Simon Groom (born 12 August 1950) is a British producer and director. He was a presenter of ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...

'' from 1978 to 1986.

Early life

Groom was born in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, and was brought up on a farm in Dethick, which he often visited for ''Blue Peter'' reports. He was educated at Herbert Strutt Grammar School in

Belper Belper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about north of Derby on the River Derwent. As well as Belper itself, the parish also includes the village of Milford and the ha ...

, followed by the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Career

Blue Peter

Groom worked briefly as an English teacher before becoming a disc jockey and joining ''

'' in 1978. Groom's co-presenters on ''Blue Peter'' until leaving in 1986 were

Lesley Judd Lesley Judd (born 20 December 1946) is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme '' Blue Peter'' (1972–1979). Background Born in London, the daughter of Leslie T. Judd ...

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, Peter Duncan,

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and Michael Sundin. Groom became known among the programme's production team for his dry humour and ability to

ad lib In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The ...

innuendo An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...

in his broadcasting (which would pass over the heads of the programme's main audience of children). One such statement was at the end of a piece on a replacement door knocker at Durham Cathedral, declaring "what a beautiful pair of knockers". Another remark followed a piece about hedge maintenance where he closed with the remark, "As long as you have a decent length to start with, well then you can manage a good lay", much to the irritation of producer Biddy Baxter.

Other work

After leaving ''Blue Peter'', Groom hosted a morning show on BBC Radio Bedfordshire. In 1992 he released a cover version of the Elvis song ' Can't Help Falling in Love' on his own record label. He produced his first TV documentary: ''Angels & Devils'', a critically acclaimed biopic of film director

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...

, voted 'Pick of the Day' in both the ''Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Guardian''. He also wrote, directed & produced ''A Steamy Affair: the Story of the Flying Scotsman'' for Channel 4. His other television documentaries include: ''Bucking Mad'', the story of an English rodeo rider and ''Full Circle: the Saving of Derby's Roundhouse, both broadcast by the BBC. Groom has also produced and presented documentaries for

BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

, including: ''George Oliver: A Man For All Seasons'', the story of a Bedfordshire Gamekeeper; ''Peak Park Pressures'' - Britain's first national park; and ''Ferry Across the Mekong'': 2 thirty minute programmes (Sony nominated) in which he makes a return trip to Cambodia. In 1979, he was one of the earliest Western journalists to enter the country, following the end of

Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...

's regime. Groom's documentary ''The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance'', was transmitted on BBC Two in March 2013. The 60 minute programme, a co-production with Available Light Productions, has since been repeated twice on the channel.

Personal life

He has worked as an ambassador for the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

and in 2010 was given an honorary degree by the

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, Ear ...

in recognition of his contribution to broadcasting.

References

External links

Profile as a BBC presenter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groom, Simon 1950 births Living people Alumni of the University of Birmingham Blue Peter presenters English radio presenters English television presenters People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire