for nine months,
0:41:18 > 0:41:22they let me out and I went to some fascinating places.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26I went to the Taj Mahal and explained the effects
0:41:26 > 0:41:30of pollution and the way it was eating away at the marble there.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I went looking for tigers and all sorts of things.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Hello, again.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Today, Newsround Extra is in India, and I'm on my way
0:41:37 > 0:41:41to the city of Calcutta to meet an extraordinary lady...
0:41:41 > 0:41:43A woman who is as famous throughout the world
0:41:43 > 0:41:48but who herself is poor as the people she cares for...
0:41:48 > 0:41:49Mother Theresa.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54In the 1980s, an Albanian nun called Mother Teresa had become
0:41:54 > 0:41:58renowned throughout the world for her work with the poor and needy.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I knocked on the door... and I couldn't believe it.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Mother Teresa opened the door!
0:42:07 > 0:42:10One of the most famous ladies in the world.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Did you ever imagine when you began your work here,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22that you would become so famous?
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Nothing at all.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Talking about me, naturally they speak about the poor.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31In helping me, naturally, they are helping them.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36It was early morning and Mother and the 300 nuns who live here
0:42:36 > 0:42:40had just finished mass and were preparing for the day ahead.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41And she said to me,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45"We have a habit, a spare habit and a bucket to wash them in.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48These are our only possessions.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52I said to her, "What about the Order Of Merit that the Queen gave you?"
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Because the merit is one of the highest awards she can give.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57I said, "I've never seen you with it."
0:42:57 > 0:43:01She said, "Let me take me you to my private chapel."
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And there was a statue of the Madonna
0:43:06 > 0:43:10with the Order Of Merit around her neck, and she said it was for her.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12God bless you.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Thank you, Mother.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Mother Teresa might have welcomed John in person,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25but in South Africa, where inequality was a product of government policy,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27one door slammed firmly shut.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32I went there to do some filming,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35and got to the airport in Johannesburg and this official looked
0:43:35 > 0:43:37in his big book and he said,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41"I'm sorry, Mr Craven but you're banned in this country."
0:43:41 > 0:43:48So I wasn't allowed in and I went on to Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, instead.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54It was only later that I discovered that the South African government,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58who had tapes of all BBC bulletins sent to Pretoria,
0:43:58 > 0:44:03didn't like the way that whenever Newsround mentioned apartheid,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05we qualified it to explain what it meant.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10Apartheid, separation of black and white people in South Africa.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13The South African cricket team is strictly whites only,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15in line with the apartheid laws.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18This local club for white South Africans is next door
0:44:18 > 0:44:22to one for the blacks, but there, the conditions are very different.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26They didn't like that constant repetition of the fact, so that's why I was banned.
0:44:26 > 0:44:27Very proud of that.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35After 15 years in the Newsround hot-seat,
0:44:35 > 0:44:39John also became the programme's editor in 1987.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43A year that saw the Great Storm and the Hungerford massacre.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Conscious of the programme's responsibility to explain
0:44:48 > 0:44:51the most sensitive topics to its young audience,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Newsround then tackled the AIDS crisis.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00Now for that special report that I told you about last night.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03Scientists in many countries are searching for a cure
0:45:03 > 0:45:05for a deadly disease called AIDS,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07which is very much in the news at the moment.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10'We thought it was important to cover AIDS because we'd been told
0:45:10 > 0:45:13'that children were getting the wrong ideas about AIDS.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16'They thought they might get it from toilet seats.'
0:45:16 > 0:45:19They thought they might get it if their daddy gave them a kiss.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Stupid things like that.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24You know, playground gossip, which goes out of all proportion.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27So I thought it was important that we set the record straight.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30And we did it without mentioning sex, which was an achievement!
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Its main victims are some older people
0:45:32 > 0:45:36and because of all the attention that's been given to AIDS,
0:45:36 > 0:45:38they should now be very much aware of the risks.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41John's report would prove controversial...
0:45:41 > 0:45:45for an unexpected reason.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48In those days, Phillip Schofield was doing the presentation,
0:45:48 > 0:45:52on children's television with his little puppet, Gordon the Gopher,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55and I had a word with Phil, and I said, "Because Newsround
0:45:55 > 0:46:00"is quite serious today, best not to lark about too much with Gordon."
