Tich, Tie Dye T-Shirt & Tower Block Demolition Blue Peter

Coming up, there's a feathery feeling on Blue Peter this week.

Keep watching to see some very cute owls.

Barney's feeling explosive as he learns how to blow up buildings,

safely of course.

And singing sensation Tich is going to be here

performing for you. That's all on today's Blue Peter.

CHEERING

Hello!

Yes! Well, the clocks have gone forward,

-which means you have even longer to play out after your tea.

-Yes!

And someone who's definitely got a spring in her step is Emily

who's made this fabulous 3D picture of flowers.

-That is SO good.

-In fact, we like it so much,

it's going to take pride of place right there.

I love it, Emily, thank you very much for sending us that.

-Now, Barney's not here today.

-Aww!

-But don't worry, he's back next week!

-Yeah!

-I miss Barney, actually.

-I... Do!

No, I've got to admit, I do a little bit

but don't worry, Radzi, we're about to see his little face.

And that's because last week,

Barney went to a block of flats just near the studios here

to find the answer to a very difficult question.

And that is, how do you blow up a 13-storey, 9,000 tonne building

without damaging the houses around it, that are just metres away?

The answer is, not very easily!

The Falcon Court building in Manchester.

9,000 tonnes of concrete. And it's 35 metres high.

It really is a huge part of the skyline here.

When the tower block was built 40 years ago,

it was a modern and exciting place to live.

But in 2014, it's past its best,

so the local council has decided to demolish it

to make way for new, more modern homes.

Yep, they're going to blow it up.

But how do you demolish something so large

while protecting the houses that are just metres from the blast?

If you've every played with one of these,

you'll know how just easy it is to make something fall over.

Oops! Yeah.

But if it goes THAT wrong,

it could have disastrous consequences for the houses around it.

Ah! That's better.

So a successful demolition should fall neatly in on itself,

like these Dundee tower blocks did back in 2011.

But not all demolitions are executed as precisely as that.

In 2009, the demolition of this Turkish factory

went dramatically wrong.

Martin Smith is the man in charge of the safety

of the Falcon Court demolition.

Do you like what I've done with the place?

I do, yeah, it's really good.

it looks like we're in what used to be someone's home.

It would. This would have been one person's flat

with a doorway just behind us here.

You can see, we've started our pre-weakening process

to remove some of the structural elements of the building.

The explosives do some of the work, but by pre-weakening it,

that does the rest.

The demolition team have drilled holes in the walls

that are supporting the weight of the building, to make it less stable.

The team will then place explosives on three floors,

blasting away walls that help keep the building standing.

The idea being that, once they go,

the already pre-weakened building should fall in on itself,

leaving a neat pile of rubble.

It's three weeks before demolition day

and the team are about to carry out a test blast on one piece of wall.

I would love to see some explosives going in.

Could you do that for us?

John is an expert in blasting big buildings.

This is the explosive. It is filled with PETN, the white powder.

What does PETN stand for?

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate.

Did you write that down?

We are going to put one length of purple.

We will make the weak spots and this is the just tool to take it out.

All yours.

By carrying out a test blast, John will be able to see

if his plans for the overall demolition are accurate.

They look a bit like the pick and mix sweets at the cinema.

But I wouldn't eat one of those, though.

On the demolition day itself,

using too little explosive might not topple the tower block.

Too much, and it might explode everywhere,

causing damage to the surrounding buildings.

What do you want to see when we come back into the building?

We'll give it ten minutes after the explosive's gone off

to let the proverbial dust settle.

But we expect to see a big bag of the concrete

and when we cut it open,

there'll be a big section of the wall missing

and the concrete that was there is sat in the bottom of the bag.

It's time for us to leave and see if John has got his sums right.

If you see anything in that period when I'm quiet

that may need to stop, shout, "Stop, Stop!" OK?

Are we all ready? Good to go?

Fire now.

EXPLOSION

I wasn't expecting that!

That was louder than I expected.

You didn't give me a warning about that one, did you?

After a few minutes, it's safe to go back in and have a look.

That wall has effectively gone now, hasn't it, what was there before?

So how do you know now how successful the blast was?

We'll cut open the geotextile

and clip open the chain-link fence beneath and when the debris spills

out, it will tell us the explosives have done the job as we wanted.

