Elyar Fox, MI High and Hot Chillies Blue Peter

BLUE PETER CBA U192F/01 BSD000000

.

It may be cold outside,

-but things are hotting up here in the Blue Peter studio.

-That's right.

Daredevil scientist Greg Foot is here,

with food that will make you sweat, shake, and shiver.

I find out if I have got what it takes to make it as a top spy

-on a new series of M.I. High.

-Of course you have.

And he is tipped for big things in 2014. Elyar Fox is right here

in the studio performing his debut single, Do It All Over Again.

That is all coming up on today's live Blue Peter.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

ALL: Hello!

How are you doing?

You're watching Blue Peter, it is a live show, I'm wearing a bowtie.

It is a special occasion. I have missed you people, I really have.

-We have missed you.

-Welcome back, Barney.

-Thank you very much, it is good to be here.

-Don't leave me hanging.

-Sorry, didn't see that.

-Awkward. You might not be smiling so much

when you find out about the chilli challenge

for you and Radzi at the end of the show.

-I'm not doing that, see you later.

-You are. Stay here.

You are not going anywhere. It is happening.

-Yes, my taste buds are literally terrified, Lindsey.

-They should be.

And later on, I will be giving you a tour

of the brand-new series of M.I. High.

Plus, we will be showing you some real-life spy gadgets

-in the studio, Barney, incredible.

-Can't wait.

That's songs, spies, seriously hot chillies.

-What's not to like about today's show?

-That's true.

-Apart from your hair.

-Stop it!

Speaking of spies, we want to know,

if you had to design a secret spy device, what would it be, and why?

-I would have a watch that fires some kind of disc out of it.

-Oh!

Like disc golf?

Like the thing you did last week, yes, some sort of proper, like...

whatever you fire it into, it then, maps the location,

-to let others know. Something cool like that.

-It's not very clear.

You need to go away and think about your spy gadgets!

I should have thought about it before I came on.

I'd have a hand-held gadget, I'd press it, just disappear.

Really nice. Whatever your ideas are, let us know.

We are live and we want you to get involved.

-We love when you get in touch.

-We do love when you get in touch.

So much so that like a proud parent with a big fridge,

-we stick your stuff up on our big badge wall over here.

-Stop it!

I got a onesie for Christmas, I am genuinely the most excited

I have been. I haven't worn onesies before, and I am loving it.

Abigail knew this, she sensed it, in the Christmas spirit,

and she has designed onesies for you and me, and...whoever else is here!

-These two are being so annoying today.

-I have missed being here.

Don't give me a live TV show, because it is going to go...brilliantly.

Right, so there you go. Bob skeleton and a radio there.

This is Radzi's onesie,

and then you have got Lindsey's onesie at the back,

which has got musical notes on it, and lots of flags.

Because we know you like flags.

I like languages, that is why that is there.

And my onesie has got Radzi gunged on the sleeve,

-and Lindsey in my armpit.

-Oh, lovely!

-That is the pits.

-Lucky me.

-Oh! Don't leave me hanging!

-Take two!

This is from Chloe.

We were at the big badge wall. This is the big badge book.

And if you look inside, it has got all the Blue Peter badges.

The orange one, the purple one, the sports one, the silver one,

but the most important one, the gold one!

-We all want the gold one.

-Oh, yes.

And it's not just post and e-mails you have been sending in.

Check this out, it is from Jasmine and Harry from Buckinghamshire.

And they have changed the Blue Peter theme

into a jazzy song called Blues Peter.

Very good. We absolutely love this.

Their grandad filmed it, and best of all,

it is on my favourite instrument, the saxophone. Take a look at this.

JAZZY BLUE PETER THEME

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Take a bow, guys.

-So good.

-Absolutely brilliant.

I love that Jasmine's name is actually jazz-min.

-How cool does that look? Brilliant, thanks very much.

-I like that.

Now, we know you love it when we go behind the scenes.

So when I got the chance to do just that at the brand-new

series of M.I. High, I jumped at the chance. You are going to love this.

Linds, Barney, four words for you. Oh, yeah? Spy in the making.

Today is a very exciting day.

I am set for a brand-new series of M.I. High.

M.I. High is set in a school that has got a top secret.

There are more than just teachers and pupils here, and it is not

just their homework that MI9 agents are battling with.

So, here I am at the M.I. High spy base. How cool is this?

But, I have work to do.

I am on a mission to find out what skills

I will need to make it as a great spy.

I wonder who I could ask.

Sam, Oyiza and Oscar, or better known as Agent Dan,

Agent Aneisha and Agent Tom.

What has the new series got to offer us, do you think?

-Are we going to see more action?

-Definitely.

-More baddies?

-More baddies, more action, more fighting.

-More saving the world?

More saving the world.

What are your characters' strongest skills, do you think?

Practicality in the field.

Not too much into the technical side of things

as much as he is going out there and doing it.

Aneisha joined as the master of disguise, so she can tell

when something's not right. She's really good at reading people.

Tom is an electronics genius.

Really, he's the main one, to be honest.

-He's modest, as well, isn't he?

-Very modest! Very handsome!

I'd love to be a spy.

-We've got some challenges. Are you up for it?

-ALL: Yes.

That's what I'm talking about. The first one is on the screen.

Radzi, I hear you want to be a spy.

You're going to have to be able to crack codes. In the following story, there is a coded message. Crack it.

'So the spy master is saying'

somewhere in the text on the screen there is a hidden message.

'The answer is in there somewhere.'

-What are our thoughts, guys?

-I have no idea.

You kind of think it's going to be like the first letter of one word and the second letter.

Oh, OK, go on. What about if it was the last letter of a sentence? T-Y-Y.

That doesn't make sense. We've got to get this.

-Is intelligence important to being a spy?

-Apparently not!

LAUGHTER

-Um...

-What if it was the first letter in a sentence?

Blue Peter love...

-S...

-Loves.

-M-I...

-Oh, we all know what it's going to be.

-What are we thinking?

-Blue Peter loves M.I. High.

-That's sweet, that.

-High-five!

'Code cracked. Mission one complete.'

Boom! Job done.

Radzi, you did better than I expected,

although I'm not sure how you would have coped without my team.

All agents need to be able to solve problems.

I have two water carriers, one of five litres and one of three.

You need to fill one of them with four litres of water.

Use as much water as you like and good luck.

How are going to do it?

'This one is tricky.'

Exactly four litres from three- and five-litre bottles

without a four-litre bottle.

'We've got some serious spy sums to do to get this one right.'

What now? 'How would you do it?'

That is better. Smart.

Oh, no! It's gone pear-shaped.

I've got it, I've got it, I've got it.

-No, no, no.

-Stop, stop, stop.

-You put one litre from here into there. Fill it with three litres.

-Yes!

-Wa-hey!

-Done.

-Yes! OK.

'Mission two complete.' Job done.

'Training is going well,'

but now it's time to get some top tips from M.I. High's newest recruit.

'Julia plays Keri, a quick-learning high-kicking super-spying agent.'

-What can you tell us about Keri?

-Well, there's lots of secrets to Keri, so I can't say much.

She is extremely friendly, bubbly and a bit ditzy!

Like yourself, I'd like to be a spy. Have I got what it takes?

I think you definitely do.

If you just pick up the sneaking-around skills,

I think you'll be all right.

'So, I've disguised myself as the janitor.'

All right, so yellow is a bit bright to blend in,

but everyone's too busy filming today, anyway,

and that means I can get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look

at the new series.

Once again, the school is under threat

and it's only MI9 standing in the way.

They did not look too friendly.

Uh-oh. We've got company.

And action.

And that is what happens when you mess with spies.

What a day that was.

Thank you so much everybody at M.I. High. Their series has started.

You can catch it on CBBC every single Monday at 5:30.

If you did miss the first episode, go on to CBBC iPlayer.

Plus, when I was filming,

I also filmed an exclusive backstage diary

and if you want to see that,

go onto the Blue Peter website and click Blue Peter backstage.

Many of the spy gadgets you see in films

or on TV programmes are inspired by the real thing

and we've been lucky enough to have them in the studio.

