GET DOWN, WILL

Maybe Will Young isn't quite as nice a boy as he seems - although the clips of Valerie Singleton, Pete Purves and John Noakes in his current video are all legal and above board, it turns out that nobody actually thought to ask the fab three if they were happy to be digitally manipulated to support the sales of his new single.

Bad mistake. Valerie Singleton used to present The Money Programme, and John Noakes always had an eye on making a few bob (the BBC had to step in and take Shep into care when Noakes made adverts featuring the Blue Peter dog; Noakes shrugged, and got a lookalike called Skip in). Now, stung that they only found out about it by reading it in the papers, the triumeverate are now muttering about getting some cash from the whole deal.

What's perhaps more interesting is what the choice of Blue Peter presenters says about who Will Young is selling his records to: Val, Peter and John last shared a banquette in 1972, and the other pair bailed in 1978. So, even taking a generous view, someone who was six when any of them were last on Blue Peter would already be in their mid-30s; a more typical ten year-old viewer for the last time they all worked together would now be forty-four. The impression, then, is Will is being pitched more desperately at an aging market than he is at the youngsters of today. Even a smattering of Lesley Judd could have given a slightly younger tinge to Young's target demographic.

music will young blue peter john noakes peter purves valerie singleton