:00:13. > :00:14.This book is amazing, it's got everything you want
:00:15. > :00:20.A spirited young redhead who will try her hand at anything.
:00:21. > :00:23.And a comic genius with timing like no other.
:00:24. > :00:51.Let's talk about this weekend. A very good event on in Birmingham
:00:52. > :00:53.called Awesome Authors. We'll be there meeting loads
:00:54. > :00:55.of your favourite authors and there will be tonnes
:00:56. > :00:57.of events and activities So, to get us all in the mood,
:00:58. > :01:03.today's Blue Peter is all about lovely, lively literature,
:01:04. > :01:05.perfectly poetic publications Coming up, I was given
:01:06. > :01:15.the opportunity to read out some of your legendary letters in front
:01:16. > :01:17.of an audience of hundreds We're meeting a young author
:01:18. > :01:25.with a unique story to tell. And later, I'll show you how you can
:01:26. > :01:29.make one of these ingenious book But first I got the go-ahead
:01:30. > :01:35.to gallivant with the guys at the glorious gathering of one
:01:36. > :01:52.of the greatest gag-filled shows David Walliams is one of the most
:01:53. > :01:55.popular authors in the country. His novel, Gangsta Granny, went straight
:01:56. > :01:59.to number one in the book charts, then became a hit TV show, and now
:02:00. > :02:04.it is a play. Which means that you will get the chance to see Gangsta
:02:05. > :02:11.Granny onstage across the UK, just like this theatre here in Reading.
:02:12. > :02:16.The show starts tomorrow. Tomorrow? Are they supposed to be ready
:02:17. > :02:19.tomorrow? No chance! Hard to believe, but the travelling theatre
:02:20. > :02:24.company at just 24 hours to transform this empty stage into the
:02:25. > :02:29.wonderful world of David Walliams' book. To transform an empty space in
:02:30. > :02:34.such a short period of time, it must be a real operation. What? That's
:02:35. > :02:41.why we are here. To reveal how the team do it! OK, I need to get my
:02:42. > :02:48.skates on. And next time, read my e-mails. Best get started. Deeney my
:02:49. > :02:54.instructions is Ashley, who plays granny's grandson, Ben. We have 27
:02:55. > :02:57.hours to get the show ready. How do you do it? We have a brilliant
:02:58. > :03:02.technical team who worked very hard to make sure the show was ready.
:03:03. > :03:07.Could I possibly see some of it? You can help out, if you like. Done. The
:03:08. > :03:10.lighting and sound equipment are the first to go in. It is really
:03:11. > :03:14.important to install them correctly because no matter how good the
:03:15. > :03:20.performance is, it is pointless if the audience cannot see it or hear
:03:21. > :03:27.it. In just a matter of hours, the team move on the set. This is work.
:03:28. > :03:36.We are hanging a big cloth at the back of the stage, a tenancy neck.
:03:37. > :03:39.The stages starting to come together and I am getting about actually
:03:40. > :03:45.seeing the show. But the director has a surprise for me. I'm not sure
:03:46. > :03:52.where I will be sitting but I am sure I will be in all. You want. --
:03:53. > :03:56.you will not. We need you backstage to be helping out with the props and
:03:57. > :04:03.scenery. You cannot rest. I thought this might happen. In fact, there is
:04:04. > :04:08.actually a part that we want you to play in the show. We have some lines
:04:09. > :04:17.for you. You are going to be a reporter in the show. Really?! Yes.
:04:18. > :04:22.Amazing. So as well as hanging out behind the scenes and helping out,
:04:23. > :04:25.I'm going to be performing in front of an audience onstage. It is the
:04:26. > :04:29.end of day one and the pressure is on. It is the next morning and I
:04:30. > :04:33.have got lots to do. I need to rehearse my very own part in the
:04:34. > :04:37.show before that, I need to get to grips with my other job as a
:04:38. > :04:42.stagehand. I need you to look after three props. One of them is this
:04:43. > :04:47.giant spoon. I need you to hand that to granny. Granny runs over to the
:04:48. > :04:50.rings and says, I was attacked by Bayer in the garden and I need you
:04:51. > :04:55.to throw this on and she will catch it. Near the end of act one, Alison
:04:56. > :05:01.runs off and I need you to hand this as quickly as possible. It is made
:05:02. > :05:06.from matches. Will it survive a drop? No. I need to make sure I get
:05:07. > :05:12.this right and practice perfect. Next job, I need to learn my lines.