0:46:00 > 0:46:04He said, "Fine, we'll banish Gordon for those two slots."
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Indeed, he did.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10And I checked the audience log the next morning to see if there'd been
0:46:10 > 0:46:15any complaints about tackling AIDS, and there'd been a couple.
0:46:16 > 0:46:21But there were far more about Gordon the Gopher not appearing with Phillip!
0:46:21 > 0:46:23Which put things into perspective.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25"Gordon is cool," they say.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Look at that though. I mean, you are this morning!
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Gophers aside, there is one furry creature with a special place
0:46:32 > 0:46:35in the hearts of the Newsround audience.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Giant pandas. Giant pandas.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Giant pandas.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42An urgent plan to save China's giant pandas.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45The number of stories we ran about pandas was unbelievable.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48A million pounds is need to help bring pandas together
0:46:48 > 0:46:51and to keep people away. Roger Finn explains.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53There was a huge vogue for pandas.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Pandas became almost a symbol of countries getting together.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Also, they're just incredibly cute.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04I mean, there's no such thing as a dull panda picture.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06In fact, we did an April fool once.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10And finally, tonight, at London Zoo, attention has been growing over
0:47:10 > 0:47:14the black-and-white egg that's been sitting in the panda cage.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17The solitary egg with its distinctive markings
0:47:17 > 0:47:20lay still among its small nest of straw.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25A mystery to the visitors who daily peer into the panda cage.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27But for Cha-cha, used to the glare of the camera,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29it was just another day at the zoo,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33munching thoughtfully on his diet of bamboo shoots.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38April Fools' pranks are part of a Newsround tradition
0:47:38 > 0:47:40of ending on a lighter story,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44generally preceded with John Craven's trademark sign off, "And finally".
0:47:44 > 0:47:49And finally today, the tale of the runaway cow that's been causing quite a commotion.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52I didn't want the audience going to sleep having nightmares,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55so we'd always end up with something amusing.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58And finally tonight, a student from Bristol has slithered
0:47:58 > 0:48:04into the record books by sitting in a bath of spaghetti for 73 hours.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07And finally tonight, there's been strange happenings
0:48:07 > 0:48:09on the Cheltenham Racecourse this morning,
0:48:09 > 0:48:11where Operation Newt went into action.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15"And finally" might be a Craven catchphrase
0:48:15 > 0:48:18but its origin has been hotly debated.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21There's always been a dispute between Newsround
0:48:21 > 0:48:26and News at Ten over who was the first to say, "And finally".
0:48:26 > 0:48:30I believe that Newsround was the first, no disputing.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34The phrase even inspired a sketch on satirical puppet show
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Spitting Image.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Mr Craven, sir, we're in a bit of a jam on the grown-up news
0:48:39 > 0:48:43because we haven't got a funny story to put at the end.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Well, you jolly well can't have mine!
0:48:45 > 0:48:50Oh, surely, I can have the one about Frank the tortoise who had some babies.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52That's my lead story, it's a world scoop!
0:48:57 > 0:49:01In a year that witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall
0:49:01 > 0:49:04and the end of the Cold War, John Craven delivered his very last
0:49:04 > 0:49:09"And finally" on 22nd June, 1989.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17And finally, this is the last time I'll be saying, "And finally,"
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and there's no funny story today because, for me,
0:49:20 > 0:49:22this is a rather sad moment.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25I've come to the end of my very last Newsround.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28I've had a great time over the last 17 years bringing you the news
0:49:28 > 0:49:31and I'd like to thank everybody behind the scenes
0:49:31 > 0:49:33who's helped me do it.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35'It was a very emotional day
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'when I said goodbye to the Newsround audience.
