0:00:00 > 0:00:04Battersea Power Station - vast, exposed
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and officially, on the dangerous buildings list.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Now the location for an extraordinary Red Nose Day challenge.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16I'm going to walk from that chimney to this one.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's going to be 150 metres long.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I'll be walking on a wire suspended 66 metres in the air.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27It is, without doubt, going to be the scariest walk of my life.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33On today's Blue Peter special, how I learnt to high wire walk.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37An act attempted by only a few highly trained performers.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I'm doing it for Comic Relief, to help change the lives
0:00:41 > 0:00:43of people in Africa and in the UK.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'In my way - fear.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Not enjoying this. I really want to get off.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49'Frustration.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:54I just feel like I have to shut up and deal with it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55'And pain.'
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I'm in so much pain, you've got no idea!
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I'm not going to lie to you, it really, really is painful.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11I started training last November on a low tight wire.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14There was more falling than walking.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16This is so annoying.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19With practise, I finally found my feet
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and took on my first live performance.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I lost my concentration not once...
0:01:28 > 0:01:29but twice.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It was terrifying but I did it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Now, to the next stage. I'm off to France to my high wire bootcamp
0:01:44 > 0:01:46run by Jade Kindar-Martin.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Jade is one of the world's top high wire artists.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53He's trained for years to perform at this level.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56He even broken a world record, crossing the River Thames.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01Jade's training wire is 80 metres long and 20 metres high.
0:02:01 > 0:02:0410 times the height and length I'm used to
0:02:04 > 0:02:06and less than the width of a ten pence piece.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I feel like I should be scared and intimidated
0:02:11 > 0:02:15but my first impressions are I want to get on with it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I've got a big challenge at the end of this
0:02:18 > 0:02:23and the sooner I get stuck into learning how to do it,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26the sooner I can put that challenge to bed.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I just don't think there's any point putting it off.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33It's long, isn't it? It's a bit longer than I expected.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I... Hmm.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43I've only got four weeks to learn this, so there's no time to waste.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47We're trying to prepare her to do something that's taken me
0:02:47 > 0:02:4920 years of my life to prepare for.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Let me see how you balance.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Let me see what you learned these past couple of weeks.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Now, look out in front of you.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08- That's good.- I'm harnessed to a safety rope running above the wire
0:03:08 > 0:03:09and I can't seem to let go of it.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13- I underestimated this.- Turn around.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Each foot you take, feel yourself on the wire.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Shall I let go of the wire?- No.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I was a bit disappointed in her level of...
0:03:26 > 0:03:30I thought she had been practising a little bit more
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and was more capable of keeping her balance.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35We've got more work than I expected.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41HELEN SCREAMS
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- That's what happens when you fall.- OK.- Come on.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55I feel like I've just had a wet fish of realisation slap me in the face.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56This is hard.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So far, I've used my arms to balance.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03To be a high-wire walker,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I'll need to use a balance pole like the experts.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10This is your only balance now.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Hold that further. Good. Pull it in.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Feel that sense of weight in your hands.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21The pole moves, you don't move.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25To understand why I need a balance pole,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I've got to get my head around some simple science.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32To stay balanced on the wire, I'll need to keep
0:04:32 > 0:04:37the middle of my body, or centre of gravity, above the wire at all times.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I can't lean very far to one side before I fall off.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Holding a heavy balance pole lowers my centre of gravity,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47making me more stable on the wire.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51If I start to fall to one side, by gently tipping the pole
0:04:51 > 0:04:56in the opposite direction, I should be able to regain my balance.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It will help me but it's pretty heavy.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04My balance pole is six metres long and weighs eight kilograms.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It's a bit like carrying two big shopping bags.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Fight for the balance. Don't just let it be there
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and if it's not there, it's not there. Really go after it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21I have to learn to control the pole before I'm allowed to walk with it.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28This is the most annoying thing in the world. Oh, Skelton!
