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Topic: What's the story behind "Blue Peter" ?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
hiawatha Offline




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Posted: Dec. 21 2004, 08:55

What's the story behind "Blue Peter"? Wasn't it the theme song for a TV show? In the video, it looks like nothing other than a live action version of Mario Kart! Is the video related to the show's content?

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"In the land of the Dacotahs,
Where the Falls of Minnehaha
Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."
- Song of Hiawatha
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bevy Offline




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Posted: Dec. 21 2004, 09:37

is there a video?

but it was a theme to a tv show,
i remeber seeing the episode as a kid when they made the new remix of the theme with MO.
a guy called simon who used to be on the show went to mikes home studio to record it.

long shot but .. does anybody have a copy of that episode??

lol its all changed these daysblue peter webby
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hiawatha Offline




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Posted: Dec. 21 2004, 12:57

It is a music video on the recent "Elements" DVD compilation.

What IS Blue Peter, by the way? The "webby" you gave me did nothing more than make me click out of it ASAP due to its horrific unreadable font color combinations.


--------------
"In the land of the Dacotahs,
Where the Falls of Minnehaha
Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."
- Song of Hiawatha
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bevy Offline




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Posted: Dec. 21 2004, 13:16

m8 thats the web site.. i cant tell you no more about blue peter than that????
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hiawatha Offline




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Posted: Dec. 21 2004, 13:33

On the site:

Make Father Christmas
Make your own Father Christmas for the Christmas lunch table.  

Liz's new baby
Liz popped into the studio last week to introduce baby Dexter

Song Words for Thursday
Get ready for Thursday's show when your voice will need to be in fine tune!

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Pretty inconclusive, but it sure does not appear to be about whacky races! While its own web site sheds little light, I found the answer at Wikipedia: Blue Peter


--------------
"In the land of the Dacotahs,
Where the Falls of Minnehaha
Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."
- Song of Hiawatha
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Dec. 22 2004, 03:47

I know nothing of the story behind it, but I like the video. My personal favourite bit is the sight of Mike dressed as Charlie Chaplin.

I suppose the video could be vaguely related to the show, they did tend to like showing various action activities on it (it was a tradition for new presenters to take part in a particularly tough activity as their first assignment, probably still is), but I think the main reasons behind it are probably just that the manic quality fits the music quite well.

Blue Peter is something of a national institution in Britain, the most famous part being the 'Blue Peter make' (which you've seen from the website - the make father christmas thing). Virtually essential to that are that are sticky back plastic and the phrase "Here's one I made earlier..." (a way of saving time on screen, so they don't have to go through every tedious little stage). The latter is a bit of a lie, as the presenters don't make them (they have an army of assistants who usually stand just off camera, poised with items at various stages of development, ready to place them within reach of the presenter), but the phrase has entered the national vocabulary nevertheless.

I think that had they wanted to relate the video to the show, Mike would have been flying in a plane made from cereal boxes, washing up liquid bottles and, of course, sticky back plastic.
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Martin
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Posted: Jan. 15 2005, 19:16

Blue Peter is a UK childrens tv show that has been running since the sixties.
Its theme is a traditional piece called "Barnacle bill".
One thing the show was good at was raising money for special causes.
I believe Mike recorded and released a new version of the theme in 1979 and part of the proceeds went to the Blue Peter Cambodia Appeal.
I also remember the episode with Mike recording parts of the theme.
As for the video, I guess they went in a different direction.
One story I had heard is that the sudden end of the track (instead of a fade) used to catch out radio dj's.
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hiawatha Offline




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Posted: Jan. 15 2005, 20:18

Here are lyrics to the old song "Barnacle Bill":
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Who's that knocking at my door?
Who's that knocking at my door?
Who's that knocking at my door?
Cried the fair young maiden.

It's only me from over the sea;
I'm Barnacle Bill, the Sailor.
I'm all lit up like a Christmas tree;
I'm Barnacle Bill, the Sailor.
I'll sail the sea until I croak,
I fight and swear and drink and smoke,
But I can't swim a bloomin' stroke;
I'm Barnacle Bill, the Sailor.
-------------------------------
I do recall the tune that the lyrics went to, and it was not the "Blue Peter" tune (which I don't think will fit these words anyway). There must be different versions of "Barnacle Bill" out there!