:05:13. > :05:17.From the Tower of London, we're here at the scene of this audacious
:05:18. > :05:21.crime. And we're coming live from the Tower of London at the scene of
:05:22. > :05:25.an audacious crime. It is a huge honour to be given a role in the
:05:26. > :05:29.show. I just hope nerves don't get the better of me. And finally,
:05:30. > :05:33.rehearsals are over. In just 24 hours, I have helped to this theatre
:05:34. > :05:39.go from an empty stage to a full production. All that's left, for the
:05:40. > :05:43.audience to arrive. The stage is set. I have to get the lines in my
:05:44. > :05:49.head and make sure I do everything right. The cast is set. Wish us
:05:50. > :05:53.luck. It is laid down, and it is showtime. On the stage, everything
:05:54. > :05:59.is running smoothly but behind the scenes, it is cramped and a little
:06:00. > :06:07.bit frantic. Don't talk about granny like that! The TV doesn't work. All
:06:08. > :06:15.we do is replace the gravity. My bit is up! And the spoon and over is
:06:16. > :06:21.complete. -- handover. I was attacked by a Bayer! Time for the
:06:22. > :06:29.Bayer. A bit high. But at least I got the timing right. Don't drop the
:06:30. > :06:36.castle, Radzi, down to drop the castle! Thank goodness for that! Now
:06:37. > :06:40.it is time for my starring role. This is Blue Peter and we are alive
:06:41. > :06:46.in the Tower of London, at the scene of an audacious crime which is
:06:47. > :06:50.clearly been carried out by professional criminals. The question
:06:51. > :06:58.is, can you help us?! That was so exciting! All that is left to do is
:06:59. > :07:00.take a bow. My time with Gangsta Granny has been unforgettable but
:07:01. > :07:04.for the rest of the crew, they cannot stop here. They have got
:07:05. > :07:12.another town and another performance to get ready for. The show must go
:07:13. > :07:16.on. I had such a fun couple of days. Those guys are all so impressive.
:07:17. > :07:20.Something that always impresses us is how much post you send us from
:07:21. > :07:25.all four corners of the country but can you imagine what it is like to
:07:26. > :07:30.get post from all countries around the world? Well, one bluetit -- Blue
:07:31. > :07:40.Peter badge holder knows exactly what that is like. Please welcome
:07:41. > :07:45.Toby. Come on over. Welcome. Let's get one thing absolutely clear, you
:07:46. > :07:49.have sent a letter to every single country around the world and as a
:07:50. > :07:54.result, you have only got your own book! Look at that! That is
:07:55. > :08:02.ridiculous, and how old are you? I am eight years old. I started
:08:03. > :08:05.writing letters when I was five. That is amazing, and why did you
:08:06. > :08:09.start? What gave you the idea to start writing to different
:08:10. > :08:16.countries? I just wanted to make the world a better place. Good for you.
:08:17. > :08:23.Can we have a round of applause for that?! How many replies have you
:08:24. > :08:29.had? 375. That is a fool postbox. And you have had some replies from
:08:30. > :08:33.some amazing places. Mongolia, Nigeria, Fiji! It's amazing. And
:08:34. > :08:37.have you brought along some of your favourite replies? This one is
:08:38. > :08:43.amazing. It's from Hawaii, but still asked why it is so special? That is
:08:44. > :08:47.my first reply. And how did that feel, coming through the letterbox?
:08:48. > :08:53.I was really amazed that somebody would reply to my letter. And after
:08:54. > :09:00.that, I bet you thought, I want to do this more and more. And you have.
