Richard Bacon says Blue Peter cocaine scandal helped him deal with ‘other traumas’
Presenter said ‘no matter what’ he does in his life the top line of his obituary will be ‘fired from Blue Peter’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Richard Bacon has reflected on being fired from Blue Peterfor taking cocaine, saying the stress of the situation helped him deal with “other traumas” later in life.
Bacon started his job as a presenter on Blue Peter in 1997, but the following year, a Sunday tabloid exposed him for cocaine use and he was sacked.
Speaking toThe Guardian about the incident in a new interview, Bacon said: “I was aware that I was processing it OK. When I’ve been through other traumas since then, I think I coped better because I went through that.”
Since the Blue Peter scandal, Bacon has struggled with alcohol addiction, been diagnosed with ADHD and nearly died from a lung infection.
He said he was told, aged 22, that he would never get a job in TV again, adding: “But I remember thinking: ‘That’s not true.’ I just thought I’d find a way through. The ADHD side of me does lead to certain disorganisation and chaos in my life, and I have many flaws and things I’m bad at, but I’m quite good at getting back up again.”
Bacon said he “still loves Blue Peter” and is “deeply affectionate” towards the show.
Speaking about how the scandal continues to define him, he said: “No matter what I go on to do in my career – I could bring peace to the Middle East – still, when I die, the top line of the obituary will be ‘fired from Blue Peter’.”
He continued: “I could cure Covid and still the first line would be: ‘He was that guy who was fired from Blue Peter and the head of BBC One went on telly and said that thing about him.’ It’s irrelevant to what I do now.”
Bacon was speaking ahead of his documentary about “cancel culture”, called Cancelled, which airs on Channel 4 tonight (2 December).
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments