The Best of Blue Peter 2013 Blue Peter

Coming up on today's show, we'll be looking back

at some of the great memories from 2013 on Blue Peter.

I'll be remembering the fear as I jump off of a pier

into freezing cold water.

I'll be thinking about my sore knees and my sore bottom

as I push myself to the limit in Barney's Big Bike Challenge.

And, for me, a standout moment in 2013 has to be

meeting the Doctor, yes, Doctor Who.

But all that's coming up on today's Blue Peter.

Yay!

CHEERING

Hi! How are you? You're watching Blue Peter. Merry Christmas, everybody!

We hope you got some really nice presents.

As you can see, the Blue Peter studio is still set for Christmas

and there are some presents. So, guess what? I'm opening one.

No, you're not quite yet, just hang on there, Barney Harwood,

because Blue Peter is the gift that just keeps on giving

and we'll show you some of the best moments of the year as well as

a few new ones, because 2013 was full of thrills, spills

and a lot of fun.

And I was over the moon back in July when you voted me in

as your 36th Blue Peter presenter.

And it only feels like yesterday, but, in October, I joined the team.

-You did.

-That feels like ages, mate!

Now, Helen Skelton was here for five-and-a-half inspiring years,

but she's no longer here. Sad face.

But it was a happy face, too, because 2013 was an incredible year.

I think it's time we had a Blue Peter whistle stop tour of 2013.

-Definitely.

-Yeah? All right, then. Are you coming?

The one word to describe 2013 on Blue Peter has to be "challenge".

First up, Helen and I got airborne as we attempted to pass

a baton between us in mid-air whilst strapped to the top of aeroplanes.

-We didn't quite manage it, but Helen was fine with that.

-I'm so annoyed!

Then I took to two wheels to learn some motorbiking tricks

with the amazing Imps.

Helen then undertook her toughest Blue Peter challenge to date -

the Royal Marine yomp.

She conquered 16 miles with just under 16kg strapped to her back

and then speed-marched 14 more miles.

SHE SQUEAKS

Then it was time to challenge our new girl,

learning 3G, a mixture of gymnastics and parkour tricks.

We've had some fabulous famous faces like The Vamps, Lawson, McFly,

Gary Barlow, Bridgit Mendler,

Mr Wildlife himself, Steve Backshall, even Nicole Scherzinger.

High tens!

Then there was our Get Spotted campaign for Children In Need.

We delivered spotty pizzas, had our go in the spotlight

and ended with an epic spotty light show.

And of course, who could forget our awesome Blue Peter Makes?

And Blue Peter wouldn't be Blue Peter

without a few world records being broken.

We made bunting, smashed tiles in taekwondo,

and Matti Hemmings span his way into the record books.

It's been a year of change.

Saying goodbye to Helen but gaining two fab new presenters.

Oh, and there was gunge, too.

Here's to 2014.

APPLAUSE

-Let me tell you, that gunge was cold.

-It was disgusting.

And by the way, how much does Blue Peter fit into one year?

-A lot.

-It's incredible.

I remember watching Helen and you. He's not even paying attention.

I remember you guys attempting the mid-air baton pass.

Great year, good year, good.

-We've got to give it a go, Linds.

-We will. Meantime...

Have you got ants in your pants or something?

-Yes, it's where I keep them!

-Look, you can open the presents!

This one's got my name on it. Cannot wait, love presents.

Oh, wicked, I love these! HE HONKS

-Whoa!

-Amazing.

-That's going to get annoying.

-Probably will.

Now, you don't know this, but actually, earlier in the year,

I got to play with some really massive horns,

because as part of a project, we were creating music

using some boat foghorns.

As you can imagine, they were a little bit louder then this.

FOGHORN

Barney?

Sorry, I have a high-fibre diet(!)

I've come to the Souter Lighthouse on the north-east coast of England

to tell you about the funeral of the foghorn.

FOGHORN BLASTS

These things have been around for hundreds of years

and they used to be a vital piece of equipment to warn ships

in murky conditions when they were getting too close to the land.

But with modern technology like GPS,

foghorns simply aren't needed any more

and so they've had their day, and it's time to send them off in style.

And the person in charge of that is composer, Orlando Gough.

FOGHORN

Orlando has composed a piece of music to be performed

by a brass band on shore,

playing in time with specially-tuned ships' horns

sounded by boats at sea.

We can sequence the sounds of the ships' horns and play them, in fact,

from on land, taking into account their GPS positions.

So that, for a ship that's further away, their sound plays fractionally

earlier, so that the sound has got time to travel to the land.