:09:01. > :09:08.This is a lovely one. We know it is from Iran, but what is that
:09:09. > :09:12.incredible creature? That is a Simorgh. I sent them a picture of a
:09:13. > :09:19.yeti and they send this back to me. You are exchanging mythical
:09:20. > :09:22.creatures! What a great idea. And now, talk us through these beautiful
:09:23. > :09:29.elephants. Why are they so important? I got those from Chad,
:09:30. > :09:33.from a national park. This elephant here is called Toby. So you casually
:09:34. > :09:41.got an elephant named after you? Why not?! We need to write to suit some
:09:42. > :09:45.more countries. I want an elephant. -- we need to write to some more
:09:46. > :09:51.countries. This is a very colourful drawing. Where is that from? That is
:09:52. > :09:55.from Eloise in New Zealand and it is an exploding rainbow. It is such a
:09:56. > :10:00.cool pile of memorabilia. How do you normally celebrate your day of
:10:01. > :10:05.birth? I go for a candle sometimes. But you took it further. Let's show
:10:06. > :10:11.the viewers what you got for your birthday. We bottled it out. Look at
:10:12. > :10:18.that! It says happy birthday, Toby. Tell us about this, where has it
:10:19. > :10:26.been? This is from Antarctica. It has also been held up. The South
:10:27. > :10:30.Pole! And you got a very special response from Blue Peter. Is that
:10:31. > :10:35.one of your favourites? You have to say that, didn't you? And you have
:10:36. > :10:39.got all your badgers. Let's look at your T-shirt. I am worried that it
:10:40. > :10:44.is going to slip down because it is very happy with all the badges. You
:10:45. > :10:50.have got so many! But you haven't got the Blue Peter sport badge,
:10:51. > :10:54.2016, yet? Are you going to try to earn that? Yes. I have loads of
:10:55. > :11:01.activities, so I might get one of those. What is your favourite sport?
:11:02. > :11:06.I like basketball and dodge ball. I am a big basketball fan myself. Get
:11:07. > :11:11.inspiring a friend and you will have the full collection. I don't have a
:11:12. > :11:17.gold badge. Because that, of course, is for outstanding achievement, for
:11:18. > :11:19.doing something very special indeed. And actually, Toby, we think that
:11:20. > :11:24.you have done something incredibly special, because you have mentioned
:11:25. > :11:28.it before, you are connecting the world with your letters, really
:11:29. > :11:32.inspiring people. And we would like Blue Peter viewers to do exactly the
:11:33. > :11:35.same thing. For that reason, we have something very special for you, the
:11:36. > :11:41.highest possible accolade we can give you, the gold badge. My
:11:42. > :11:48.goodness. Please, and massive round of applause for Toby. That is for
:11:49. > :11:55.you, my friend. Is that a good surprise? Yes. How does it feel to
:11:56. > :12:02.be holding a gold badge. Really amazing. Well done, you have
:12:03. > :12:09.inspired Radzi and everyone watching. Toby, everybody. Amazing.
:12:10. > :12:11.What a lovely moment. From letters on the big stage
:12:12. > :12:23.to letters on the Badge Wall. This is the Freemasons Hall in
:12:24. > :12:26.London and is today it will be home to some of the biggest stars from
:12:27. > :12:32.the world of film and books. But it is not for
:12:33. > :12:36.an awards ceremony, a contract or a film premiere. It is for these,
:12:37. > :12:44.letters. Inspired by the international bestselling book,
:12:45. > :12:47.Letters of Note, this project has seen the likes of Cally Minogue, Sir
:12:48. > :12:51.Ben Kingsley and Benedict Cumberbatch read letters written
:12:52. > :12:55.from all around the world. And today, they have been joined by
:12:56. > :12:59.letters from you, the Blue Peter viewers. Every year, we get letters
:13:00. > :13:02.from you and we love them so much that when we were asked to read some
:13:03. > :13:06.of them out at this amazing event, we jumped at the task -- jumped at
:13:07. > :13:12.the chance. You are probably wondering who is going to be reading
:13:13. > :13:15.out those letters? Sir Ian McKellen? No, and you might have noticed that
:13:16. > :13:18.I am looking a little nervous. And that is because in a few hours I
:13:19. > :13:24.will be standing on that stage reading out Blue Peter letters in
:13:25. > :13:29.front of a massive crowd including a list stars. No pressure (!) I better
:13:30. > :13:35.get practising! I wondered if I could earn two Blue Peter badge is.
:13:36. > :13:39.But in an age of text and e-mails, why are letters still so important?