Everyone knows I love gadgets and, up until today, I thought I'd seen

pretty much all there was to see, but I'm wrong.

This is Mandy Mason, a curator at the Imperial War Museum. Hi.

What have you brought? It's intriguing. It is nothing I've seen before.

-What is this down here?

-This little thing is a camera.

It's a very tiny camera made during the Second World War by Kodak

and they were making these miniature cameras for the use of spies, secret agents.

They are called matchbox cameras.

When spies were sent out with these cameras, they were given

special covers so it would look just like a matchbox.

They were given different covers and designs, depending on which country they were spying in.

It's very clever. Was this actually used?

This one was used by an American spy at the end of the war.

Camouflage is a very important thing if you're a spy.

You don't want people to know you or your gadgets are there.

They have used some pretty creative ways to hide gadgets over the years.

Yes, they were hidden in all sorts of things.

One of the most unusual,

they had small explosive devices, about so big, called tyre-bursters.

They hid these tiny explosives in animal poo, or fake animal poo, sometimes.

So horse poo, mule poo, and they put them on roads and bridges,

anywhere where there would be a lot of enemy traffic.

If an enemy vehicle was to drive over one of these, the pressure

would set off the explosive and burst the vehicle tyres,

-basically stopping it from going anywhere. So very clever.

-I love it.

That's one of my favourite things about being a spy -

you get gadgets and you can hide stuff in animal poo.

Moving on, we have some feet made of rubber.

They are a gadget and it's like nothing I've seen before

and they are very clever, as well.

These rubber feet were made for the use of agents operating in the Far East,

where they might be landing on beaches in the dead of night.

The idea was you'd strap these on under your normal shoes

or boots and when the agents landed on the beach

and stirred and walked, it would leave a footprint

that would looked like a normal bare foot,

so the sort of footprints left by somebody who is a native to that island,

rather than a giveaway footprint of a big British Army boot.

How clever is that? It's brilliant. I want a pair of those.

If you are going to be a secret agent,

you'll need a catalogue to find the devices you need to do your job.

This is said catalogue, with lots of different things.

One thing I spotted was the itching powder.

Anyone who's been to a joke shop knows what that is,

but I was surprised to see it being used by a secret agent.

Some of the inventions were very technical and complex.

Some were very basic so, as you say, some were given itching powder.

The idea was you would try to put it into enemy clothes and uniforms.

There was one account where somebody managed to put some through a laundry

into some German submariners' uniforms.

If you are in a submarine, you're away underwater,

you can't change your clothes, you can't wash very easily,

so it would be uncomfortable to have some nasty, itching painful skin.

Is that what Mucuna is, is that the ingredient?

Mucuna is the name of the plant and it was the seeds from this plant

that made the really nasty itching powder they used.

You've no idea how much fun I'm having right now.

Gadgets and itching powder, I'm loving this. Mandy, thank so much for coming in.

If you fancy the idea of becoming a secret agent,

why not head to the IWM North throughout February?

You've got lots of activities,

so that you can try your hand at being a secret agent.

Don't forget to give us your ideas for your spy gadgets -

that's the Blue Peter website. Mandy, thank you very much.

Ugh, gadgets hidden in poo, that is disgusting.

Though kind of ingenious. I like it.

Now, from the secrets of being a spy

to the secrets of seriously hot food.

We know you love growing your own vegetables.

Have a look at this. It's from Cameron.

He is 11, from Manchester.

It's a photo of him in his garden, growing chillies.

Well done, Cameron, good job.

Speaking of chillies, I got to go to a chilli farm in the UK

a few weeks ago and find out what makes them so fiery.

If you've ever eaten anything hot, you know how that feels.

But there are two different kinds of hot.

This steaming cuppa is what we'd call hot hot,

which means it can physically burn you.

But the other type of heat is spicy hot

and that comes from these little bad boys - chillies.

Chillies have been grown and used in cooking for centuries

and people are now finding ways to grow them hotter and hotter.

Even though they seem exotic, loads of chillies are grown in the UK

and Alex is one of the few farmers cultivating super-hot chillies.

Today, I've come to meet him on his farm.