0:49:38 > 0:49:43'It had been so much a part of my life for such a long time'
0:49:43 > 0:49:47and I'd been so proud of it - a television first,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50a programme everyone respected.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54The fiercest critics of television always had nice things
0:49:54 > 0:49:56to say about Newsround.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01Newsround will be back again on Monday, but from me, bye-bye.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10Just three days after leaving Newsround,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14John joined the BBC's fledgling rural affairs series Countryfile.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21His very first report looked at the trend towards organic farming.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24But now, more and more, consumers are wanting food
0:50:24 > 0:50:26that's grown in this kind of soil,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30that hasn't seen a drop of chemical of any kind for many years.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34When I moved to Countryfile, my life couldn't have been more different.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38After all those years of doing live television, I was working on a recorded programme.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42And instead of being in a studio in London,
0:50:42 > 0:50:46I was in the middle of fields, with the wind blowing your words away
0:50:46 > 0:50:51and the frost sealing your lips, and still trying to look happy.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57Since joining Countryfile in 1989, John has reported on everything
0:50:57 > 0:51:01from the foot and mouth crisis to the Countryside March.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02It's not just fox hunting,
0:51:02 > 0:51:07it's the whole countryside, the country way of life.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12In the process, he's won over a notoriously reticent audience.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Farmers have always been reluctant to talk to people like me
0:51:19 > 0:51:23about their business and the way they feel about things.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27Many of them wouldn't even tell their neighbours about that.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29So with Countryfile, they realised eventually
0:51:29 > 0:51:33that it was a very good platform for them to put over their point of view.
0:51:33 > 0:51:3593, 94.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39I think John Craven has built up a huge amount of respect
0:51:39 > 0:51:41from farmers and landowners.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43When there were difficult times in farming -
0:51:43 > 0:51:48there was BSE, there were salmonella scares and animal welfare issues -
0:51:48 > 0:51:51John went out and reported on them like a good journalist should.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55He knows what he's talking about.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58He cares about what he's talking about.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01And most of all, he cares about the viewer.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03He cares about the people watching.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05..to protect the countryside from this...
0:52:05 > 0:52:10With Countryfile regularly commanding audiences of 6 million viewers,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12John's status as a household name is assured.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16..says that when supermarkets set up shop,
0:52:16 > 0:52:18that needn't mean disaster for local traders.
0:52:18 > 0:52:24But with it comes the dubious honour of being impersonated.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28Good morning, and welcome to Countryfile, with me, John Craven.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Think of me as a sort of decaffeinated Nick Ross.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34One thing I've had to get used to recently is Jon Culshaw
0:52:34 > 0:52:37taking me off on The Impressions Show.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Which came as a bit of a shock at first.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Hello again, and welcome to Countryfile with me, John Craven.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Yes, if they'd still let me wear a sweater,
0:52:45 > 0:52:47I would go back to Newsround.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52You don't realise that you have these kind of affectations
0:52:52 > 0:52:54that Mr Culshaw has picked up on.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58You see the red jacket there and the hands in the pockets,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and the way that he would sort of punctuate
0:53:01 > 0:53:06the way that he would speak through the story or the item
0:53:06 > 0:53:09with a certain amount of going to one side like that
0:53:09 > 0:53:10and then over to the other side,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13and there was this sort of visual rhythm
0:53:13 > 0:53:15that accompanied the vocal style,
0:53:15 > 0:53:17like that, which was a great thing to play with.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19This week, I'm in Hertfordshire
0:53:19 > 0:53:23to look at what remains of our wonderful British greenbelt
0:53:23 > 0:53:25before it disappears completely.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31The biggest surprise of all was on the 20th anniversary programme
0:53:31 > 0:53:34of Countryfile, when I was just sitting and working
0:53:34 > 0:53:39on my next bit of script, and suddenly behind me, I heard my voice.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43Hello again, and on this special 20th anniversary of Countryfile,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46what better way to surprise John Craven
0:53:46 > 0:53:50- than with another John Craven? - Jon, how are you?
0:53:50 > 0:53:54- John Craven went to find out more. - Hello, John!
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Well, how about that?
0:53:58 > 0:53:59It is a moment I enjoy,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02that moment when you meet someone you do an impression of
0:54:02 > 0:54:05for the first time. You never know how it's going to go.
0:54:05 > 0:54:06It's always a bit tentative.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11- Happy birthday!- Thank you very much. Look at the jacket!
