Born in Lambeth, London, as Ann Edith Dorothy West in 1935, Anita West was an actress.
Television credits include:
- Four Star Revue (1953)
- Alfred Marks Time (1959)
- Double Your Money
- Compact (1962)
- The Saint (1962)
- Danger Man (1965)
- Man in a Suitcase
- Space 1999 (1975 and 1976 – uncredited)
- Doctor Hilary Maddox in Crossroads (ITV/ATV, 1976 – 1977)
- Kit Curran (1986)
- Lovejoy (BBC One, 1992)
Film credits:
- Impact (1963)
- Shadow of Fear (1963)
- Ring of Spies (1964 – uncredited)
- Joey Boy (1965)
Anita presented Blue Peter for only 16 editions, taking over from original female presenter Leila Williams from 7th May to 3rd September 1962.
Anita never disclosed her reasons for leaving to the producers, who considered her “unprofessional” for walking out.
The brevity of her tenure meant that for many years she was not officially recognised as a Blue Peter presenter, only being added to the official list upon the show’s 40th anniversary in 1998.
For a period in the 1970s, she was employed as a PR hostess at the Palm Beach Casino Club in Mayfair, when it was owned by the Barnett family.
She served as narrator on children’s series Storybook International (HTV West/ITV, 1987).
Anita appeared in 1998’s Blue Peter Pantomime Back in Time for Christmas, a musical extravaganza featuring past presenters and a time machine.
She played a schoolteacher in charge of a nativity play, alongside the current team of Stuart Miles, Katy Hill and Konnie Huq.
In October 2008, she joined former presenters for the programme’s 50th anniversary celebrations and did so again for the 60th anniversary in October 2018.
Anita was married to singer and band leader Ray Ellington for six years and they had a son, Lance (singer on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing c. 2012 to 2018), and a daughter, Nina. They divorced in 1962, due largely to his constant touring.
She voluntarily resigned from Blue Peter because of her imminent divorce from Ellington and her own concerns about the inappropriateness of a children’s programme presenter being divorced in this era.
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Anita in October 1998, after she was finally included in the official list of Blue Peter presenters.
He explained that he learned of her role in Blue Peter 15 years previous, and had written to the BBC about her exclusion from the programme’s presenter history to date.
He had also brought up the issue with Biddy Baxter, when her book was published – but to no avail.
Paul also told Anita that former producer John Furness sent him some John Cura telesnaps in 1983, featuring her on Blue Peter, which he loaned to editor Richard Marson in 1994, to print copies for their archives.
Paul finally met Anita at Kaleidoscope’s Blue Peter 50 event at BAFTA in 2008 and subsequently corresponded.
“Thanks for your interest in Blue Peter and me. You know more about my time on the show than I could remember myself, although the names John Furness and Tony Halfpenny ring loud bells with me!
“I really enjoyed my time with the BP team. Chris was so professional and helpful and so was Tony Hart.”
Why were you not in the studio for the 40th anniversary reunion?
“It was an extraordinary coincidence. I was booked for a small one-day shoot by the BBC for an insert in the Wednesday evening lottery show. The first time they have used me since Blue Peter!”
What are your memories of appearing in Crossroads:
“Yes, I was Dr Hilary. It was a lovely summer storyline – a love story, about myself and another lady both falling for this one doctor – played by Honor Blackman’s now ex-husband (Maurice Kaufmann).
“When I auditioned, I was supposed to play the part Sue Lloyd eventually played and who actually married David (Ronnie Allen) in real life. That’s how fate goes.”
Personal information
Clips of Anita on The TV Room
Anita may be featured in video/audio clips on our other websites. Click the links below to display a listing (a 404 error will appear if no clips are found):
Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Anita West (1998). COPYRIGHT: Unknown.
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