Blue Peter badge

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A Blue Peter badge Blue Peter badge.svg
A Blue Peter badge

A Blue Peter badge is an award for Blue Peter viewers, given by the BBC children's television programme for those appearing on the show, or in recognition of achievement. They are awarded to children aged 5 to 15, or to adults who have been guests on the programme. Adults can also get a Gold badge if they have done something extraordinary. [1] Approximately 22,000 are distributed annually. [2]

Contents

The pin badges were introduced to the programme by editor Biddy Baxter in 1963, from an idea by Blue Peter producer Edward Barnes. The design, a shield containing the Blue Peter ship logo, was designed by Tony Hart. Coincidentally, Hart's plasticine companion, Morph, was awarded one in 1981 by Blue Peter presenter at the time Sarah Greene. Although the original white-and-blue design remains the most common and well-known, differently coloured variations have been created for various purposes. Gold badges are the highest level of award, being reserved for exceptional achievements and former presenters.

The badge provides the wearer with free entry to many British attractions, particularly museums and exhibitions that are featured on the show [3] although many of the attractions will only allow one badge holder for each full price paying adult. The programme producers suspended the privileges amid concerns about the badges being sold in March 2006, but they were reintroduced with additional security a few months later.

Use by presenters

The presenters almost always wear their badges on the show – the only exception being when their apparel is incompatible (for example, a life jacket), in which case a sticker with the ship emblem is normally used instead. In addition, large prints or stickers of the ship are attached to vehicles driven by the presenters during filming assignments.

Sometimes new presenters first appear on the programme with no badge before it is clarified to the audience that they are a new presenter. For example, Zöe Salmon appeared on the show as a guest a week before being introduced as a presenter. Simon Groom first appeared during a filming assignment at a disco where he was a DJ and Gethin Jones made a debut appearance disguised as Santa Claus on Zoe Salmon's first appearance.

Many presenters are awarded the more prestigious "gold badge" when they leave the show. When Simon Thomas left in 2005, he was awarded a gold badge on his last programme. This has since become a tradition with Liz Barker, Matt Baker, Konnie Huq, Katy Hill, Joel Defries, Andy Akinwolere, Helen Skelton, Lindsey Russell, Adam Beales and Barney Harwood also being awarded gold badges on their final show. Conversely, when Richard Bacon was fired from the show for drug use, he was required to hand back his Blue Peter badge. [4]

Several former presenters have been awarded them when appearing as guests on the programme. Valerie Singleton was awarded a gold badge during a studio interview recorded for the 1990 video release The Best of Blue Peter, the 60's and 70's. Her fellow presenters John Noakes and Peter Purves were given gold badges on the first programme in 2000 when the time capsule for the year 2000 was dug up. Peter Duncan was presented with a gold badge in February 2007, whilst appearing on the programme as a guest.

Awards to viewers

Blue Peter badges are frequently given out to children who appear on the show. Additionally, viewers aged 6–15 can apply for a badge by corresponding with the show by post. Applications require a message of at least 50 words explaining why a badge is deserved and often include drawings, poems, or other creative works. There are different types of badges, representing different types of achievement. [1]

History of badges

The badge was originally introduced in 1963, featuring the blue ship logo on a white plastic shield inspired by the ship from Disney's Peter Pan. This design remained unchanged until the 1990s when a revised badge featuring a raised moulding of the ship design by Tony Hart was introduced (more detailed and neater than the previous printed reproduction). This version disappeared in 1997 when the old-style badge returned.

In 2004, coinciding with the show's September revamp, a new badge design was introduced. It is slightly larger in dimension and with a much bolder printing of the new-style traditional ship without its rigging detail (though the pre-2000 style flags remain).

In 2016, it was announced that any future Green badges awarded (see below) would be made out of recycled yoghurt pots to try to make them 'greener'. [5] The Blue and Purple badges followed suit during early 2017. These badges are slightly smaller, thinner and lighter than the badges before this change, but have the same ship design as the 2004 badge.

Types

Blue Peter awards seven different types of badges, as well as, occasionally, some limited edition variants. [6]

Main badges

Rory Cowlam on the Blue Peter set wearing the standard blue and white badge. Rory Cowlam Blue Peter.jpg
Rory Cowlam on the Blue Peter set wearing the standard blue and white badge.