Sound travels at around 342 metres per second,

and, as some of the boats will be up to a kilometre away, it could make

for a really noticeable delay in the sound reaching the shore.

So, let's imagine for a second that I'm a ship.

I'm a ship, too.

And me!

We're all ships!

If the ships honk without timing...

BARNEY HUMS DIFFERENT NOTES

..the notes will arrive on shore at different times.

To prevent this, the ships will be co-ordinated

to play their notes to specifically timed cues.

HE HUMS NOTES OF ASCENDING PITCH

NOTES BLEND IN HARMONY

I just hope the real thing sounds better than that.

-BARNEYS:

-Oi!

So, in principle, if everything goes well, then the ships' horns can

play in time with each other

and also play in time with the brass band.

But, of course, like all these technologies...

You know, it's radio waves,

and, well, anything can happen.

He doesn't sound that confident but let's find out

whether or not this ambitious project is going to work.

It's now time for me to step aboard this trusty vessel,

the James Cook, to help play my part

because today, we're going to be one of the foghorns.

Anchors aweigh,

it's full speed ahead to take up our position near the lighthouse.

That's the lighthouse behind us there and loads of people have turned up,

because they're all excited about hearing this unique piece of music

and look, even our old friends, the RNLI, are joining in today,

which is brilliant news.

It's not just the RNLI.

This maritime orchestra is made up of around 60 other vessels,

ranging from the huge to the tiny. And just about everything in between,

each of them carrying their own foghorn.

Back on shore, the orchestra is warming up and the audience is eager

to hear just what this is going to sound like.

ORCHESTRA TUNES UP

All horn-carrying ships, press the button now, press the button now.

So we're switched on, but because everything is controlled

from the shore, it's hard to know when our foghorn is going to go off.

COMBINED HORNS BLAST SHRILLY

The good news is, it's working.

It does just sound a little bit like noise from the boat, but to be fair,

it's what it sounds like on the shore that counts.

It sounds amazing when they all play together in the distance.

It's quite haunting. It's like a scene in the movie, it's amazing.

I've always been a big... Excuse me. HORNS BLAST

I've always been a big fan of music for a few reasons,

but mainly because it doesn't matter where you are in the world,

or who you're with, music can make you feel differently.

HORNS

I'm freezing cold right now. I'm feeling a little seasick

and I've got a cold, but I don't care.

The music makes me feel differently.

Half an hour's worth of honking later

and, with my eardrums just about intact, the performance is over.

What we're going to do now is go back to shore and have a listen up there.

Are you coming?

So, here I am. With the famous foghorn at our back

and the wind blowing in our faces,

we got to experience something that you don't see every day.

Here, there's some sound equipment set up

because when you're on the boats out at sea,

it's very difficult to hear everything together

as one piece of music, so this has recorded just that.

And this is the first time I've heard it.

Let's hear what that performance sounded like from right here.

BRASS INSTRUMENTS PLAY BLENDED NOTE

SHIPS' HORNS BOOM IN RESPONSE

BRASS INSTRUMENTS PLAY BLENDED NOTE

SHIPS' HORNS BOOM IN RESPONSE

Wow!

SHIP'S HORN BOOMS

Do you know what? I'm really surprised.

I got goose bumps when that second chord kicked in

and that sounds absolutely amazing.

Considering how technical today has been,

and how many things could have gone wrong, it went absolutely perfectly.

And it's much more than just a day out for the family

or a chance to see this unique performance. I think that, today,

gives the foghorn a proper sendoff.

SONOROUS BLAST

Do you know what? I had such a great day.

It just goes to show you can play music on just about anything.

It looked so fun.

2013 was a really fun and amazing year for me, mainly because of this.

Lindsey!

CHEERING

-Hey.

-That was such a good day.

I think you were the happiest person on the planet.

-Your face was a picture. In fact, let's see that again.

-No!

That's the great thing about slow-mo,

-you thought your cheeks were going to pop off.

-That's why I hate slow-mo.

You were so happy, Lindsey. And I can make you even happier.

-We've got a present. Barney, can you?

-My turn! Right. What is it?

It's a nice big one.

Ha-ha! It's a seagull. I know why you've given me this.

That is because my first Blue Peter challenge

was at the seaside. And I was so scared, I really was,

I didn't think I was going to be able to do it.

But it was at Worthing on the south coast

that my Blue Peter journey was about to begin.

SEAGULLS SHRIEK

Today I'm here in Worthing, where they're gearing up

for the International Birdman Contest.

So, that means I'm going to be jumping off of that.

Every summer, people come here from all over the world

with the dream of achieving human-powered flight.