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Fight, fight, fight.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- Shall I have a go?- A go with this?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40No, you can't even walk one step with that.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I stand there, try and do it and fall off.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47I stand there, try and do it and fall off, for hours.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And it's really frustrating because you don't move on.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Until she can hold the pole and stay in place and do everything
0:05:55 > 0:05:59I need her to do, I'm not going to let her walk on the wire.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It's not safe for her. It's not safe for me.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06It's not fun for anybody. It's going to put us two steps back.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I haven't done anything yet. I want to get on the wire.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I want to start to walk across it
0:06:12 > 0:06:15because only then I will feel like I can do this.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Wire walkers have to be super-fit,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23so the next day I start a new exercise regime
0:06:23 > 0:06:28with Jade's wife, Carine, a stuntwoman and gymnast.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34We ran, we walked, we skipped, we've hopped, we've carried rocks
0:06:34 > 0:06:36and that's just the warm-up.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Jade won't let me walk on the wire until I can use the pole safely.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46So all I can do is practise for hours...
0:06:46 > 0:06:50..and hours and hours.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Instead of using your top body to move the pole, use just your arms.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03That's it. You need to start fighting for your balance.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Finally, it all starts to click into place.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Yesterday, I couldn't stay here for more than a few seconds
0:07:14 > 0:07:18I didn't understand what I was doing with this thing.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Now I get it. It's kind of resistance.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It's so heavy.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28My Red Nose Day high wire walk over Battersea Power Station
0:07:28 > 0:07:31will be 150 metres.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34That's a long way to carry that balance pole.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I'm getting off. One, two, three.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Very good.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Yeah!
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Finally, I prove I can handle the pole,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49so Jade lets me try a few steps along the wire.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Just stay there for a second. Get your bearings.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Relax. Breathe, remember, breathe.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Keep your body straight.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I get just over a metre.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08It might not look far
0:08:08 > 0:08:13but it's a good way to end my first stint at Jade's bootcamp.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Oh, my word. I cannot tell you how good this feels.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Ta-da!
0:08:22 > 0:08:24You did it.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Thank you.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Yeah!
0:08:27 > 0:08:30She's into it. She's ready to work
0:08:30 > 0:08:35and getting her strength up in her arms will be really important.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Over the times she's not here,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41she needs to do a lot of working out and bicep training.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Time to leave France and head back to the UK.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Despite my busy schedule, I have to make time for extra training.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Good.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55That's it.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58And time.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03You look at the weights and think it's easy, but going for that long...
0:09:06 > 0:09:10The publicity for this year's Red Nose Day campaign is kicking off.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Comic Relief, the charity behind Red Nose Day,
0:09:13 > 0:09:18changes millions of lives by funding projects in Africa and the UK.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I hope you'll be inspired to do something funny for money.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25But the pressure of my challenge is getting to me.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27My brain feels scrambled.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29This is something I've never had to deal with.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34If I don't get halfway, even ten or 12 paces, it won't be funny.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36It will be embarrassing.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I didn't think about this, really, did I?
0:09:42 > 0:09:48When I return to France, it doesn't look like there'll be much training.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51It's freezing. Look at the snow.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I mean, this is just a total winter wonderland, isn't it?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00There's so much snow that I can't go on the wire.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04All I can do is stand here and do some work with this pole,
0:10:04 > 0:10:08which I need to do, because it's heavy.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I know the snow's so pretty, but it's a hindrance.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Who says it has to be all work?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Oh, that was a good one!
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I did not do that to my teacher! That was him.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31One man down!
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I've got to wait for things to improve.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I just have to remind myself why I'm here.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45Do I want to be running in the snow, doing push-ups on the ground? No!
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But I feel it's a means to an end and I feel it will be worth it.
