Peter Purves on his affair with Valerie Singleton: ‘To be fair, it was only one night'
Peter Purves noticed the smoke on the TV monitors first. 'They were showing a close up of the Girl Guides singing 'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands' and not looking not too happy,' he tells me, sun streaming through the windows of his 500-year-old cottage in Suffolk where he has lived with his second wife Kathryn Evans, an actress, for more than 20 years. 'And then we turned and realised that the little fire was now quite a real one, and something would need to be done.'
Indeed: in what has become one of the most infamous moments in children's TV history, a live Girl Guide campfire-singing session in the Blue Peter studio in 1971 was suddenly threatening to engulf the Television Centre in flames. As black smoke filled the studio, Purves and his fellow presenters John Noakes and Valerie Singleton stood in front of the fire in a vain attempt to disguise what was happening, while the spluttering, coughing Guides gamely sang on.
'There was a fireman standing by in the wings, and I watched him smooth back his hair before picking up his extinguisher and rushing into shot,' remembers Purves with a chuckle. 'Of course, health and safety would never allow that today. Johnnie would never be allowed to climb Nelson's Column [in flares, without a harness, to clean off some pigeon poo, in 1977] that sort of thing. It was all very risky. You'd never get stuff like that on TV now.'
Purves, 86, and still sounding exactly like the debonair presenter who demonstrated the wonders of cordless phones and Ford V8 racing cars with the gung-ho enthusiasm of a nerdy science teacher to millions during his 11-year stint on Britain's longest-running children's TV programme, is lamenting the end of an era. Last month Blue Peter, which first aired on BBC One in 1958, announced it was ditching the live broadcast format to become a fully pre-recorded, watch-on-demand TV show.
It's a small but also seismic change, bringing down the final curtain on a golden epoch in children's entertainment epitomised by the show's plucky ambition, in which upright presenters with cut-glass accents took ridiculous risks on live TV, and in which things sometimes went spectacularly wrong. The moment Lulu the baby elephant refused to play ball and dragged her keeper to the ground while defecating all over the studio. The moment Val crashed a speed boat on the Thames. The moment Purves once dried up while live and had to request a script from the stage manager. Given how mad some of the stunts were – Valerie once took a lion with her to the shops – it's staggering how much in fact went right.
'You had to be very accurate,' says Purves who, along with Noakes and Singleton were known as the dream team, presenting without autocues or ear pieces throughout much of the 1970s and somehow surviving intact; Purves left the show in 1978. 'We didn't have the budget to not record live. I do think the edge goes off someone when they aren't under some degree of pressure, having to do it in the correct time and not waffling about and wasting shots.'
Purves, who was also the voice of Crufts for 41 years, until 2020, is trying his hardest not to lapse into 'things were so much better back then' nostalgia. 'I certainly can't comment on the professionalism of people working today in the business, even though I have views, because it's a totally different scene,' he says of an industry equally beset by budget problems but with seemingly less vision and definitely far greater technology at its disposal.
Nevertheless, it's not easy. Blue Peter still attracts around 100,000 viewers per episode but during the 1970s and 1980s, children up and down the land were practically brought up on its daring, often chaotic mix of factual entertainment, exotic on-location reports and epic DIY craft-making sessions. It was a time in which children collected milk bottle tops for charity, competed for Blue Peter badges and watched agape as Anthea Turner modelled a Thunderbirds Tracy Island out of yogurt pots – the episode proved so popular the BBC issued an instruction booklet. 'It insisted on not talking down to children,' says Purves, who was initially told off by the show's indomitable producer Biddy Baxter for being too 'school mastery'.
'We never asked for money. Biddy also believed that every child who watched it must be able to contribute in some way, particularly to the Blue Peter appeals, be it old plugs or old socks, whatever was lying around the house. Children never felt, oh I can't do that because I don't have the money. It was a brilliant vision – we were the first great recyclers. Even if it was your mum's birthday we showed them they could make her a card. Although I never did 'the makes'. I made a pig's ear once of an underwater city and I was never asked to do that again.'
Instead Purves demonstrated things, 'the more serious stuff,' he says, and 'items about dogs', while Noakes tended to do the daredevil stunts. Although Purves points out he did once walk the cable of the Forth Bridge without a carabiner and climbed Snowdonia in a snowstorm.