Some take the challenge very seriously, whilst for others, well,

it's more about falling with style.

Now, that is about ten metres high, which is seriously a big drop,

so to practise for it, I had to do a little bit of training first.

I've come to Southampton Diving Academy, and here to help me

is diving coach Fran.

Hello, Fran. So, what is the plan today?

Well, the aim is to jump off this ten-metre board.

-Oh, OK.

-Don't worry. We're starting off down there, nice and easy first.

Well, that was easy.

But I've got to concentrate and keep nice and straight.

The bigger the drop, the more I could hurt myself if I get it wrong.

And we are going higher.

One, two, three, go!

Now THAT was scary. But we're not done yet.

My heart is beating so much.

And to make things better - or worse - for me,

Fran's just told me that when I hit the water, I will be going at 35mph.

But, as I get to the edge,

suddenly my nerves start to get the better of me.

Blue Peter told me they'd throw me in at the deep end,

but this is ridiculous!

-Three, two, one...

-I've just got to go for it.

Well, I did it. But there won't be a nice, warm pool

waiting for me at the Birdman contest.

It's the big day. The crowds are gathering

and that platform is looking higher than ever.

MUSIC: "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" Theme

Just straight down.

I don't know if we can do this.

I know I've gone off a ten-metre board, I know I can do it,

but I've just got to make myself... for 30 seconds. Oh, my God, hang on.

-Go for it, go for it.

-I'm so nervous. I am so, so scared.

LINDSEY SCREAMS

Amazing first Blue Peter film. What a challenge.

I didn't think I could do it. And when I was up at the top,

and they were counting down, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,

I just thought, "Don't say one, don't say one,"

and they said one, and I just had to run and go.

I'm absolutely buzzing. I'm so happy. Yes!

Such a nerve-racking challenge.

You know what? I couldn't have done it without all the training.

But I did do it and it was over very quickly

compared with your long bike ride, wasn't it?

Yes, your jump off a pier was over in a flash,

whereas my bike challenge took a bit longer. The idea was

basically to ride the toughest stage of the Tour of Britain.

I had 12 weeks to get as fit as I possibly could.

And it didn't really happen. I just fell off a lot and hurt myself.

-No pain, no gain!

-Very true, but in my case, it was more lots of pain

and very little gain. But a good challenge. I enjoyed it.

-We've got a present for you.

-OK.

-You can maybe enjoy it

while you're watching the Big Bike Challenge video.

OK, I think I know what this is. I recognise the weight of it

and I can smell it as well. Yes! Kendal Mint Cake!

This stuff is brilliant. It's great for a cyclist.

It gives you lots of energy and it's just the thing I needed

when I took on the mammoth Kirkstone Pass in Cumbria.

-Can I eat it now?

-Yes.

12 weeks of training, a team of seven cyclists

and one troublesome knee injury.

It's race day.

It's all become very real all of a sudden.

-Listen up.

-Oh, here we go.

Today, I'm riding with my team.

Jack, Becky, Caroline,

Tom, Bill and team leader Jack.

Three, two, one...

CHEERING

See you later, guys!

The weather's still on our side as

we loosen our legs on the ride out of Carlisle.

The first 20 miles of our route is flat,

so this is where we need to pedal fast, to keep to time.

We thought things were going too well.

The wind is quite strong, but the rain is the problem, I think.

I'm more nervous about the rain because when it gets wet,

the tyres get wet, the brakes get wet

and you can't stop as well, which makes me nervous.

'But we're not riding alone.'

'Like any professional team, we have a whole support crew with us.

'Our coach, Charlie, a medic,

'a physio and a bike mechanic in case of any incident.'

So far, so good. Done about 11 miles.

Just stopped for a little pit stop, get some food, keep our fuel going.

It's raining, it's windy, it's cold. It's a great day for a bike ride(!)

As the gathering clouds pelt us with rain and we're buffeted by wind,

riding tightly together becomes more important.

Pace is good, knee's hurting.

We've reached the 20-mile mark and our head start has run out.

The Tour of Britain race has begun

and my recurring injury has come back to haunt me.

20 miles in and my knee's gone.

This is where the challenge really begins. That was the warm up.

I'm confident he's in a good place for this next hilly section.

Even though it's painful, I can still go another 30 miles, which is

what we're after, really.

Kirkstone Pass, a long climb, very long climb.

Kirkstone Pass is the big one, but, yeah, feeling good.

I can still ride on my knee, which is good,

as we're about to tackle the monster mountain roads.

Kirkstone Pass. The highest mountain pass in the Lake District.

Over 450 metres above sea level and uphill all the way.

Otherwise known as three miles of pain.