0:10:48 > 0:10:55I'm doing this because I believe in the projects that Comic Relief funds
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and I've seen what a difference it makes.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06After the snow, there's even more bad weather keeping me off the wire.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12SCREAMS IN FRUSTRATION
0:11:15 > 0:11:20It is frustrating because I just want to get on with it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24But when it rains, it's too dangerous for me to go out there.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28If I do myself an injury then I won't be able to do the challenge.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32All I can do is exercise and get on the wire whenever I can.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37So, come on, rain. Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Finally, the rain eases and Jade decides to let me on the wire.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Ready to go out there?- Yep.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00Just remember that you want to be really strong on your ankle.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- If you feel your ankle's sagging, you may slip.- OK. OK.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17One...
0:12:18 > 0:12:20..two.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21One...
0:12:23 > 0:12:25..two.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I'm definitely optimistic
0:12:34 > 0:12:38and confident that she's going to do what she needs to do.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54The wetter that your shoes are going to become,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56the more slippery they are.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Don't bend.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05The rain sets in again, but at least I got halfway across.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08We've danced with danger enough for today.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I'm not going to get carried away.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I'm just going to deal with it every day
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and take each little milestone as it comes.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19When I get to the end, then I will go nuts.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Until then, this is just the stepping stones to getting there.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29I'm definitely improving, but it's a slow process.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Jade gets me to watch myself so I can see where I'm going wrong.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37That's not too bad, is it? I'm upright.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40See how you move right there?
0:13:40 > 0:13:43See what I'm always talking about, dropping that shoulder.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Keep your shoulders square. Move your pole wherever you want to.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51I need to know how to move more gracefully.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So for the answer, I'm turning to the world of ballet.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00Ballet dancers use deep stomach muscles to help them balance.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Their core strength. Jade thinks the same technique might help me.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Loretta Summerscales is in Swan Lake with English National Ballet.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14She's taken time out to meet me, along with teacher, Louise Halliday.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Even standing, you look elegant. I just feel like I'm like this.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23It doesn't take much. It's about thinking about it
0:14:23 > 0:14:27and someone said to me, the best way to develop core strength
0:14:27 > 0:14:29is to think about it all the time.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Not to come in and do exercises, not to do sit-ups.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36But when you're standing still, or sitting down,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38or brushing your teeth.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Exactly what Loretta is saying here. It's engaging these muscles.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44First, up to fifth.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49The deepest core muscle is the transversus abdominis.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It stabilises the middle of the body and most use it without thinking.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01How would you walk normally? Just without thinking about anything.
0:15:01 > 0:15:07Yeah, your hips are definitely... yeah. Try now walking.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Don't think about anything else. Try walking just holding your core.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16There - the hips have stopped already.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Is that better? We really are taking it back to basics.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25If you're walking like that, then when you're on the wire
0:15:25 > 0:15:28you're not using your hips to compensate.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Helen, show us the pole.
0:15:31 > 0:15:38The whole idea is to keep as much of your feet on the wire as possible.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41The longer I'm on the wire, the more I hunch because it's heavy.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44If this is heavy, you hold it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47If that's heavy and you let your shoulders go down,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49how much heavier is it?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52If that's heavy and you've got your shoulders...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55..back, you have more control.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I'm going to be going everywhere like this from now on.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03- You have your handbags and your keys.- Tea, anyone?- And a biscuit.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06If it becomes my default position, that's good.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10I need to incorporate that into every minute of my days.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- Thank you, ladies.- Thank you.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I'll be honest. There was a bit of me that was thinking this morning,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20how much can I really learn in one hour?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24In truth, that has made me feel really good and really confident,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29because the things I worry about are the things that ballet dancers
0:16:29 > 0:16:33deal with every time they step out on stage - the posture,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38the performance, the balance. And those mind tricks will help me.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42I feel like I have tools now to deal with everything a bit better,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44so massive confidence boost.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49And right now, that's what I need. I need to think high wire and smile.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52This is the first time I've smiled for a long time.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Back at bootcamp,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04I use what I have learned to improve my performance on the wire.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16I'm now walking much further and really starting to look the part.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Helen's concentration has improved.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27You can see it when she gets out there.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Overall, she's doing really well physically.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Lock your knees together. There you go. Lock your knees together.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49- Much better. You see that all of a sudden? Did you feel that?- Yep.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The true test of a professional high wire walker is knowing
0:17:53 > 0:17:56what to do when things go wrong.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- Whoa...- Oh, no. Come on now.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'I lost my concentration and slipped off.'