:13:40. > :13:41.I met up with Shaun Marsh, whose love of letters was the inspiration
:13:42. > :13:50.for his book and this event. When you sit down to write a letter,
:13:51. > :13:54.you are different frame of mind to when you write an e-mail, or a text
:13:55. > :13:59.message and it uses a different part of your brain. What do you think
:14:00. > :14:05.makes a really brilliant letter? There are no rules. Any letter is
:14:06. > :14:08.great. Such a satisfying experience to physically write them and send
:14:09. > :14:18.and receive them. Sean's passion really shines through and it is
:14:19. > :14:22.shared with my fellow readers. It is important not to forget letters, a
:14:23. > :14:27.big part of my childhood. Something very secretive about the envelope,
:14:28. > :14:33.for you. It is good training for writing, actually. I used to write a
:14:34. > :14:40.lot of letters and I'm a writer. Stories and how to build them. Texts
:14:41. > :14:45.are great things but they are not necessarily there to stand the test
:14:46. > :14:53.of time. Any tips for me? I think that you'll be fine. I have sweaty
:14:54. > :14:57.hands! Just read! You'll be fine. As the auditorium fills up and I
:14:58. > :15:02.prepared for my performance, the nerves are really starting to kick
:15:03. > :15:08.in. First up, Caroline, who makes it look so easy. Please come back.
:15:09. > :15:13.APPLAUSE I'm going on straight after Gandalf
:15:14. > :15:20.himself, Sir Ian McKellen. Talk about big shoes to fill. Please
:15:21. > :15:25.welcome, Lindsay Russell. Can I do the Blue Peter letters justice?
:15:26. > :15:30.Well, there's only one way to find out. 4th of January, 2016. I
:15:31. > :15:34.wondered if I could earn two Blue Peter badges by sending in Mike
:15:35. > :15:42.Shelley the tour test toy I made with an old sock. -- my Shelley the
:15:43. > :15:47.tour test. Maybe I will write random words, like antithesis. --
:15:48. > :16:01.daughters. I think that's how you spell it. I love philosophical
:16:02. > :16:04.questions like this. Never mind, enjoy the tortoise, from Rachel,
:16:05. > :16:12.aged 13. APPLAUSE
:16:13. > :16:17.You know what, that was so, so fun. Actually, I'm a bit shaky. I went
:16:18. > :16:24.out, huge audience, really scary, but we did it, it's brilliant, loved
:16:25. > :16:31.it. Today has been so much fun and it's made me relies how much a
:16:32. > :16:35.letter can mean to someone. -- made me realise. When you want to say
:16:36. > :16:39.something to a friend or a family member who lives a long way away,
:16:40. > :16:44.put down your mobile phone, close your laptop and pick up one of
:16:45. > :16:48.these, they will not it. I was quite nervous but I got through it, thank
:16:49. > :17:01.goodness. From letters on the stage to letters on the Big Badge Wall. I
:17:02. > :17:12.want to thank you, Finley, for your picture. This is Finley, his Hamlet.
:17:13. > :17:18.Very nice. Benn from Warrington has sent this.
:17:19. > :17:22."Lindsey ran the marathon, But Shelley couldn't manage one.
:17:23. > :17:26.Radzi raced a bike and won and Barney said I wanted one!"
:17:27. > :17:36.I want one. Write an cue. Bethany has written a poem and a T-shirt,
:17:37. > :17:42.which is a really good idea. -- right on cue. With the Blue Peter
:17:43. > :17:44.sign. "In one of their epic makes,
:17:45. > :17:47.they might show you how to bake cakes, or of course you could win,
:17:48. > :17:50.A dead-cool pin With the Blue Peter sign,
:17:51. > :17:57.it's even better than sunshine!" If you want to earn a bad, send it
:17:58. > :18:01.to the usual address. We haven't been playing Spot Shelley because
:18:02. > :18:08.Shelley has gone missing. Where has she gone? Fear not, she has left us
:18:09. > :18:14.a little letter. Yes, decipher the code in question, use your code
:18:15. > :18:19.cracking skills, go to the fan club and get more clues about where she
:18:20. > :18:23.is. Write it down and see if you are correct. I'm giving you this, the
:18:24. > :18:28.time of this show when I'm going to put on some white gloves. In keeping
:18:29. > :18:33.with the book team we have some special artefacts in the studio,
:18:34. > :18:38.from the friend of the show and gold badge holder, Michael Morpurgo. He
:18:39. > :18:43.wrote the incredible War Horse, which pretty much everybody loves.