Alex, what's the deal with these chillies,

because they are not that hot to hold, but to taste...

They are quite hot. Oh! That is really hot.

My lip has gone a bit numb.

My mouth feels like it's on fire and I feel I can want to cry.

On the outside of the skin, there is no capsaicin.

Capsaicin is what makes them hot, that's oil.

It affects your pain receptors in your mouth.

It's not physically hot, it won't burn you,

it won't burn your skin, but it tricks your mind

into thinking there's something very hot in your mouth.

So it's nothing to do with the seeds,

it's to do with the liquid in the chilli that makes it really hot?

That's right. The seeds are heatless,

but the hotter part of the chilli is the bit that holds the seeds in place.

-In the middle.

-The white pith stuff.

-Actually, it's cooled off now. Shall we go find a really hot one?

-Why not?

'The amount of capsaicin in a chilli determines how hot it is.'

We measure that on the Scoville scale.

A chilli with a Scoville score of one means you need to add

one drop of water to one drop of chilli extract

before you can no longer takes the chilli.

The scale goes all the way up to

a tongue-torching two million Scoville units,

which means the hottest chillies in the world

would need two million drops of water

before you couldn't taste just one drop of chilli extract.

'And you'd be back to zero heat.'

How super-spicy are these chillies?

These 7-Pot Habaneros

are over one million Scoville heat units.

Just one teaspoon of extract from this chilli would take

5,000 litres of water in order to dilute it to zero heat.

-OK, Lindsey, here is 5,000 litres of water.

-That is nuts.

So it takes this much water to cancel out

the teaspoon of one of these chillies?

-That's right.

-So they really are very spicy?

They are very spicy and that's why we recommend wearing gloves.

If you got that on your finger and touched your eye, or something,

it's not a good idea? Surely you can't use this much water

every time you want to measure a chilli, so how is that done?

These days, it's done totally differently, in laboratories.

Right. Better get to the lab.

With my extreme-strength chilli picked,

it's time to measure exactly how hot it is,

and no-one is better qualified than plant scientist Andrew Dukes.

He is the man that chilli farmers send their super-hot chillies to.

He's measured two of the hottest chillies in the world

in the ongoing search for record breakers.

Andy, how do we go about measuring the spiciness of this chilli?

What we need to do is separate the chilli into its component parts.

To do that, we use a process called liquid chromatography.

That might sound science-y,

but, actually, it's a way of using liquid to separate

the different chemicals in something,

like the ink in these pens.

Andy, what is this?

This tube is our piece of paper

and we are pumping this liquid through the tube

and that's carrying our chilli sample

and separating the different chemicals.

The same way as the colour was running up the paper,

this time, the chilli is running up the tubes, is that right?

And that's how we can separate all the different parts

of the chilli out and find its spice factor.

-Shall we get a real chilli, then?

-Let's go for it.

-Let's do it.

'So now we just need to prepare the chillies. Simple, right?'

'Yeah, it really gets up your nose.'

Carry on!

COUGHING

'And your throat...and your eyes.'

Goggles are steaming up.

'Basically, it's just really hot.' Straight up the nose.

'Well, I've helped Andrew with the strength test,

'but Barney and Radzi are going to have to wait for those results.'

Thanks, it's been a really cool day. I say "cool"...

Chilli!

No? OK.

I can still feel my mouth burning.

What we are about to do is a little bit dangerous.

It's called the Blue Peter Chilli Challenge,

so please do not try this at home.

-Here to help us today is daredevil scientist Greg Foot. Hello, Greg!

-CHEERING

Yay! Thank you so much for being here today.

-You're welcome. I'm looking forward to this.

-I'm excited.

I'm nervous for you two.

You have toured all over the UK with live science shows

and you love anything that mixes science and adrenaline.

Absolutely.

Which is why it's perfect you are here today.

Tell us a little bit about the challenge they are about to do.

In your video, when he went to the chilli farm

you found the chemical inside the chilli that makes a chilli hot,

makes it feel like it's burning, is capsaicin.

The more capsaicin you have in a chilli, the hotter it is.

I've got three different chillies. They go from mild to wild.

Mild to wild, I like it.

