Radzi and the Supersized Screen Blue Peter Bite

-LINDSEY:

-This is Blue Peter. But mini.

Expect epic adventures,

makes, bakes,

badges, pets,

presenters and your post.

We've only got five minutes, so get ready for your Blue Peter adventure.

RADZI: The BT Tower, built from 13,000 tonnes of concrete.

It's one of the most iconic shapes on the London skyline.

At a massive 189 metres, it was once the capital's tallest tower.

First opened in 1965,

the tower is still a major television broadcasting hub.

In fact, check this out,

95% of UK television passes through the airwaves from here.

Yep, the info's coming thick and fast, people.

And here's some more for you.

In 2009, the tower had a 360-degree screen installed at the top.

To find out more, I'm heading up there...

And I'm doing so in one of the fastest lifts in the country,

which is great news!

With it being such a long journey all the way to the top,

I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite lift facts.

So, there was one time... BELL

-..Lindsey, Barney and me got into a lift...

-Doors opening.

That's annoying.

The man who looks after the tower screens is Wayne.

-Wayne, lovely to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, Radzi.

What do you think it is that makes the BT Tower so special?

It's very much in use. It's very much an operational building.

It's a hub for the UK telecommunications.

I've noticed a screen at the very top.

What is that for?

We actually know it as the Infoband.

It's used to celebrate UK landmark events.

And why would it need changing or replacing?

So, the original one was up there for seven years.

As you can imagine, being at that height, it gets

battered by the wind, rain, snow, so it was time for it to be replaced.

How can I help?

You're going to come along with us now

and install one of the new Infoband panels.

So, kitting you up, full harness,

getting you over the side with the riggers to install one.

Over the side of...

..this incredibly tall building?

Very much so.

We begin by heading back down to somewhere called the plant room.

Brilliant! I get to use that lift again.

Wayne, I do love the plant room.

In fact, my top ten plant rooms of all time...

-Sorry, Radzi, we're actually here now.

-Are we?

-Yep.

-BELL

-Doors opening.

Oh. That's really annoying.

The Infoband is actually made up of lots of small screens

that work together to create a giant image.

These all need installing separately,

and it's here that they're prepared.

-You hold that underneath.

-Yep.

That on top.

Hold it right there and just crank it up.

-OK.

-There we go.

Each one of these bolts is holding the screen together above the city.

So I'm making sure I get this right.

You might want to go a little quicker,

because there's thousands and thousands more to go.

-Thousands?

-Thousands.

OK...

Once a panel is put together,

it's time to fix it to the side of the building.

OK, Radzi, we're on level T-37, level 37 of the tower now.

I'm afraid this is the part where I hand you over to the riggers,

who will take care of you,

-and they will let you install the panel that we just raised up.

-OK.

-That's it down there?

-That's the one.

-That's the one they pulled up now.

-Wait till you see this.

I'm nearly 190 metres above the ground.

When I climb over the edge,

I need to clip my harness to the barrier to make sure I'm safe.

That goes on there.

I'm about to help out on a building project

above one of the busiest cities in the world.

There's no pretty way to do this.

I've got the best seat in the house, all thanks to BT.

Wow. Where my feet are, I can see the road.

And those people look about the size of very small ants.

But I'm not here to admire the view. I've got a job to do.

Let's get this panel into place.

OK, Radzi, so, that's perfect. Got both your attachments on there.

-I'm safe?

-You're perfectly safe.

-Good!

We're going to winch it up now, into position.

We're going to winch it up? OK.

First up, I need to secure the bolts that hold the screen.

I'm not nearly as fast as these boys.

But I want to make sure,

if I'm putting a bolt into the tower, that it ain't going anywhere.

I then attach an extra safety cable, just to be sure.

This screen will be seen by millions for years to come,

so it's probably best if I leave the experts to finish the job.

-Wayne, thank you so much.

-It's been a pleasure.

And I guess all that's left to do is take the lift down.

Wayne, did I mention to you that I've got some great facts about...?

Do you know what, Radzi?

I'm going to grab the next one, if that's OK.

Wayne. Wayne, Wayne?

But I want to see the results of the team's handiwork,

and I know just the place.

It's a few weeks later, and we are back in London.

The only thing is, I can't see the tower from here.

We need a better view.

I'm heading to the rooftop of the BBC's West 1 building

for a very special view.

Now we just need to find out if all 396 of the panels are working,

including the one that I helped to put in place.

Yeah! Look at that!

The Blue Peter ship on the Infoband of the BT Tower!

And that, right there,

is the highest Blue Peter badge in the country.

Join in every Thursday on CBBC.