Not even slightly funny how bad this is going to hurt.

-Wow, how strong is that wind?!

-Very!

This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Come on, Barney!

Let's go, Barney, come on! Come on!

You're a dead man, Charlie!

Come on, come on! Barney!

Ride, ride, ride, come on!

THEY CHEER

'I can't believe I've made it to the top still in the saddle,

'and neither can Charlie.'

Ah!

That is the hardest I've ever worked at anything. Oh!

That is amazing!

I'm so...emotional.

Mate, I can't even speak.

We've broken the back of our ride,

but dropped off the pace of the Tour of Britain.

The professionals are gaining on Team Blue Peter

having powered through 50 miles of their route.

If we don't push it, they might beat us to the finish line.

On the outskirts of Kendal we get some energy-boosting moral support.

CHEERING

Then, as we rejoin the main Tour route

it's clear we've made it ahead of the professional race.

Team Blue Peter powers to the finish

and there is someone special waiting there - my dad.

-I'm good, you?

-Yeah, good.

Well done, mate, I'm proud of you. Fantastic.

What a great feeling to see you on the finish line.

After 12 weeks of really hard training,

I've fallen off,

I've hurt myself, I've got scars to prove it,

I've felt like giving up,

but with a team behind you, and just a little bit of dedication,

and that will to succeed, you can do absolutely anything.

Get on a bike, it'll be the best thing you do.

And if you did get on a bike, let me know, I'll race you.

Now, back in October our 37th presenter joined Blue Peter.

A competitive daredevil with showbiz hair.

Sound familiar?

-Yes, look at that little face.

-Hello.

Were you nervous?

Do you know what? I was so excited,

I wanted to do all the challenges, yes.

You are very much welcome to the team.

Let me show you something that's very exciting.

It's presents. You've got one,

and Lindsey, you've also got one. It's a belated welcome.

-They're the same.

-They look the same.

-It links us quite nicely.

-Two for one?

-I've got a car, yes!

-Oh, I know what this is.

Does it remind you...

Are you feeling a bit lost? A bit LOST, Radzi?

It was close, it was basically a tie. What are you talking about?

Let me explain what this is.

Basically, Lindsey and Radzi went head-to-head in a rally car challenge

-and it was amazing.

-Yes, it really was.

The very first day we practised on a racetrack,

then we were head-to-head in a rally car race. It was good.

Some of us were more natural drivers than others, weren't they?

It was basically a tie, Linds, I wouldn't want to...

OK, I tell you what, watch the final lap and see what you at home think.

Today our focus is this, the Great Orme,

where there can be very little margin for error.

Our teacher for the day was expert rally driving instructor, Brian.

While Brian begins by showing us how to drive the route,

champion rally driver Elfyn Evans explains just why it's so difficult.

It's a very twisty, very challenging road.

You've got a big wall on one side and the rock face on the other,

so there's absolutely no margin for error here.

Watch the curb on the left here, see it?

You'll get corners that tighten up

and lead into another corner immediately.

Don't nail the throttle till you come out the corner.

It's all about correct lines, and taking the corners

at the correct speed.

-Brake, brake, brake!

-Yeah, you set them a fair challenge.

Brake, fifth gear, quickly, come on.

Brake, fourth gear. Go on. Power, power.

With one lap each done,

I've lagging behind Lindsey

by a whole four seconds.

I'm hoping I can get back in the game

when we take on our second and final lap.

The race is on.

Right, this will be your final run then, yeah?

Two, one, go.

Second gear, go.

Dear, oh, dear. Fourth gear.

Brake, now into third. Quickly, come on,

brake, brake, brake, brake!

Brake, brake. Get off the brakes,

get off the brakes now.

Dear, oh, dear.

That was hard, wasn't it?

I gave everything I had there,

and with a time of 2 minutes and 18 seconds,

I've racked up the fastest lap so far.

Fair play, Radzi, you've upped your game.

But I'm not giving up without a fight.

Go, go, go, go. Second gear.

Flat, flat.

Third gear. Flat.

Go on, go on,

power, power, flat, flat.

Fifth gear, flat, go on, watch the curb on the left. Brake.

Careful. Brake.

Down to third.

Brake, brake,

brake! It tightens.

Go on, go on.

That'll do, that'll do, well done.

Woo!

That felt good,

and Brian only seemed slightly concerned by my driving.

But was it enough?

With a time of 2 minutes 17.94,

the winner is Lindsey.

Yeah!

I've done it.

Not the biggest of margins, less than a second, but a win is a win.

Basically, she did you, mate. Sorry about that.