-Are you guys ready for this?

-Nope.

-Er... Ready as we'll ever be.

I'm nervous. Shall we start with chilli one? Don't try at home.

We've got gloves on. That's how hot these chillies are.

-You've got to have gloves on to taste them.

-Absolutely.

The first one is a jalapeno.

Jalapeno is what you get on your pizza

if you have a hot and spicy pizza,

but they are normally only around 2,500 to 5,000 Scovilles,

which you talked about in your film. This one, however,

is a nice, whopping, slightly punchy 30,000 Scovilles.

-We're starting low.

-That is quite spicy, isn't it?

We laugh in the face of 30,000 Scovilles!

No time like the present. Cheers.

-Oh, no.

-That's a good bite, Radzi.

-I went in far too strong.

-You did.

-How does it feel?

-It's a long race.

The tongue has got very hot, very quickly.

Let's have a look at the tongue,

because this is where the action is happening.

Here is your tongue, it's quite rough. It's lumps and bumps.

It's got big bumps at the back and little bumps at the front.

Each of those bumps is called papilla. They're called papillae.

If you zoom in, this is one from the side.

You get gaps down the side, these pits. These are your taste buds.

Each of these green lines, they are neurons going to the brain.

They send signals about what you are eating to the brain.

There are receptors inside working out whether it is salt,

sweet, hot or cold.

The thing about the capsaicin chemical,

as these guys are now feeling, is it does something to the receptors,

so even if you are eating something cold, it feels hot.

Greg, what you are trying to say is the spice they're feeling

-is just in the head.

-It's all in your head, boys.

-It's in my mouth!

Speaking of which, let's get on to chilli...

I have given this the big one, all day, and I'm regretting that.

-Radzi, you're sweating.

-I bet you are. This is the second one.

This is Scotch Bonnet. We should say, don't try this at home.

This is 200,000 Scovilles.

We've already stepped up the spice a lot here. Let's go.

Oh! Oh, no.

Another massive bite from Radzi. That was impressive.

How are you doing?

-Oh.

-Oh, Radzi, are you crying?

That has got some venom to it, that.

I think we're getting a sweaty nose on, as well, from you guys. Yes.

This is a natural reaction from the body.

Your brain thinks you're actually burning.

-It doesn't think, it knows!

-Remember, it's all in the head.

It thinks you are physically burning.

It kick-starts all your bodily responses,

your cooling mechanisms, and that is what sweating is.

Also, you've gone a little bit red.

-I'm genuinely sweating.

-That is your pain response kicking in.

Your body is flooded with endorphins and adrenaline

-and that's why you're flushing red.

-Can I say that was...

-LAUGHTER

-Barney's gone.

-Is he?!

-Oh, he's back.

-Barney's back.

I think... Who's feeling brave?

-Aargh!

-I need a drink.

-OK.

-I'm going to do it.

-OK, let's do this.

-This top one is a real top one. OK, are you ready?

Barney is trying to leave the studio.

This is the one that you tested and the results are in.

910,000 Scovilles.

-It just gets worse, it doesn't get any better.

-This is a lot worse.

This really is going to be spicy.

-I don't mean this gets worse, that got worse!

-Ready?

-Barns, are you in?

-Come on, Barney, we're in this together, mate.

A little nibble. Don't take much. Just take a little nibble.

Oh, just a nibble. Don't do too much.

OK, this is close to 1,000,000.

I could give you water, but water would not help at all.

What you guys need is milk. There you go.

Capsaicin, it's a fatty molecule.

Think about when you are cleaning your pots and pans at home,

if it's got fat on there, water does nothing.

You need something to wash it away. That's what the milk does.

-Protein in the milk helps wash it away.

-Is it helping at all?

Barney has left the studio. Radzi looks like he's about to cry.

It's like having an armband in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I can smell it. Oh!

There you go, it is all in the head and it's down to that capsaicin.

-Don't try it at home.

-We should say a well done to the boys for even giving that a go.

Greg, thank you so much for being here.

This is the quietest Barney and Radzi have been all day.

You can come again!

Now, at the beginning of the show,

we asked you to let us know what spy device you would design and why.

