Cloche and cold frame

[Wombat]

Sounds cool,

I have never seen it, must not have made it over here!

Nev

[Muddypause]

Who the heck is blue peter? Nev

Hi Nev,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/

Long running children's TV magazine programme that started in the late 50s. I guess it could be considered as a flagship of BBC TV - no pun intended.

A regular feature would be a 'make', when one of the presenters would try to construct a toy or a model, using things like empty toilet rolls, egg boxes, washing-up liquid bottles, and (all together now) sticky-backed plastic. It is also from this endevour that we get the classic phrase "...and here's one I made earlier." This often seemed to be at the point when the demonstration became rather difficult, and the sometimes cack-handed presenter was having trouble.

If you wrote a good letter to the programme you would get sent a Blue Peter badge (I can never remember getting one), http://tinyurl.com/7k3ku and if you did something heroic like saving your sister's hamster from the jaws of a passing tiger, you got a gold badge.

In it's heyday a chap called John Noakes would regularly jump out of aeroplanes and go over Niagara Falls in a bath tub. After leaving the show, in real life, he was shipwrecked while sailing around the world.

I gather the programme is still trying to uphold these sort of values, but I haven't seen it for 20 or more years.

[greenbean]

I still 'well up' when I think about John Noakes announcing that his beloved Shep had died (Nev, Shep was his trusty sheep dog - border collie). May Shep RIP.

[Andy Hamilton]

Aye, shep was as much of a Hero as John. Although Peter Duncan was much more my era. He even made an apperance in the film Flash Gordon and went onto make Duncan Dares.

[greenbean]

'Get down Shep!'

Nev, Shep was always jumping up. I have the same problem with my wee dog Jim who has short dog syndrome.

[Wombat]

Wow, this show really has struck a cord with you guys! I guess it is one of those shared heritage things, thanks for filling me in everyone.

Nev

[Muddypause]

I have to say that I'm utterly shocked at the price that a Blue Peter badge will fetch on ebay.

The winning bid from the link in my post above ( http://tinyurl.com/7k3ku ) is £29!

These things were sent out free by the thousand (probably still are).

You're right, Nev, some of us are getting misty eyed; BP was archetypal TV for kids in their formative years, from an era when children aspired to something other than spending their spare time in front of a computer. Oh, look, that's what I'm doing now!

[Andy Hamilton]

I wonder if my sister still has her badge. She sent in a picture when she was about 12 or 13. It was ok, but she told them that she was 7 as she felt sure they would give her a badge for drawing far better than a child of her age could. Crafty eh? (well just downright dihonest really )