He was also known for his style, having ditched the 'Norwegian' knitted jumpers he'd been forced to wear when he first joined the show in 1967 ('I hated them. I stuck them out for nearly a year and then they let me wear what I wanted'). Instead he adopted what became his trademark sideburns and flamboyant shirts. 'I think I was even called a fashion icon at one point, which I was flattered by,' he says. Today he is in a rather more prosaic maroon jumper and slacks.
The show attracted its criticisms. 'Some would dismiss it as middle-class rubbish. But why couldn't it be middle class? Most people are middle class, basically. But there are lots of working class kids too and we encompassed them very well. We got involved in things children did or could do or would enjoy and they enjoyed it vicariously through us.'
For his part Purves had a whale of a time, particularly off camera, getting smashed on duty free Jack Daniels with Noakes while filming in Morocco ('I was convinced the next day I was going to be fired'), knocking back homemade hooch in Norway and perusing sex shops in Copenhagen with the camera man. Oh, and flirting with Valerie Singleton, with whom he had a brief fling. Singleton revealed the affair in 2008, saying she liked 'the pirate type. And men who give me what I call BSE – a big sexual experience.''
Purves beams a bit at this, like a Cheshire cat. 'To be fair it was only one night,' he says. 'And there was never any sexual tension on screen. We've remained great friends. Although we also used to fall out all the time. Val was/is extremely high maintenance. She always expected people to do things for her. She'd be sitting in the studio writing letters and call an assistant to 'get me an envelope'. Occasionally she would get under my skin. We were in Mexico once and we weren't speaking. We only spoke to each other through John, I can't remember why.'
Purves still works occasionally as an actor – he appeared in 41 episodes of Doctor Who as the Doctor's first companion Steven Taylor in 1965-66 and has often appeared in panto (including for years with Noakes before Noakes' death in 2017). Last year he toured in a production of A Christmas Carol with his friend and former Doctor Who star Colin Baker and hopes to do so again this year. He still adores dogs – during his stint he adopted the Blue Peter German Shepherd Petra – and currently owns three Daschunds, including a 14-week-old puppy. His house is beautiful, all Tudor beams and rackety staircases, elegantly decorated, with daffodils dancing in the garden, and a clock chiming every half hour.
At one point Kathryn, whom he met during a production of Cinderella in 1978 and who he married in 1982 – pops her head in to say hello. He met her while he was still married to his first wife, Gilly, whom he married in 1962 and with whom he has a son Matthew, a first assistant TV director, and Cheo, whom he and Gilly adopted from China as a young child, after Gilly suffered a difficult birth with Matthew. 'We decided that we did not want an 'only' child, and we had both the space and the time for another child, and so we fostered Chéo for eighteen months from the National Children's Home,' says Purves. The couple formally adopted her on her 7th birthday and she now works for the NHS. When she was an adult, Purves and Gilly were estranged from Cheo for many years but have since made up, and Purves sees her regularly.
Yet in his 2009 memoir Here's One I Made Earlier, he recounts a rather racier life, admitting to two affairs while filming Doctor Who and hinting at more. He's a bit more demure today when I bring it up. 'I like ladies,' he says. 'I don't know. I went to boarding school [in Blackpool] and ladies were off limits. Maybe I've made up for lost time. Kate and I have been married for 42 years, I was married 17 years the first time, I'm hardly a wastrel. I don't know the rumours.'
They are not rumours, they are in your book, I point out. 'Ah, yes,' and that's all he will say. 'I am not being shy, but I feel it is disrespectful to Kate to go into this. I loved the 60s, the world seemed to be a much freer place. It was a time of great music, peace, and fantastic clothes which went on into the 70s and 80s – and I had a great time. I would only apologise if I ever offended anyone, but I hope I didn't.'
Purves grew up in Blackpool, where his parents ran a hotel, which, during the war, housed billeted Polish soldiers that had been wounded. Purves describes his childhood there as a happy one: Stanley Matthews owned a nearby hotel and would sometimes come out for a kick about.
When he was about nine, his parents moved to a pub in Derbyshire and rather than force him to change schools chose for him to board at his current school. ' I hated being away from home,' he says. 'But at least I learnt to be independent.'
He was always determined to become an actor and on leaving school joined a repertory company in Barrow-in-Furness. Doctor Who was his first major TV role and Blue Peter followed soon after, the crown jewel in what was then a booming TV industry for children.