0.31 seconds, basically a tie, Linds.

I don't know, a win is a win, like I said.

-It's not really.

-So close, yet so far.

In 137 seconds, 0.31 seconds doesn't count.

A draw. He's bad at timing, Brian.

It's Christmas, let's stop fighting.

At the end of the day, you came to do a challenge,

you performed really well, you both enjoyed yourselves,

and it was great telly, wasn't it?

-But listen, I can shut you up because here is another present.

-Thank you.

Let's open this thing up. This is cool.

A bowtie!

-Awesome. Does it suit me?

-Yeah.

It does, who's it from?

It just says, "the Doctor."

I'm here in Cardiff on the set of Doctor Who,

and fans will probably know that this is the entrance to the TARDIS,

and just behind these doors is Matt Smith, the Doctor,

who is going to answer your questions.

Let's go and meet him.

It's called the TARDIS, it can travel anywhere in time and space.

And it's mine.

-Hello.

-Hey. Lovely to meet you, Matt.

-Lovely to meet you, my friend.

-How are you?

-I'm very excited to be here.

I've just been given my new Blue Peter badge,

because I lost my old one because I'm an idiot, so, yes!

What is it actually like to be the Doctor?

I don't know, really, it's sort of magic.

It's a mad, varied life.

Doctor!

I know.

Dinosaurs.

On a spaceship.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who,

we told viewers we were going to be interviewing you,

and asked them what would they most like to ask you.

Wow. Thanks, Blue Peter guys.

We've got a few of them here, are you up for answering them?

-Hit me.

-EmeraldJokeyPegasus asks,

what's been your favourite Doctor Who adventure, and why?

A Christmas Carol, because it's a great Christmas episode,

my favourite Christmas one.

And Vincent and the Doctor because we got to film it in Croatia,

and I really love it there,

and The Eleventh Hour because I think it's a brilliant piece of writing.

ScarletCelloPhoenix says, what's your favourite Doctor Who monster?

Ooh, good question.

My favourite Doctor Who monster is The Weeping Angel.

CrimsonSuperLadybird says,

what scene was the most emotional or most difficult to film?

I think one of the most emotional scenes

was when Karen and Arthur left

in The Angels Take Manhattan,

and we were in a graveyard and it was just very cold,

and it was a very difficult day's shooting.

Please, just come back into the TARDIS.

And it was emotional because it was Karen's last stand,

and she's a good friend and seeing her go was sad.

Raggedy Man...

..goodbye.

Now, CeruleanRollingDog says,

if you could travel anywhere in the TARDIS, where would you go and why?

I would go and I would pick up Frank Sinatra,

and Marilyn Monroe,

and I would go and hang out in a huge tree and watch some dinosaurs,

and then I'd go and sit on one of those boats in the ocean

and see some mad, huge, dinosaur fish,

and then I would go and watch England win the World Cup in 1966.

IndigoTinyParrot asks,

what are your best tips for being an actor or actress?

I think a good starting place, if you are a young, budding actor,

is maybe to apply for the National Youth Theatre,

that's a good platform,

and they give you a good environment to practise and learn

and be inventive and express yourself, you know.

Read as many plays as you can, watch as many good actors as you can,

practise as much as you can, go and make things with your friends.

It is just practice, practice, practice.

It's like being a great sportsman.

The more you practise, the better you'll get.

ScarletIceDudette says, Matt,

what's been the highlight of being the 11th Doctor?

The friends I've made at work.

Because we have a wonderful crew,

I've made friends for life,

and I think that's a wonderful thing to take away from any experience.

Yeah. Fantastic.

Watch me run.

Thank you very much, it's been an absolute pleasure.

-Thank you for having me on Blue Peter.

-Thank you.

-Cheers, buddy.

I'm going to head off home now, because...

That's a Weeping Angel,

that means I can't blink,

otherwise I'm going to...

Well, I don't know about you but I've really enjoyed 2013.

I hope you enjoyed watching what we got up to.

And of course next year,

more of the same, more challenges, more films, can't wait.

And next week it's all about Radzi.

Yeah, it is, your chance to find out a lot more about me

and the people I care most about, that's my family.

And plus, I'm excited about this, you'll get to see me

do skeleton bobsleigh.

And in case you don't know what that is, it's me on a tea tray

going down an ice track at 70 miles an hour,

with my chin just a few inches from the ice.

You are so brave, I could not do that.

-That sounds so cool!

-Hey!

Cool, cos it's on ice. You got to finish on a strong joke.

Barney, you can't end on that.

Fine, we've got just enough time to say...

ALL: Have a Happy New Year. Bye!

CHEERING