| |
|
|
|
|
Peter Duncan was born in 1954 in London. His parents were variety performers who
produced and appeared in Pantomime and summer shows. His early life was spent moving
around the country with his family, attending many different schools and developing
a lifelong love of the theatre. At 15, he decided to leave school, set on becoming a professional
actor; his career began with a two-year stint at the National Theatre, where he
appeared in 11 productions, learning and discovering his craft. Success came quickly for
Peter, working regularly in theatre and on TV.
In the early 1970s, he became a familiar face on the small screen, taking the lead in many one-off dramas
and TV series such as The Childhood Friend, Sons and Lovers, Renoir My Father, Warship, Fathers
and Families, Sam, Fallen Hero, King Cinder, Oranges and Lemons, and Space 1999. Peter also appeared
in films during this period: Quilp, Stardust, The Lifetaker and a notable cameo in the classic Flash
Gordon. |
In 1978, he was offered the chance to become a Blue Peter presenter, which he turned down in
favour of his acting career. Accepting the second offer, which came in 1980, Peter quickly became the
team’s action man, very much following the John Noakes’ model.
Among Peter’s most famous exploits were running the first London Marathon in just over three hours,
cleaning the face of Big Ben and wearing his trademark green and white check suit. In 1984, Peter filmed
his BBC Children’s series, Duncan Dares, which enabled him to embark on further exploits. His daring-do’s included a high wire
tightrope act, racing a truck in the French Grand Prix and sailing a Volkswagen across the Irish Sea. He
returned to Blue Peter the following year, finally leaving in 1986 to concentrate on acting, musical theatre
and on his own production company. He has played the lead roles in the musicals Barnum, Me and My
Girl, The Little Tramp and The Card for which he received an Olivier nomination for ‘best actor in a musical’.
He has produced stage versions of Erik the Viking and The Gingerbread Man and played all the classic
Panto roles including Buttons, Peter Pan and Captain Hook in his own productions. He has also appeared
in many plays around the country.
In 1999, Peter, his wife, Annie, and their four children took an expedition around the world; the Travel
Bug documentary was shown on CBBC. This led to more travel documentaries, including a backpacking
trip to China called Chinese Breakaway; and he recently took his son Arthur to Jordan to live with the
Bedouin in the desert. Peter is one of the best-known faces on TV, with a particular following among the
under 35s who remember his Blue Peter days. An organiser and provider of youth drama workshops, he
is also renowned for his commitment to developing the potential of young people through outdoor activity
and travel.
Peter was a Cub Scout. He visited Windsor as a boy to accompany his cousin, a Queen’s Scout, to meet
the Chief Scout, never dreaming one day he would fulfil that role himself. He is a natural Scout, and sees
the Movement as a great inspiration for young people.
Post script.
Peter is an excellent choice for anyone of us to use as a role model as he has insurmountable
knowledge and is in touch with the current Scouting age generation.
In this our centenary year, Peter is the man to take us forward and guide us to ensure that
Scouting will continue for the next 100 years.
<<- Back
Photo's of Merseyside Network Members with the Chief Scout Peter Duncan:
|
