Simon Groom (born 12 August 1950) is a British producer and director. He was a presenter of '' Blue Peter'' from 1978 to 1986.

Early life

Groom was born in Chesterfield in Derbyshire, and was brought up on a farm in Dethick, which he later often visited for '' Blue Peter'' reports. He was educated at Herbert Strutt Grammar School in Belper, Derbyshire, followed by the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Career

''Blue Peter''

Groom worked briefly as an English teacher, before becoming a disc jockey and joining '' Blue Peter'' in 1978. Groom's co-presenters on ''Blue Peter'' were Lesley Judd, John Noakes, Christopher Wenner, Tina Heath, Peter Duncan, Sarah Greene, Janet Ellis and Michael Sundin. Groom became known among the programme's production team for his dry humour and ability to ad lib

innuendo An innuendo is a wikt:hint, hint, wikt:insinuation, insinuation or wikt:intimation, intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called in ...

in his broadcasting (which would pass over the heads of the programme's main audience of children). One such statement was at the end of a piece on a replacement door knocker at

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

, declaring "what a beautiful pair of knockers". Another remark followed a piece about hedge maintenance, in which he closed with the remark, "As long as you have a decent length to start with, well then you can manage a good lay", much to the irritation of producer Biddy Baxter.

Other work

After leaving ''Blue Peter'', Groom hosted a morning show on BBC Radio Bedfordshire. In 1992, he released a cover version of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's hit " Can't Help Falling in Love" on his own record label. Groom produced his first TV documentary, ''Angels & Devils'', a critically acclaimed biopic of film director

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

, reviewed as 'Pick of the Day' in both ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Groom also wrote, directed and produced ''A Steamy Affair: the Story of the Flying Scotsman'' for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. His other television documentaries include ''Bucking Mad'', the story of an English rodeo rider, and ''Full Circle: the Saving of Derby's Roundhouse'', both broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Groom has also produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio Four, including ''George Oliver: A Man For All Seasons'', the story of a

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

gamekeeper; ''Peak Park Pressures'' (about Britain's first national park); and ''Ferry Across the Mekong'': two Sony Award-nominated thirty minute programmes in which Groom makes a return trip to Cambodia. In 1979, he was one of the earliest Western journalists to enter the country, following the end of

Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...

's regime. Groom's documentary ''The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance'', was transmitted on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

in March 2013. The 60 minute programme, a co-production with Available Light Productions, has since been repeated twice on the channel.

Personal life

Groom has worked as an ambassador for the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, and in 2010 was given an honorary degree by the University of Derby in recognition of his contribution to broadcasting.

References

External links

Profile as a BBC presenter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groom, Simon 1950 births Living people Alumni of the University of Birmingham British children's television presenters English radio presenters English television presenters People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire