Beginnings

Caron Keating would have been a novelty as a Nationally-recognised Northern Irish-born television star when she first appeared on Blue Peter - if she hadn't followed in the footsteps of her mother. The daughter of TV and Radio star Gloria Hunniford and TV director and producer Don Keating, Caron was born in Hillsborough, Co. Down on 5 October 1962. At the time, her mother was a singer, yet to make her Radio and TV debuts on local Northern Irish stations; her father was a humble cameraman. She and her two younger brothers, Michael and Paul, subsequently spent a lot of time in Belfast studios while her parents worked; all three later found careers in media.

Caron was educated at Methodist College, Belfast, but while there she made he TV debut on BBC Northern Ireland’s youth programme Channel One¹. She didn’t neglect her studies or let TV take over and she earned a place at Bristol University, something neither of her talented parents achieved, where she studied English and Drama.

Blue Peter

Shortly after she graduated, Caron joined the Blue Peter as their latest presenter. Both Simon Groom and Peter Duncan had just departed at around the same time, after their very popualr stints. Therefore Caron joined Blue Peter during a period of radical change; Caron's first appearance on the show coincided with that of the energetic Mark Curry and when Janet Ellis departed, shortly after, she was replaced by Yvette Fielding².

Since the days of Peter Purves there had always been stunt and action segments on the show. Traditionally this role had been been filled by one or both of the male presenters. The recently departed Peter Duncan was a particualrly prolific Blue Peter action hero and the producers felt he would be a hard act to follow. With two female presenters on the show Caron stepped up and became a female version of Peter Duncan, doing a lot of daring stunts, jumping under freezing waterfalls, swimming with sharks and abseiling down cliffs and skyscrapers being some of the highlights.

Her clothes sense also came in for a lot of comment; she was after all a female in the 80s (indeed, some of the tabloids described it as ‘shabby chic’). The reason Caron gave for the trashy, grungy clothing she wore was that as a recent graduate she didn’t have the time or, at the start, the money to buy new cloths for the required two outfits a week. Blue Peter has always been famous for its viewer competitions, asking the veiwers to draw or design something the winner or winners of which would actually be used. During Caron’s time the viewers were asked to turn designer to create an outrageous outfit for her which was then made and added to her wardrobe.

She left in 1990 to be replaced by Dian-Louise Jordan the show’s first non-white presenter.

Life After Blue Peter

Many children's TV presenters find it hard to make the transision to mainstream TV; they either get stuck in the kiddie schedules for life or simply fade away. But Caron managed to keep working yet avoid both pitfalls.

The year after she left Blue Peter she married her agent Russ Lindsay and introduced Fourth Dimension a science programme on Channel 4. In 1992 she worked alongside Terry Wogan³ in presenting coverage of the Barcelona Olympics for Radio 5. She also became entertainment’s correspondent on London Tonight for Carton Television until 1994 when she took a sabbatical for the birth of her first son Charlie.

Her return to television came in 1996 when she stepped in as a co-presenter on This Morning whenever Richard Maddeley and Judy Finnigan⁴ were on holiday. From then on she became a regular feature as a stand-in whenever Judy was away. In 1998 she became the host of a consumer affairs programme We Can Work It Out as well as Summer Scene. Alongside her mother she also appeared in Family Affairs, not the Five soap opera.

The Hand Dealt by Fate

1997, however, was a roller coaster year for Caron and her family. Her father, who had been divorced from her mother died of a massive heart attack only days before she gave birth to her second son Gabriel. Later that year she was first diagnosed with the breast cancer that was eventually to claim her life.

Caron's Grandmother had died of the disease nine years earlier, but Caron was exceptionally young only 34 years-old when she received this startling news. She initially attempted to get back into TV work with a Channel Five show Apparitions however, she was too ill at that time to appear before TV. It was reported that she was suffering from post-natal depression at the time; it was however the onset of her seven-year battle with breast cancer. As you can see from above she did eventually get back into TV. However, eventually she retreated in 2000 to the family home in Fowey, Cornwall, before moving to Australia in 2002. Her illness gave her an interest in relaxation therapies and in 2002 she issued a DVD - Instant Calm. She went into remission for her cancer several times. All the time Caron kept this personal tragedy a secret only informing a few cloose family and friends.

On the day of Caron’s death her mother was due to follow in her daughter’s footsteps as a two-day stand in on This Morning. Obviously with the state of Caron’s health deteriorating Gloria couldn’t fulfil that role, and GMTV’s Penny Smith was called at the last minute to step in instead.

Caron was buried on the 20th April, 2004, in the graveyard of St. Peter's Church in the grounds of Hever Castle⁵. It was the same church where she and Russ were married.

Tributes

Caron Keating was a part of childhood for many people. She appeared every Monday and Thursday on Blue Peter in the days before the current three days a week schedule. But she was also a deeply respected member of the entertainment profession.

Richard Marson, the editor of Blue Peter at the time of Caron's death said:

'Caron Keating was an immensely popular and successful member of the Blue Peter team. She was famous for her fashion sense and one of the most popular competitions Blue Peter has ever run was for viewers to design an off-the-wall outfit for her.'

Co-presenter Mark Curry said that Caron chose not to talk publicly about her cancer.

'I knew one day I would get the call to say she had died but I kept hoping that day would never come. I am just devastated. Caron was such a special person.'

Another fellow presenter Janet Ellis, a regular guest on The Wright Stuff added:

'Caron was enormous fun and full of vitality. I know she was brave and full of life right the way through her illness. She was a splendid mother and her children were lucky to have had her. This is just so terribly sad.'

Terry Wogan, her co-host from the Olympic Games in Barcelona for Radio 5, said her death came as a 'terrible shock'. He added:

'She had glorious qualities of charm and vivacity. It's hard to believe that someone with all these qualities, and still so young, has passed away.'

'Peter Pan of Pop', Sir Cliff Richard, who is also a friend of the family said:

'Caron was gifted, talented, wonderful with people and, to crown it all, she was beautiful and courageous to the end.'

No doubt if there is an After-life Caron will be getting out of sticky-backed plastic, washing up bottles and old toilet rolls to get ready to prepare an apres vie Blue Peteresque make.