Turnbull, Hilary

Hilary was born in Sunderland. Her school friend’s father, Bill Lyon-Shaw, was programme controller at Tyne Tees Television and whilst returning to work at the Flora Robson Playhouse in Newcastle, he invited her to appear as a weather presenter.

Two days later she made her debut in January 1966 on Newsview. She was the first female weather presenter on ITV.

She only stayed for nine months, as the new programme Late Look, didn’t include weather forecasts.

Her final broadcast was on Friday 21st September 1966. She bought a Triumph Herald with the money she had earned.

Hilary moved to London and worked at the BBC as an artist contractor.

Her husband David Langford, was a former child actor and television director, including many years as a production team member on Blue Peter (1971 – 1986).  He was the programme’s first guest in 1958 and directed the 20th anniversary edition.

Now known as Hilary Langford, she appeared on ITV’s This Morning (8th February 2024), to celebrate 170 years of the Met Office, alongside Ulrika Jonsson, Emma Jesson and Laura Tobin.

Correspondence

After Hilary’s This Morning appearance in February 2024, Paul R. Jackson managed to make contact, with the help of former Blue Peter editor Richard Marson.

Paul asked Hilary about her career:

“I moved to Whitley Bay when I was 11-years-old. Newcastle is where I consider my home town (city) and I went to the Newcastle Church High School in Jesmond (an area of Newcastle).

“The Jesmond Playhouse became the Flora Robson Playhouse and that is when I worked there, assisting the director in every aspect of running a small theatre.

“It was here I formed my grounding in the theatre and made many useful contacts in London, where I eventually moved to in 1962.

“I got a job at a theatrical agency and in a short time was promoted to a junior partner and personal manager to actors like Frank Windsor (Sgt John Watt from Z Cars) and Eric Woodburn (Dr Snoodie from Dr Finlay’s Casebook).

“I was not particularly aware that I was the first female weather presenter, but Tyne Tees Television were well known for innovative ideas.

“I was there in 1966 and I stayed until the programme was taken off the air, to be replaced by a completely different production. The presenter of North East Newsview, to give it its original title, was Bob Langley.

“I was paid £3 per day and got the weather information not from the Met Office, but from RAF Boulmer in Alnwick.

”The memories I have of mishaps etc are very limited – the heat from the studio lamps made the magnetic weather symbols frequently fall off the board and on one occasion the lights exploded and showered me with glass.

“I never met any of the weather presenters from the ITV regions.

“I did buy a two-door red and white Triumph Herald with my earnings, and although secondhand it was very beautiful and a little bit ‘racy’.

“After the programme ended, I ventured to London and became an assistant theatrical agent. Later I also worked in the pop music industry, before finally becoming a booker in the Artists Contracts department of the BBC.

“This was a very important position which I enjoyed immensely and I was there for a few years from 1967. It was mainly office-based, but with a generous theatre and cinema allowance and visits to the studio on recording days. I had many occasions to enjoy contact with the artists.”

Tell us about your husband David’s career

“The details you have on David appear to be accurate.

“He appeared on page 19 of the 16th Blue Peter Annual. He directed himself directing the 20th Blue Peter anniversary, which was a very strange experience.

“His most vivid memories of the programme are connected to the fact that BP transmitted live twice a week, which in itself was demanding and challenging but very rewarding.

“David was a very well-known child actor. He trained at the Arts Educational Trust, which was based at the time at Marble Arch, and one of his first public appearances was dancing Fritz in The Nutcracker with the Royal Festival Ballet.

“This was, we think, the first performance in the new Royal Festival Hall and was followed by a tour of Europe.

“During the 1950s he appeared in several West End Theatre productions, including playing Michael Darling in Peter Pan with Janette Scott at the Scala Theatre, Auntie Mame with Beatrice Lilly at the Wyndhams Theatre and The Remarkable Mr Pennypacker with Nigel Patrick and Elizabeth Sellars at the New Theatre.

“In 1956, he was also seen on television as Carlos in the opera Manana.

“In another production he had to learn to ‘play’ the cello to portray John Barbirolli as a child.

“Perhaps the most important of all these was starring with Jimmy Edwards in the series Whack-O! playing the part of Parker. All, of course, performed ‘live’ and in black and white.”

What did you do after leaving television?

“In the early 70s we decided to opt out of the rat race and move to Keswick in the Lake District.

“Very bravely we bought a run-down hotel, which we quickly turned around and it became the first privately owned hotel in the Cumbria Tourist Board to have all rooms with private bathrooms! It was very successful.

“During the ensuing years, David continued to direct Blue Peter during the winter months when the hotel was closed, and during the summer months when Blue Peter had its recess, he was a hotelier.

“We eventually moved to Corfe Castle in Dorset, to enjoy drier weather, and ran the local Elizabethan Mortons House Hotel.

“10 years ago we retired to the Isle of Wight to be close to our daughter, Sarah and her family. Our son, Tristan, lives in Dubai and is a Captain with Emirates flying the huge Airbus double decker A380.”

 

Personal information

Clips of Hilary on The TV Room

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