He was initially reluctant to join Blue Peter, worried it would take him away from acting, which to a large degree it did. Now he can't help but praise the BBC during that era and the way it shaped childhood for generations of children. 'The output was fantastic,' he says.
' Playschool. Jackanory. Multicoloured Swap Shop. Tony Hart, Record Breakers. John Craven's Newsround. And all on TV every day from about 3.30pm to five to six daily and none of them repeated. Children came out of watching that to seeing the national news at 6pm, which meant they got a broader view of the world. Now, if they want to watch cartoons all day they can, but where is the educational element in that? We have so many channels and most of them are watched by one man and his dog. What's the point?'
He thinks it's not only childhood that has changed, but children themselves. 'I don't think children are content anymore to live through what a presenter is doing on TV in the way they used to. I don't know any young children [he has one grandson, who is 27] so it's hard for me to know. But what I observe is a lack of discipline, and a massive lack of wider knowledge. They don't seem to absorb anything. They don't know where they live, they don't know what the country looks like. Show them a map and they couldn't make head or tail of it. It's not that they are less intelligent, it's just that there is nothing that tells them those things. Of course, what I observe may not be right. Someone my age observes things very differently.'
Has he seen Adolescence? 'No, but I know what it's about. And I did see a clip and thought 'what that kid needs is a good slap'. But that's not going to go down very well these days. I'd probably be cut off from the world and cancelled this way and the other. I don't want to say anything that would have that sort of reaction. I could see what it was showing but I don't see it as a piece of education for children, which is what the government is calling for. What, you want everyone to behave like that? Not all children are like that.' He is warming to his theme. 'I'm wary of talking about things I don't know about, but I think there is a lot of over indulgence going on with children today.
'Children are allowed to do things we would never have been allowed to do. I watch young kids with their parents behaving terribly. I think, 'Give them a clip round the ear', tell them 'don't do that'. But I can't advocate that. I'd be called some staunch right winger. In fact I used to be a socialist, a Labour voter.'
He last voted for Labour in 2001. 'I couldn't vote for them again after the [2005 invasion of Iraq]. I think Blair did awful things with the Gulf War and misled people terribly. I don't forgive him for that. And then the Corbyn era finished it for me.' He's not a particular fan of the Tories either. 'They did massive harm, in the way they dilly dallied on Brexit. It's left everyone saying Brexit was a failure, but it shouldn't have been.'
He would prefer not to say, though, how he voted in the recent election.
'I prefer to keep my politics private. I've argued with a lot of people in my industry who tend to be left wing. And left-wing views make for very good dramas, which I accept and understand and have enjoyed. But I don't go with the woke thing, that sticks in the craw, everything that has happened in that way is an anathema. I can't cope with the pronouns, for instance. And I really don't understand where [this militancy] has come from. I've a lot of gay friends, more gay than straight, and my daughter is in a gay relationship. None of this has ever before been a problem.'
Purves is a man who knows the world has changed and who is aware some of his views might not chime with modern sensibilities. He worries what people might think of him. But he has also been hurt. In 2021 he was sacked inelegantly by Channel 4 from Crufts, having first started presenting the programme in 1971 when it was broadcast by the BBC. 'I was very, very angry that they did that. I'm certain ageism was the reason, although my voice hasn't changed at all' [he'd often commentate off camera]. The reason given was that they wanted a sports presenter. 'What for?' Does he think the TV industry is frightened of having old people in front of the camera? 'Yes. Because we know a lot.' He got his own back by becoming brand ambassador for the pet joint supplement brand YuMOVE, presenting a show for them at Crufts in 2020 via their social media channels.
He certainly knows an inordinate amount about dogs, and is sniffy about the vogue for cross breeds: his personal favourite is a Newfoundland. 'People talk about labradoodles and I've got nothing against them, but there is no standard by which to judge them,' he says. Does he think the Dangerous Dogs Act is a good piece of legislation? 'I don't think it's applied fiercely enough. But it is the owners who are mainly to blame, not the dogs themselves. Some breeds are unfairly maligned: people think Staffordshire Terriers are bullies but they are really nice dogs with lovely temperaments. But there have always been idiots looking after animals. Any dog can bite – it is up to the owners to stop them doing so.'
