Go With Noakes

Genre

children's television series

Country

United Kingdom

How it feels

John Noakes travels across Britain with his dog Shep doing outdoor adventures like sailing, motor racing, and aerobatics. Each episode follows him trying a new activity in a different mode of transport.

nostalgiclightheartedadventurouswholesomedown-to-earthgentlecuriousfamily-friendly

What happens

Go With Noakes is a BBC Television children's programme, broadcast between 28 March 1976 and 21 December 1980. A documentary series, it was presented by John Noakes initially alongside, then following his departure from, Blue Peter in 1978. Broadly similar to the reports he made for that programme, each episode had an adventure-based outdoor theme in keeping with Noakes's reputation on Blue Peter as a man of action. Noakes was accompanied on most installments by Shep the dog, who had left Blue Peter at the same time. One episode featured the Blue Peter pony for the disabled 'Rags'. Travelling around the country, they got involved in diverse activities like motor racing, rowing, aerobatics and painting. In each series Noakes was featured travelling around Britain in a particular mode, e.g. sailing, narrow boat, walking, open top car, etc. The series was produced by BBC Manchester and began on 28 March 1976, running for six series and 31 episodes. The last edition was transmitted on 21 December 1980. Being made on film allowed great flexibility with the shooting and editing of each week's subject matter. An example of the first series run was where Noakes met the RAF's Red Arrows aerial display team (first broadcast 11 April 1976). This edition is available to view on the BBC's Archive website and shows Noakes sitting in on the teams' debriefing, taking part in a simulated flying lesson as well as being a passenger in a practice display before helping the ground crew prepare the team for a big show. In the programme, Noakes references his former occupation where he trained as an aircraft engine fitter for the RAF and BOAC before deciding to become an actor. The theme-tune for the series was 'On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at' ('On Ilkley Moor, without a hat'), a popular Yorkshire folk song sung to the tune of the hymn 'Cranbrook'. It was a reference to Noakes's own Yorkshire heritage. The end theme though was a different tune, the middle section of a piece called 'The Rovers Return' by Edrich Siebert. A series of repeats was later broadcast under the title Look Back With Noakes. A similar series entitled Duncan Dares hosted by one of Noakes's successors on Blue Peter, Peter Duncan, followed in 1985. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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