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Welcome to Countryfile.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Newsround was 20-odd years ago. This is what I do now. Get over it.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22And you're looking for a little flicker of reaction,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25as if to say, "Was it all right? Did we overstep the mark?"
0:54:25 > 0:54:28I'm very impressed with the impression.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32- Thank you.- I wasn't quite sure about being on Brokeback Mountain.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33With Bill Oddie.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39- That's what I call the funky gibbon. - Damn right.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43So far, he's been quite kind to me. But I live in trepidation.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47I think it'd be cool to do a sketch with John,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52with John as he is now on one side, and I'd like to play his character
0:54:52 > 0:54:56as it was from the 1970s, with the dark hair and jumpers and knitwear,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58and see how they'd get on.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01See how these two eras of John Craven
0:55:01 > 0:55:05would interact with each other in a sort of Life On Mars kind of way.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08That might be fun, if he'd do that.
0:55:17 > 0:55:18In the five decades
0:55:18 > 0:55:23since John Craven first appeared on our screens, the world has changed.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27Wars have been won and lost. Politicians have come and gone.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31Fortunes have been made and squandered.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Yet some things remain constant.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37From my point of view, my job has hardly changed
0:55:37 > 0:55:40since I was a junior reporter on the Harrogate Advertiser.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43It's still reporting the truth, getting the facts right
0:55:43 > 0:55:47and then reporting them in a way that people will find entertaining,
0:55:47 > 0:55:48informative and balanced.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51Those journalistic values underpin
0:55:51 > 0:55:58the success of a programme that is still going strong after 40 years.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00Ladies and gentlemen,
0:56:00 > 0:56:05the BAFTA Special Award goes, of course, to Newsround.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10A lot of people in our business tend to be remembered for programmes
0:56:10 > 0:56:14which they personally would prefer to forget.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17But I'm terribly proud of Newsround - always have been.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20It comes as a bit of a shock, though, these days, when people
0:56:20 > 0:56:23who I think look pretty old come up to me
0:56:23 > 0:56:26and say, "Thank you for being part of my childhood."
0:56:29 > 0:56:34Generations of us have grown up with John Craven, and those who have been lucky enough
0:56:34 > 0:56:38to work with him have cherished the experience.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42We all genuinely liked each other, and we very much loved John.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45I think you can smell it through the screen.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49And that, I think, made the audience all the fonder of John.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54We can even forgive him the occasional fashion faux pas.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Yeah, I mean, he did have some amazing pullovers,
0:56:56 > 0:57:00which I hope he's now sold or given to Oxfam.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03But then again, I have to confess, we all did.
0:57:03 > 0:57:04I'll swap this jumper,
0:57:04 > 0:57:07because people are always asking about my jumpers.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11If you say John Craven's name to people,
0:57:11 > 0:57:15they'll smile and always say something appreciative.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18And that is the mark of somebody
0:57:18 > 0:57:21who's made an area of broadcasting their own.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28Somewhere in a distant corner of Britain,
0:57:28 > 0:57:31John Craven is still doing what he does best.
0:57:31 > 0:57:32I've been on television
0:57:32 > 0:57:38a long time now, almost every week, I suppose, for the last 40 years.
0:57:38 > 0:57:39It's such a great job,
0:57:39 > 0:57:43because you never know what's going to happen next week.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45And that keeps me going, I think.
0:57:45 > 0:57:50That desire to make sense of the world and share it with others
0:57:50 > 0:57:56has driven John ever since he was old enough to hold a microphone.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00If I come away thinking I've learned something, maybe the audience have as well.
0:58:00 > 0:58:05- What do you want?- Sorry, but we've still got a bit of work to do.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Oh, yeah, it's rapidly getting dark.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12- We've got the last bit to do. - Look at that, sunset.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17'I hate the thought of retiring.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20'I'll keep on going as long as people want me to.
0:58:20 > 0:58:26'I'll probably be retired, rather than volunteer to retire.'
0:58:26 > 0:58:28I just want to keep on going.
0:58:46 > 0:58:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:49 > 0:58:52E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:58:54 > 0:58:55Bye-bye for now.