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I'm sorry.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Imagine you didn't have that rope. Would you have let yourself fall?
0:18:15 > 0:18:21- No.- What concerns me is you just jumped. You didn't go for the wire.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24That's what a high wire walker does.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27He takes control of the situation, of the wire.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32You don't just let yourself fall to the side.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Ohh, it's hurting.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45- Now pick your head up. More. There you go.- I got up.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Better? Is it not?
0:18:50 > 0:18:51No?
0:18:52 > 0:18:58- Don't look... It's not so bad! - No, it's not what I'm saying at all.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00When it goes wrong... Everythign's going great,
0:19:00 > 0:19:06then all of a sudden... And that's what we're training for,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10so you don't feel yourself swinging back and forth.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Yeah.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27I have to listen to my own lessons. It is hard, cold, uncomfortable.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I don't know if I can do it. I have to listen to myself
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and I must believe what I'm saying,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38which is - impossible and difficult are two different things.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Night-night.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Rather than rely on the harness,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Jade thinks it's important that I learn to grab the wire if I fall.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Oh, dear. This is going to hurt. This is going to hurt.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- I need to go from there.- Now, put the balance pole on the wire.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Ow!
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Oh!
0:20:11 > 0:20:15No, no, no, don't do this.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24There you go. Not the other one.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25JADE LAUGHS
0:20:25 > 0:20:27I'm not letting go, though.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31There's no getting away from it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36Slamming my body on to a thin piece of steel over and over again hurts.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Don't take your hands off. Keep your knee on.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Look right at me. Look right at me.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I don't need to talk you through it.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Wire...wire.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Ow! Ow! Ow!
0:21:02 > 0:21:05But after a bit of determination
0:21:05 > 0:21:10and a lot of pain, I'm finally cracking the technique.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I haven't walked from one end to the other, but Jade thinks I'm ready.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26She's gotten to the point where I'm feeling better about her strength.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30You know, now she just really needs to be able to focus.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33But just when I think it's going well,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37something happens that disrupts my training.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Last night, I just started throwing up.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Apparently there's a sickness and diarrhoea bug going around France
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and now is sure not the time.
0:21:49 > 0:21:57It's bad enough that every time I move, I feel ill,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02but I can't even sit on the toilet because my bottom's so bruised.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I want my mum.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Even with delays,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I've had nearly a month of training on the wire.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21Now, for the first time, I'm going to attempt to walk the whole thing.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25- You look more scared than me, Jade.- I think you can do it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28You need to be not afraid of the wire.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31If you get into a situation, crouch down.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- Keep one foot in front of the other. Keep walking.- OK.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49I'm balancing 20 metres above the ground.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57- Keep your knee bent.- The further I go, the slacker the wire feels.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59It just feels more wobbly.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08I can hear the river beneath me and I can see the rocks.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Don't get over-eager. Now's the hard part.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Pole goes one side, pole goes the other side.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22The last part is uphill, but I'm almost there.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Breathe, remember.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29End of the wire. Keep going.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Look to your right. Put it in the little... Right there.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It's such a relief to do that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Happy?
0:23:51 > 0:23:56- Pretty good. Pretty good. - I'll take that smile.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Tomorrow, my high wire journey reaches its climax.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Battersea is three times the height of my practise walk
0:24:06 > 0:24:08and also twice the length.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11So Helen will be challenged.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Can I control my fear, or will Battersea overpower me?
0:24:15 > 0:24:19This is just taking away every bit of confidence I have. Literally.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Look at me! I'm hunching my shoulders and I want to hide.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30One of the major things that Helen's going to have to overcome
0:24:30 > 0:24:31is the first step.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Come on, Helen!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36The wire is waiting.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Come with me on the scariest walk of my life.