Limited edition badges

As well as the badges listed above, some types of badges have been produced as limited editions for various occasions:

Other awards

As well as the badges, an "Outstanding Endeavour" award was introduced to the show in 1978. It is circular, made from brass, and bears the show's ship logo. It was presented to the programme on its 20th-anniversary show by original presenter Christopher Trace. Trace was working at a factory at the time and his colleagues made the award to be presented to a viewer who had achieved some remarkable endeavour, such as saving a life or overcoming a particular adversity. Trace had not informed the production team ahead of the live broadcast he was planning on introducing the award on the programme. [23] Initially it was presented annually on the show's October birthday edition, being given to, amongst others, pop group Musical Youth in 1982 and trampoline champion Andrea Holmes in 1983, who received the award from Trace himself on the 25th-anniversary show. [24] [25] 11-years-old lifesaver Martin Pout won the award in 1984 followed by Bob Geldof in 1985. [26] Don Allum took the award in 1987 and teenagers Simon Marsh and Anthony Walters were recognised in 1988 for saving a school bus from disaster, being given their award by Valerie Singleton on the show's 30th anniversary edition. [27] In 1989 the show honoured the boys of Emanuel School who had assisted the victims of the Clapham Junction rail crash on 12 December 1988 [27] This was the last time the award was presented.

Badges for sale

In March 2006, the news that Blue Peter badges were available for sale on auction websites such as eBay attracted a great deal of media interest, with the suspicion that the right to free entry was being abused. In a leader article The Times described the news as "a knife to the national psyche", [28] while The Sun launched a campaign in which readers could "send in the names of people they know who have an illegal Blue Peter badge".

After news of the sales reached a wide audience, the number of badges for sale on eBay exploded from a few dozen to 300. [29] eBay said that it would remove any auctions proven to involve fake badges on the grounds of copyright infringement, but that trade in real badges was not illegal and would not be halted by eBay administrators. [29]

On 29 March 2006, the decision was made to withdraw the privileges the badges offered until measures could be put in place to stop the badges being sold for commercial gain, with the show appealing to the public for ideas. [30] Accompanying the statement of suspensions the show's editor Richard Marson said Blue Peter wished to "protect children who have earned their badges and who are feeling very let down by this cynical trade."

Blue Peter badges were re-introduced on 19 June 2006, under a new system in which all current holders of a Blue Peter badge and those who win a badge will also need to be issued with a photo ID card. The idea was thought up by 11-year-old Blue Peter viewer and Blue badge winner Helen Jennings, who even included a prototype design of the ID card in the letter that she sent to the show. The producers awarded Jennings a Silver badge for proposing the system. [31] ID cards for previous badge winners aged 6 to 15 can be obtained by entering details into a form on the Blue Peter website. [32]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Get a Badge". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Definitely not made out of sticky-back plastic: Blue Peter badges are 50". Herald Scotland. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Blue Peter Badge Attractions". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Carter, Claire (24 May 2013). "Richard Bacon tells of being forced to hand back Blue Peter badge". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. ↑ New Green Badge 2016 "How to make a Green badge". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "About the badges". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Blue Peter launches new Silver badge celebrating acts of kindness and marking the BBC centenary".
  8. ↑ "BBC - Press Office - CBBC's Blue Peter announces gold badge winners of 2009". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "Sir Jonathan Ive honoured with exclusive gold Blue Peter Badge". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Captain Tom Moore receives gold Blue Peter badge". BBC News. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Helen Glover on Twitter". Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Peter Lord Earns Blue Peter Badge". Animation Magazine.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sir Paul McCartney awarded Gold Blue Peter Badge". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "Roald Dahl gets a Gold badge". BBC. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  15. ↑ Whittaker, Alexandra (12 December 2017). "Kate Middleton and Prince William Now Share a Huge Honor with Queen Elizabeth". InStyle. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "Captain Tom Moore receives gold Blue Peter badge". BBC News. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Joe Wicks gets a Blue Peter Gold badge! - CBBC Newsround" . Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Marcus Rashford awarded prestigious Gold Blue Peter badge". BBC Sport.
  19. ↑ "How to get your sport badge". BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  20. ↑ Bradford Zone, 12 Jun 2021
  21. ↑ "Ed Sheeran designs Blue Peter badge for BBC Music Day". BBC News. 24 September 2019.
  22. ↑ "Blue Peter launches competition to win a tour of the top-secret Doctor Who set". BBC Media Centre. 28 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Christopher Trace presenter biography". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Trivia about Simon Groom, Peter Duncan". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "Blue Peter". 17 October 1983. p. 40. Retrieved 18 November 2020– via BBC Genome.
  26. ↑ "BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Trivia about Simon Groom, Peter Duncan". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  27. 1 2 "BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Trivia about Mark Curry, Caron Keating, Yvette Fielding". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  28. ↑ The Times, 27 March 2006
  29. 1 2 The Times, 30 March 2006
  30. ↑ "BBC NEWS – Entertainment – Blue Peter badge scheme suspended". 29 March 2006.
  31. ↑ "BBC relaunches Blue Peter badges". BBC News. 19 June 2006. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  32. ↑ "Badge Card Application Form". CBBC – Blue Peter Central. BBC. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
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