Blue Peter’s John Noakes found after going missing in Majorca

The children’s TV star, who was born in Shelf, was reported missing by his wife Vicky at around 8am this morning.

But Mr Noakes, 81, who has Alzheimer’s disease, was found by a police helicopter close to his home in Andratx at around 6.45pm local time.

An update on the town’s Facebook page said that he had been taken to hospital and was in a stable condition.

Mr Noakes, was Blue Peter’s longest-serving presenter. He joined the programme in 1965 and stayed for 12 years.

He became known as the series’ “action man”, performing a succession of dangerous-looking stunts, but retired to a quieter life of sailing around the Mediterranean, after which he and his wife settled in the town of Andratx in Majorca

Besides Blue Peter, his children’s series Go with Noakes was a staple of BBC output for many years.

Later, he made sporadic TV appearances, including Yorkshire TV’s Cryer’s Crackers, with Barry Cryer, in 1995.