:18:44. > :18:47.It was a book and moved on to be a play at the National Theatre and
:18:48. > :18:52.eventually it was the amazing film directed by Stephen Spielberg. You
:18:53. > :18:55.can see loads of artefacts we have been loaned by seven Stories, the
:18:56. > :19:00.National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle, so we are very lucky
:19:01. > :19:08.to have them here. We have some of the promotional material from Nick
:19:09. > :19:11.Stafford's production of War Horse, we have the original programme and
:19:12. > :19:18.the UK premier programme of the film. As we move over here, we have
:19:19. > :19:22.Michael Morpurgo's actual script from War Horse. I'm getting close
:19:23. > :19:26.but I can't touch them directly because they have to be kept in very
:19:27. > :19:29.good condition for years to come so that other people can enjoy them.
:19:30. > :19:36.Something I can have a closer look at is down here, the first draft of
:19:37. > :19:41.War Horse. Michael has made his amazing notes, he has crossed bits
:19:42. > :19:45.out is and he used two notebooks. We have one of them here, the other one
:19:46. > :19:50.is at the exhibition for people do have a look at. The always used
:19:51. > :19:57.handwriting, with a pencil, crossing bits out, getting rid of bits. This
:19:58. > :20:01.is chapter 19 here. When he stopped using these notebooks: Michael would
:20:02. > :20:07.often move on to these, these orange notepads. You can see that there are
:20:08. > :20:13.many scribbles, numbers, because apparently Michael liked working
:20:14. > :20:16.towards a word count, so you can see he is working out how many words he
:20:17. > :20:22.has done and how many he needs to reach before he can have a cup of
:20:23. > :20:26.tea. Really cool to see that. Down here, the first typed draft of War
:20:27. > :20:30.Horse and you can see it is typed out but there are still lots of
:20:31. > :20:36.markings, adding bits and getting rid of bits he is unhappy with and
:20:37. > :20:41.it is even dated and the top. And in the Blue Peter studio, a treat,
:20:42. > :20:48.this, from 1982, a first edition of War Horse. Taking us back to 2009, I
:20:49. > :20:52.think I'm allowed to pick this one out, this is Michael Morpurgo's
:20:53. > :20:58.actual ticket to the War Horse film premiere. It is very cool to be
:20:59. > :21:01.holding it. It has been an honour to have some of these artefacts in the
:21:02. > :21:08.studio today and brilliant to think that when you are at home scribbling
:21:09. > :21:12.ideas, it could be just like Michael Morpurgo's ideas, ending up as a
:21:13. > :21:16.massive success. It shows, have a go at writing because you never know
:21:17. > :21:24.where it will get you. Now I'm going to take off my gloves.
:21:25. > :21:32.I'm going to show you how to make a bookmark. We have some bookmarks
:21:33. > :21:35.which are 3-D. Don't worry, nobody is chapter inside! You need to make
:21:36. > :21:52.some salt dough. We take the mixing bowl and the
:21:53. > :21:57.spoon. You put them all into the bowl and you add the water gradually
:21:58. > :22:07.otherwise it will end up in a big slump. You mix it for ages, so
:22:08. > :22:11.cancel your plans for the weekend! When you have done that, it will
:22:12. > :22:19.look like this. Ready-made dough, how lovely is that? The idea is that
:22:20. > :22:23.we must kneed it for a long time. I'm sure some bakers are wondering
:22:24. > :22:29.what I'm doing, but we aren't making a cake we are making all dough.
:22:30. > :22:34.Kneed as long as you can to make its move. Today we are making some
:22:35. > :22:39.pirate themed bookmarks, like Long John Silver from treasure Island.
:22:40. > :22:49.You need to make them stand up, and for that you need these things.