--------------
"In the land of the Dacotahs,
Where the Falls of Minnehaha
Flash and gleam among the oak-trees,
Laugh and leap into the valley."
- Song of Hiawatha
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Ugo Offline




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Posted: Feb. 07 2005, 18:19

Quote (Korgscrew @ Dec. 22 2004, 09:47)
My personal favourite bit is the sight of Mike dressed as Charlie Chaplin.

Ah, does Mike play him as well? I thought he only was the pilot. :)

About the video: you may well be right, Korgscrew, about the Blue Peter presenters. Here in Italy we have a kids' show called "Disney Club" (I don't know if it also exists abroad) which often features filmed sequences with the presenters doing similar stunts, involving variously shaped cars, ultralight planes, motorcycles etc., sometimes with the kids and sometimes on their own. In other occasions, kids are also engaged in some sort of smaller-scale races in the studio, also featuring strangely-shaped or unusual vehicles.

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One story I had heard is that the sudden end of the track (instead of a fade) used to catch out radio dj's.


That's why Mike made the so-called "Dutch Mix" of the song. :) I prefer the sudden-ending version, tho'.


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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
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Taurus
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Posted: April 23 2005, 18:12

mike oldfield was asked to re-do the blue peter theme tune (whihc is similar to the sailors hornpipe i guess).

blue peter is, i suppose a childrens program. it is quite a general program consisting of cooking 'experiments' showing you how to make things that are impossible to make at home, gardening, reading stories, etc. One of the longest running childrens programs on the BBC.

did mike get a blue peter badge for his contribution of the theme tune? (blue peter badge enables the holdee to discount admission to certain attractions, etc)
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Ratty Offline




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Posted: April 23 2005, 18:39

"Get down Shep"  ;)

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Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells
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Ghostmojo Offline




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Posted: April 09 2009, 16:12

Quote (hiawatha @ Dec. 21 2004, 12:57)
It is a music video on the recent "Elements" DVD compilation.

What IS Blue Peter, by the way? The "webby" you gave me did nothing more than make me click out of it ASAP due to its horrific unreadable font color combinations.

It's a funny old world isn't it?

I suppose if you live somewhere else it would mean nothing at all - but if you grew up in the U.K. since the early 1960s - I don't think there is a single person (perhaps somebody in the Outer Hebrides with no Telly) living who hasn't heard of Blue Peter.

Me, I preferred Magpie anyway (Susan Stranks or Val Singleton - I ask you?!! :D).

It's a bit like knowing I Love Lucy in the States (although mercifully they don't show re-runs of B.P.) in terms of popular cultural impact and indeed the Blue Peter badge line became nearly as quoted as any Python line when I was young.

However, Blue Peter was highly uncool - for serious goody-goody nerds. The same kids who watched it also watched the bloody awful Multi-Coloured Swap Shop - when they were missing a treat on the other side with the brilliant TisWas (Sally James ... corrrr!!! ;) ).


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" ... if you feel a little glum - to Hergest Ridge you should come ... "
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clotty Offline




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Posted: April 10 2009, 02:22

Quote (Ghostmojo @ April 09 2009, 16:12)
However, Blue Peter was highly uncool - for serious goody-goody nerds. The same kids who watched it also watched the bloody awful Multi-Coloured Swap Shop - when they were missing a treat on the other side with the brilliant TisWas

Guilty - I watched Blue Peter. So yes I was and am uncool, but then I knew that already. Liking Mike Oldfield's music didn't exactly make you the coolest person in the class did it?!

For the record I didn't watch Multi-Coloured Swap Shop or the equally rubbish (imho) TisWas, which may have been the very origin of the phrase 'dumbing down'.  ;)


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Clotty
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The Big BellEnd Offline




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Posted: April 10 2009, 13:39

A man orders a pizza over the phone, hot and spicy.
There's a knock at the door, when he open's the door two bikini clad babes barge in, one shout's I'm hot ,the other shouts I'm spicy, they take off thier bikinis shove the man to the ground and start to give him a,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, oh sorry, wrong Blue Peter.


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I, ON THE OTHER HAND. AM A VICTIM OF YOUR CARNIVOUROUS LUNAR ACTIVITY.
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Scatterplot Offline




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Posted: April 18 2009, 12:23

No, I think you had it right on the money there....

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Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
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The Caveman Offline




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Posted: April 20 2009, 04:34

I admit it....I was a Swap Shop kid.And did Posh Paws really move? :laugh:

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.
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smillsoid Offline




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Posted: April 20 2009, 14:43

"Blue Peter" had its share of babes.  Tina Heath helped me to get to sleep at night...

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http://www.reverbnation.com/simonjmills
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