Come with me, guys, come on, you can bring the milk.

Loads of you have been sending in comments.

We are going to read a few out.

I will start, considering Barney and Radzi are struggling to speak.

Don't cry, guys, you can do it.

The first is from Red Musical Sea Horse,

who says, "I would make a super, awesome potato,

"so that when your enemies are trying to find you,

"the potato could suck you in so you're hidden."

A magic potato. I like that a lot.

-Are you able to read, Radzi?

-I'm going to read.

Magenta Gentle B... Puppy says... Can't read!

"My gadget would be a newspaper which, when you pointed it

"at someone, could read his or her mind,

"because people would think I'm a normal person reading a newspaper."

Very nice.

-Are you going to? No, Barney is not even going to attempt it.

-LAUGHTER

Topaz Smiley says, "I would make earmuffs that had

"a wireless radio inside so I could speak to my spy agents."

Very nice. Loads of good ideas. Thank you so much.

Before we finish, we have time to tell you what's on next week's show.

We are going to be joined by CBBC stars Sam and Mark

as they tell us all about their next series of Friday Wind-ups.

It's going to be good.

BARNEY: Um, also, the big plane might make it.

I might not make it,

but will the big wing make it onto the big plane?

-Um... Right.

-I would say calcium is very good for the bones.

Something that is good for the soul...

It's time to find out about our next performer, Elyar Fox.

Let's find out a little bit about him.

# Ah, check it out. #

Dubbed the British Justin Bieber,

Elyar Fox became an internet phenomenon from his bedroom.

He clocked up over 14 million hits online

before being snapped up by a record label to record his own music.

He's just finished a successful tour with boy-band sensation Union J

and has been working on his debut album

with some of pop music's biggest songwriters and producers.

This week, Elyar releases his debut single.

Earlier on in the Blue Peter studio,

when I was having a much happier time,

I managed to get together with Elyar

and we recorded our own version of One Direction's...

Yeah, they recorded One Direction's Story Of My Life. It's all online.

Make sure you check it out. But now it's time to hear from Elyar Fox.

It's a live acoustic version of his debut single. Let's hear it.

# Hey!

# Check it out

# This one's for the girls that like to lose their minds

# They hit rewind and then they lose their minds

# Hey!

# This one's for the girls that keep me up all night

# She works me overtime

# My heart's working overtime

# So, hey, girl Hey, girl

# Why you hesitate, girl?

# Cos I've got to see pretty and it's right by me tonight

# Oh, wait, girl, wait, girl Why you complicate, girl?

# Got money in my pocket

# And I kind of want To blow it tonight

# So if I lose my head tonight

# Don't forget to tell the morning light

# To wake, wake me up, up, up in time

# And do it all over again Do it all over

# And do it all over again Yeah, yeah

# And do it all over again

# And do it all over again

# Yeah, yeah

# And do it all over again

# Oh

# Let's go to a place we've never been before

# I want to see it all, so let's see it all

# Oh, oh

# I can't stop, won't stop till we've seen the whole world

# It's just outside the door So what you waiting for? Oh!

# So, hey, girl, hey girl Why you hesitate, girl?

# Because I've got to see pretty and it's right by me tonight

# Whoa, wait, girl, wait, girl Why you complicate girl?

# I've got money in my pocket

# And I kind of want To blow it tonight

# So if I lose my head tonight

# Don't forget to tell the morning light

# To wake, wake me up, up, up in time

# And do it all over again Do it all over

# And do it all over again Yeah, yeah

# And do it all over again

# And do it all over again Whoa, whoa!

# And do it all over again

# Ah, ow!

# Let's go, let's do it again

# We've got time to sleep every other weekend

# Let go, put your hands up higher And higher and higher

# But hold on if you're feeling my love

# Baby, take another second just to dial it up

# Hit play, rewind Turn back in time

# Restart the night till the sunrise

# But if I lose my head tonight

# Don't forget to tell the morning light

To wake, wake me up in time

# And do it all over

# And do it all over again Yeah, yeah

# And do it all over again

# And do it all over again Ooh-ooh

# And do it all over again

# We do it all over again. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING