Christopher Trace
Encyclopedia
Christopher Leonard Trace (21 March 1933 – 5 September 1992) was an English
actor
and television presenter, best remembered for his nine years as a presenter of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter
.
where he studied at Sandhurst
and received a commission in the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1953. He was promoted to Lieutenant
in February 1955, but resigned his commission in September 1956.
Trace then had a relatively undistinguished acting career – his greatest screen role being Charlton Heston
's body double in Ben-Hur
. But he then found fame as the very first presenter of Blue Peter
on 16 October 1958, and stayed with the programme until 24 July 1967. According to the BBC, he got the job as presenter because he bonded with producer John Hunter Blair over their shared love of model railways.
By 1967, the Blue Peter production team were beginning to find Trace hard to deal with and were looking to replace him on the show, particularly when his wife divorced him for having an affair with a 19-year-old hotel receptionist during a 1965 Blue Peter 'culture-embracing' summer expedition to Norway
. Trace often threatened to resign and once the production team were happy that viewers had accepted John Noakes
as a member of the team, Trace's next resignation was accepted.
He became a writer and Production Manager for a film company named Spectator which failed, losing him a considerable amount of money. He was declared bankrupt in 1973, then returned to the BBC
, first on local television in East Anglia
and then on the acclaimed network TV programme Nationwide
. Later in 1974 he was the first presenter on "Roundabout East Anglia" on BBC Radio 4
VHF for the Eastern Counties.
By the mid-1970s, he had retired from the media, and briefly worked behind the bar of a pub in Norwich
before becoming general manager of an engineering factory, where he lost two toes in an accident. On Blue Peter’s 20th anniversary in 1978 he appeared on the show and the factory shut for the day so that the workforce could watch his appearance. On the show, without warning anyone in advance, he announced that he wanted to give an Outstanding Endeavour Award. The award became an annual Blue Peter event. In the 1980s he worked in the press office of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). In the 1990s, he briefly returned to the BBC to guest on and later host the nostalgia series Are You Sitting Comfortably? on Radio 2
.
. For the last five years of his life, he had a special friendship with Susi Felton, who was a great support to him during his fatal illness.
Valerie Singleton, Biddy Baxter
and Edward Barnes visited Trace in hospital just days before his death.
credits him with coining two quotations now prominent in British popular culture: the line "And now for something completely different
" – later taken up by, and usually attributed to, Monty Python
– was used as a segue to different parts of the programme; and "Here's one I made earlier" was used during the construction of models on the show, and has since been adopted by nearly all subsequent presenters on Blue Peter.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and television presenter, best remembered for his nine years as a presenter of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
.
Career
Trace was born the youngest of three children, born to Edith (née Morley) and Lawrence Archibald Trace. Trace had two older siblings, Ann and David Morley Trace. After a working as a farm labourer, Trace joined the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
where he studied at Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
and received a commission in the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1953. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in February 1955, but resigned his commission in September 1956.
Trace then had a relatively undistinguished acting career – his greatest screen role being Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
's body double in Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
. But he then found fame as the very first presenter of Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
on 16 October 1958, and stayed with the programme until 24 July 1967. According to the BBC, he got the job as presenter because he bonded with producer John Hunter Blair over their shared love of model railways.
By 1967, the Blue Peter production team were beginning to find Trace hard to deal with and were looking to replace him on the show, particularly when his wife divorced him for having an affair with a 19-year-old hotel receptionist during a 1965 Blue Peter 'culture-embracing' summer expedition to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Trace often threatened to resign and once the production team were happy that viewers had accepted John Noakes
John Noakes
John Noakes is a British television presenter and personality, best known for co-presenting the BBC children's magazine programme Blue Peter in the 1960s and 1970s. He remains the show's longest-serving presenter, with a stint that lasted 12 years and 6 months...
as a member of the team, Trace's next resignation was accepted.
He became a writer and Production Manager for a film company named Spectator which failed, losing him a considerable amount of money. He was declared bankrupt in 1973, then returned to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, first on local television in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and then on the acclaimed network TV programme Nationwide
Nationwide (TV series)
Nationwide was a BBC News and Current affairs television programme broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting...
. Later in 1974 he was the first presenter on "Roundabout East Anglia" on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
VHF for the Eastern Counties.
By the mid-1970s, he had retired from the media, and briefly worked behind the bar of a pub in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
before becoming general manager of an engineering factory, where he lost two toes in an accident. On Blue Peter’s 20th anniversary in 1978 he appeared on the show and the factory shut for the day so that the workforce could watch his appearance. On the show, without warning anyone in advance, he announced that he wanted to give an Outstanding Endeavour Award. The award became an annual Blue Peter event. In the 1980s he worked in the press office of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA). In the 1990s, he briefly returned to the BBC to guest on and later host the nostalgia series Are You Sitting Comfortably? on Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
.
Death
Trace died in 1992 from cancer of the oesophagus while living in WalthamstowWalthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
. For the last five years of his life, he had a special friendship with Susi Felton, who was a great support to him during his fatal illness.
Valerie Singleton, Biddy Baxter
Biddy Baxter
Biddy Baxter MBE is best known as the former editor of the long-running popular BBC One children’s magazine show Blue Peter, a position she held from 1965 to 1988. She was also its producer from 1962 to 1965...
and Edward Barnes visited Trace in hospital just days before his death.
Quotations
During his time on Blue Peter, the Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
credits him with coining two quotations now prominent in British popular culture: the line "And now for something completely different
And Now For Something Completely Different
And Now for Something Completely Different is a film spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favorite sketches from the first two seasons. The title was used as a catchphrase in the television show....
" – later taken up by, and usually attributed to, Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
– was used as a segue to different parts of the programme; and "Here's one I made earlier" was used during the construction of models on the show, and has since been adopted by nearly all subsequent presenters on Blue Peter.
Sources
- Alistair McGown, "Trace, Christopher Leonard (1933–1992)", Oxford Dictionary Of National Biography, online edition, Oxford University Press, Oct 2005; online edn, May 2006 accessed 10 June 2006