He's pleasant company, courteous and welcoming, and keen to remain productive. He has recently been offered three parts in films that are still waiting on funding. And he still thinks Blue Peter has a future although he is quick to say he doesn't watch children's TV today and therefore feels unable to comment on its overall quality.
'I think the values Biddy instilled in Blue Peter are still in place,' he says. 'Which is in essence a TV show that aims to entertain children from between the ages of 7-12, to not tell lies, and to teach them something about the world along the way. These are good values and they ought to be promoted.' He's more concerned about the future of TV itself. The industry in which he made his name and which gave so much to so many has changed beyond recognition. 'Of course, children watch TV in very different ways today. It's a funny business. TV is great for live sporting events but I'm not sure what else. To be honest I don't know where TV's place in society is anymore.'
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The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
I've found the cheapest annual passes for top attractions across UK – from just £6 a year
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The 1620s House and Gardens near Coalville is a medieval manor house run by Leicestershire County Council, with adult tickets that allow you entry for a year costing just £6.65. Children can get in free with their Blue Peter badges, so if I take my three boys twice a month during its open season of Easter to the end of October, each visit costs less than 50p. Parking is free, so that's another huge bonus. We love doing the children's trails around the gorgeous gardens, with a new hunt introduced each school holidays. The perfect Haven holiday park for a kid-friendly break - with direct beach access, indoor waterpark and neighbouring seaside theme park The attraction also hosts outdoor theatre productions and is a glimpse into Jacobean life, with the family who lived here linked to one of the Gunpowder Plotters. The old barn is now a tearoom, which often offers children's craft activities and fun for families. Our favourite is dressing up for Pirate Day in August, when families sing sea shanties, learn how to handle a pretend cutlass and finish up with a huge wet sponge fight around a cardboard box pirate ship on the lawn. Some activities do cost a bit extra and are not included with your annual ticket, but we never spend very much. This underrated place is such a find and there are places just like this all around the UK. If you don't live in the Midlands, here are some of the best spots around the country where families can get an annual pass for next to nothing. 15 Cardiff Castle This impressive building should be a must-see for anyone spending time in the Welsh capital. I was fascinated to find out how hidden tunnels were used to keep locals safe during the Second World War - with special ramps knocked through the thick walls so up to 1800 people could take shelter when the air raid sirens sounded. If you live or work in the city, you're entitled to a Key to the Castle, which gives you free access for three years. There's a £7.50 admin charge for adults, but it's free for children, so a one-adult family visiting twice a month would cost about 10p per visit. Preston Park, Stockton-on-Tees 15 At Preston Park, one adult and three children can get admission all year round for £10, so if I took my boys twice a month, it would cost 42p a visit, as it's open all year-round except most Mondays. This is a fun way to spend a day, with loads to do for kids. Head to the skatepark to watch or test your balance, let kids loose in the adventure playground or have a mini adventure on one of the designated woodland walks. There's also a Victorian street where visitors can buy sweets or find out about the lives of ironmongers, printers, grocers, drapers, chemists, police officers and blacksmiths. The museum has galleries about local life and the families who lived at the park, while the walled garden is due to reopen this summer Parking is free on site. SeaCity Museum, Southampton I can highly recommend a visit here. I had almost as much fun as the kids. There is a whole area about about the Titanic Story and it was interesting to discover the impact the disaster had on the city. We all enjoyed the immersive nature of the exhibition about the 'unsinkable' ship, which made its maiden and final voyage from Southampton Docks. An annual pass costs £25.65 when booked online in advance for one adult and three children, so if you visited twice a month, it would cost £1.07 per visit. There's also a great cafe downstairs where you can get snacks and drinks and it's lovely to see an old building being repurposed. Scottish Wildlife Trust 15 It's easy to overlook the wildlife trusts that we have across the UK, but they can offer great value for money if your annual membership includes car parking on multiple sites. Up in Scotland, wildlife trust family membership is £5 a month and includes access to visitor centres, which is usually £6.50 per adult and free for children. Or, if your child has a Blue Peter badge, you may be better off using that as badge-holders, accompanying children and up to two adults get in free. If you do plump for family membership and use it twice a month, it will cost £2.50 per visit. London Transport Museum 15 There are loads of great free museums in London, but they can get very busy in the summer months. Instead, opt for one with an annual pass, like the London Transport Museum. My boys love it here and it's packed with vintage vehicles, activities like a train simulator and interactive rooms. 