with Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton.

At 5.5
With Christmas only two weeks away the Blue Peter team, under producer Biddy Baxter, are already immersed in the preparation of the special seasonal shows, and in tonight's edition of the programme Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton will be introducing some items with a seasonal flavour. They will, for instance, be telling you the story of the Christmas tree, which immediately conjures up pictures of firs dotted about snow-clad slopes-just the kind of country, incidentally, which means home to a group of performers who are appearing in today's Blue Peter.
They are The Gay Tyrolese, a world-famous troupe of dancers and singers under the direction of Toni Praxmair, from Kitzbuhel in Austria. The troupe have recently been visiting this country, and they will be in the studio to perform a number of their traditional dances. These will include the 'Woodcutters' Dance', with mime and comedy, and a 'Miners' Dance' using cow-bells. But the most interesting dance should be the 'Schuhplattler', with the dancers slapping each other vigorously on their leather shorts.
In another seasonal item - the first in a short series - Gordon Murray will be showing you how to make bottle puppets in preparation for your own Christmas show. Next week he will show you how to make the scenery.