:22:50. > :22:55.You can also download this really handy template from the Blue Peter
:22:56. > :23:01.website. It gives you a guide to the size and also the designs if you're
:23:02. > :23:04.looking for inspiration. Also, a good tip is to leave them in a
:23:05. > :23:09.plastic wallet, so you can put things on top and it won't stick to
:23:10. > :23:15.the paper. So, take the lollipop sticks and dough and you make a ball
:23:16. > :23:19.on the bottom of the stick and you mould it into shape, using your
:23:20. > :23:22.hands to start off with. When you are doing this, think about the
:23:23. > :23:29.bottom of the dough because you need some to make the boot, so don't make
:23:30. > :23:38.it too in. Try and give yourself loads of dough at the end. -- too
:23:39. > :23:41.thin. To make it more wooden and angular, you can use pencils, pens
:23:42. > :23:49.and other things from around the house. Nothing too Charb because the
:23:50. > :23:55.dough is going to be soft. -- Sharp. This will give it a square edge.
:23:56. > :24:00.When you have done it it will look like this. You want to take some
:24:01. > :24:09.design elements, like the straps and the top of the boot and I had some
:24:10. > :24:16.extra salt. Put it in a strip. You can see it has angular edges. You
:24:17. > :24:23.can use it lengthways or the edge. I'm going to do this. So that is the
:24:24. > :24:26.rich for the laces. You can see that I have done the indent, which is
:24:27. > :24:35.where the buck always going to go. The gold buckle. -- the buckle is
:24:36. > :24:41.going to go. Once you are happy, you need to put them together to drive.
:24:42. > :24:45.This is the science bit. Because if they aren't dry, you can't paint
:24:46. > :24:50.them. You can leave them overnight or you can do a ten second blast in
:24:51. > :24:55.the microwave. Get somebody to help you with that if you aren't sure, or
:24:56. > :25:01.you can put them in the oven at 100 degrees, but keep checking them.
:25:02. > :25:04.When they have hardened, you can walk with them, they are ready for
:25:05. > :25:13.painting. I'm going to paint my boot back. Because pink would be weird!
:25:14. > :25:19.I'm just showing you how to do this quickly, you can take your time. I
:25:20. > :25:23.love painting boots because it looks like they are polished when they are
:25:24. > :25:37.wet will stop I'm going to do that bit black and we have a Pirate boot,
:25:38. > :25:43.it is going to have some gold on it. Pirates like old. I could do this
:25:44. > :25:50.for hours, but you will have more time than me. Let's go to the
:25:51. > :25:55.finished boot and wooden leg. How good do they look? You can spend
:25:56. > :26:00.ages doing what I would do, dances and choreography or you can turn
:26:01. > :26:04.into the finished bookmark which is where you need your card, which is a
:26:05. > :26:14.piece of a fort that has been cut in half. -- a piece of A4. You put this
:26:15. > :26:19.year and this here and you put a bit of tape over the top. This is where
:26:20. > :26:24.you realise whether you have the lollipop stick the right way. It has
:26:25. > :26:31.to go in horizontally because if it is the other way round, you can't
:26:32. > :26:37.close your book. You can decorate your card anyway you like. I'm going
:26:38. > :26:42.to go with the stick on pirate, and some double sided tape on one side,
:26:43. > :26:48.to make it easy to assemble it. You stick it together like that. And
:26:49. > :26:53.there you have it, the finished bookmark with a boot and a wooden
:26:54. > :26:55.leg and a pirate face. How good is that? I don't get a round of
:26:56. > :27:00.applause any more! APPLAUSE
:27:01. > :27:03.There are loads of different creations you can make by going
:27:04. > :27:08.online and downloading the templates. This is what they looked
:27:09. > :27:11.like when they are finished. It depends what you are reading, you
:27:12. > :27:15.might be finishing your favourite book which doesn't have these
:27:16. > :27:22.things. That's how you do it. What do you think? We love it! They would
:27:23. > :27:27.make any book look special. That is it for today because next weekend we
:27:28. > :27:33.have two more shows because it is the Blue Peter Awesome Authors
:27:34. > :27:39.spectacular. The likes of David Baddiel, Holly Smale will be there.
:27:40. > :27:44.If you want to go to the website and asked them a question, we will ask
:27:45. > :27:51.them as many as we can. And we will announce the dream big and petition.
:27:52. > :27:57.Just in time for the BFG Premier -- competition. Who knows what story
:27:58. > :28:01.you might end up with. In the meantime, go to the BP Fanclub and
:28:02. > :28:04.see a view can crack the code to find Shelley. See you soon!