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City of Norwich Aviation Museum If you have a fan of flying in the family, aviation museums can be great for a day out, especially as they tend to offer a good mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits. This museum in Norwich even has free entry for children aged under eight, so you could save money if your little one is still tiny. There has also been a 'kids for a quid' scheme over the last couple of school holidays, so keep a lookout in case that makes a return over the summer. The annual pass is only £40 for two adults and three children aged 8-16 years anyway, so if I took my family twice a month, it would be £1.66 per visit. 15 Roald Dahl Museum, Bucks Little bookworms who are fans of Roald Dahl will love a visit here to immerse themselves in the wacky worlds and crazy characters created in his stories. The centre, which is in Buckinghamshire, has digital games, painting and crafts and children's workshops. Ideal for children under 10. 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At £48 for an annual pass for two adults and three children, visiting twice a month would cost £2 per trip. The Story of Emily, Liskeard This one might not seem an obvious choice for family-friendly fun, but if you've got older children interested in history, this could be a good call. The attraction in Liskeard, highlights the work of Cornish humanitarian Emily Hobhouse, who saved the lives of thousands of Boer women and children at the end of the 19th century. Set in the rectory where she grew up, the museum's recently opened War Rooms give a glimpse into the world she experienced during the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. The new family pass is £45 for one adult and two children, with the option to add extra children for £5 each. Two trips a month for my three kids and me would be £2.08 per visit. 15 Crich Tramway Museum, Derbyshire My boys love riding the heritage trams around the site and visiting the Victorian sweet shop to check out all the goodies in tall glass jars. There's an indoor play area for kids under 10, as well as an outdoor playground for youngsters of all ages to enjoy. Tickets for a family of five booked online in advance cost £52, so that would work out at £2.17 per trip if visited twice a month. Ironbridge Valley of Invention, Telford This World Heritage Site boasts multiple museums, including Blists Hill Victorian Town and Enginuity, which offers hands-on science and engineering fun. You can buy day tickets or pay to visit the museums separately, but an annual pass covers all the attractions for the whole year. At £61 for one adult and up to four children, it would cost £2.54 per trip to go twice a month. It just goes to show that you don't have to fork out hundreds to get annual memberships to historic houses, museums or nature reserves. While spending more for the likes of National Trust or English Heritage passes gets you access to lots of sites with great facilities, supporting small and local can also pay off for both your pocket and protecting the heritage in your area. The Big Summer Theatre Event SUN Club members can enjoy the cheapest tickets in town and save up to 60 per cent on theatre shows with The Big Summer Theatre Event! London Theatre Direct's Big Summer Theatre Event is a must for all theatre fans. The event includes all your favourite West End musicals and plays – including Tina, Back to the Future, Clueless, The Play That Goes Wrong, Stranger Things, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and more. How to book Step 1: To book your London Theatre Direct tickets head to the Offers Hub. Step 2: Select the Theatre Tickets tile, click 'Book' and you will be taken to The Sun & London Theatre Direct website. Step 3: Choose your theatre show and look for the dates marked with stars to check out our exclusive sale prices. Prices show the exclusive Sun Club member savings. Step 4: Your exclusive 10 per cent additional discount will be automatically applied. Step 5: Enter your details in the checkout and pay. You will then receive an email with your tickets. Offer is open to UK residents aged 18+ only. Save an additional 10 per cent off tickets. Offer ends at 23:59pm on Monday, July 7, 2025. Full T&Cs apply, see below.
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Prince of Wales and Cate Blanchett don lab coats to see eco brand at work
William and the actress visited labs in Norwich on Thursday where Colorifix, a biotechnology firm, creates its textile dyes. Colorifix, which was a finalist in William's Earthshot Prize in 2023, has developed a biological process that replaces the use of harmful chemicals in textile dyes. Since it was founded in 2016, the brand has partnered with fashion brands including H&M and Pangaia. Willam and Cate Blanchett listen during the visit to Colorifix (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) As William and Blanchett were taken through each step of the process to make the eco-friendly dyes, the Prince of Wales asked Sophie Vaud, the head of microbial engineering, to provide a 'layman's version' of the science. After identifying a colour created naturally by an animal or plant, Colorifix's scientists sequence the DNA of that organism to find out where the colour is coded in its genetics. That DNA code is then translated into a safe microbe which is then fermented to grow, creating a dye that can be used on natural and synthetic fabrics. Dyes made chemically have a negative impact on the environment as they seep into rivers, harming wildlife. The process also uses a large amount of water. The Prince of Wales and Blanchett, a council member of the Earthshot Prize, were invited to observe DNA gel under a microscope and were shown diagrams analysing the effectiveness of the pigments. 'What if it explodes?' Blanchett, joked before looking at the sample. 'I'm not going to pretend I know what that drawing means,' William told the experts when being shown diagrams. The pair were then taken through the fermentation process which is where the dye is produced in a small version which can be scaled up. William complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) David Clarke, head of fermentation at Colorifix, which is based in Norwich Research Park on the edge of the city, said their fermentation to produce the dyes is 'just like brewing'. 'We use a genetically-engineered bacteria to produce the substance – in this case colourants. In the brewing industry it's ethanol. 'Traditional dyeing is very, very polluting. This is completely innocuous.' William and Blanchett were wowed by the range of colours produced when shown samples in the colouration lab, especially a bright teal. In that lab, the dyes are sampled on a range of fabrics and then washed and tumble dried to test how they work and if there is any run off. Rebecca Hiscock, a colouration technician, showed them some of the samples. 'It's like Blue Peter – here's one I made earlier,' William said. Meeting the rest of the Colorifix team, the Prince of Wales said: 'Sorry for all the stupid questions you'll hear about later.' He complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work since Colorifix got to the final of the Earthshot Prize two years ago. The Prince of Wales is founder and president of the global environmental award and Blanchett helps pick the winners. 'It's going really well, and it's really exciting,' he said, while Blanchett told them their work was 'really inspiring'.
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Prince of Wales and Cate Blanchett don lab coats to see eco brand at work
William and the actress visited labs in Norwich on Thursday where Colorifix, a biotechnology firm, creates its textile dyes. Colorifix, which was a finalist in William's Earthshot Prize in 2023, has developed a biological process that replaces the use of harmful chemicals in textile dyes. Since it was founded in 2016, the brand has partnered with fashion brands including H&M and Pangaia. As William and Blanchett were taken through each step of the process to make the eco-friendly dyes, the Prince of Wales asked Sophie Vaud, the head of microbial engineering, to provide a 'layman's version' of the science. After identifying a colour created naturally by an animal or plant, Colorifix's scientists sequence the DNA of that organism to find out where the colour is coded in its genetics. That DNA code is then translated into a safe microbe which is then fermented to grow, creating a dye that can be used on natural and synthetic fabrics. Dyes made chemically have a negative impact on the environment as they seep into rivers, harming wildlife. The process also uses a large amount of water. The Prince of Wales and Blanchett, a council member of the Earthshot Prize, were invited to observe DNA gel under a microscope and were shown diagrams analysing the effectiveness of the pigments. 'What if it explodes?' Blanchett, joked before looking at the sample. 'I'm not going to pretend I know what that drawing means,' William told the experts when being shown diagrams. The pair were then taken through the fermentation process which is where the dye is produced in a small version which can be scaled up. David Clarke, head of fermentation at Colorifix, which is based in Norwich Research Park on the edge of the city, said their fermentation to produce the dyes is 'just like brewing'. 'We use a genetically-engineered bacteria to produce the substance – in this case colourants. In the brewing industry it's ethanol. 'Traditional dyeing is very, very polluting. This is completely innocuous.' William and Blanchett were wowed by the range of colours produced when shown samples in the colouration lab, especially a bright teal. In that lab, the dyes are sampled on a range of fabrics and then washed and tumble dried to test how they work and if there is any run off. Rebecca Hiscock, a colouration technician, showed them some of the samples. 'It's like Blue Peter – here's one I made earlier,' William said. Meeting the rest of the Colorifix team, the Prince of Wales said: 'Sorry for all the stupid questions you'll hear about later.' He complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work since Colorifix got to the final of the Earthshot Prize two years ago. The Prince of Wales is founder and president of the global environmental award and Blanchett helps pick the winners. 'It's going really well, and it's really exciting,' he said, while Blanchett told them their work was 'really inspiring'.