Would you call that a successful test?

I would call that very successful.

Three weeks on, it's demolition day.

The finishing touches are being made to the building

while teams from the local council

are evacuating the homes of local residents.

It's not because the building's going to fall on top of theirs,

it's just a precaution,

to make sure they're safe and away from the blast

but if that building falls down the way it should do, which it will,

it's just going to drop.

At a safe distance away, there's an excited crowd watching

and I'm being allowed inside the exclusion zone.

I'm actually getting really excited.

Everything's moving pretty quickly now.

I'm with Martin and John, ready for when they push the button

to bring the block down.

Century 9, receiving, over?

'Loud and clear.'

And it's not just the homes we have to worry about.

We've placed two cameras at the base of the building.

Let's hope John's got this one right, or they might get crushed.

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five...

CROWD JOIN IN: Four, three, two, one!

Fire now!

BOOM!

WHOOPING

Have you ever seen anything like that?!

Look at the dust cloud coming over here. Wow! That's incredible!

Four years to build it.

Four seconds to demolish it.

You want to see an action replay, don't you? Check this out.

MUSIC: "Push The Button" by The Chemical Brothers

# Push the button! #

That was brilliant!

Here comes the dust.

HE PURSES LIPS AND BLOWS

Oh, I'm so jealous! That looked like

a really exciting day for Barney, the crew and the local community,

and if you saw one of cameras there on the day

that got covered in rubble, this is it. It survived.

How good is that? Now follow me this way, it's the Big Badge Wall.

As usual, it's covered in your brilliant post.

Thanks very much for sending it in.

I had to mention this from Clifton in Chesterfield.

It's a book and it's got Blue Peter, it's got absolutely everything in it

and even at the very back, there is a CBBC Quiz.

-We've got to do that later.

-We will do that later on!

Nia is from Cardiff and we are all aboard the Blue Peter ship. Aye-aye!

We love it. This is from Charlotte, she's ten and she's done us three

but Barney's got a little camera, and if you look carefully

on the top left, there's an owl.

There's going to be more from those later.

I like it. I love this from Ella.

She has made all of the replicas of the Blue Peter badges.

But we can't send Ella a Blue Peter badge.

Why? because she didn't include her address!

If you do send us post, make sure you include your address.

Someone who did include their address was Daniel.

This is brilliant.

He's done a Blue Peter Bot, Barney's controlling the robot

there's a poem with it, it's brilliant,

and he got a silver badge for it

because it's your second piece of great work.

And this is from Nicholas, who's 11. He's done an environmental picture.

Again, as well as all the other animals,

there's another little owl. We like that very much.

It's earned you a green badge. Well done.

To find out more about all of the Blue Peter badges,

jump on to our website -

And you can find out all about Blue Peter badges

or even click on the random but awesome video of Brett Domino.

-# Ah

-# Ah

-# Ah

-# Ah

# Badges

# Blue Peter badges

HE RAPS: # There's loads of different colours to adorn your sternum

# Can't buy them in the shops, you have to earn 'em

# What did you do to get your

# Blue Peter badge?

So you're saying there is more than blue, then, that me and you've got?

Yeah, there's...

.. as well as the blue one.

Wow. You must have worked really hard, especially for that gold one.

Yeah!

Er, no, I just borrowed 'em.

RAPPING: # Anyway, let me talk you through them all.

# This is the one that you've probably all seen before, right?

# But "how do I get one?" is doubtless what you want to know

# Well, it's as simple as sending something into the show

# Could be a poem or a story, serious or silly

# Could be a picture that you've done, specifically for Lindsey

# Got a great idea? Stick it in an e-mail or letter

# And in return you could be rewarded with this handsome treasure...

I've already got one, but I've written this really good rhyme.

Funny you should say that, because if you send something in

-a second time, you could get a silver badge.

-Wow!

Yeah, and look at it gleam.

Except, technically, you can't get any cos you're over the age of 15.

# Have you seen this orange one? It's even more rare

# If anybody's the owner of one of these out there

# It's cos they've won or were runner-up in a BP competition

# It's a miniature trophy you can wear on your britches!

# Fancy answering some questions about an episode of Blue Peter?

# Fill in the feedback form and get a purple badge, feast your peepers

# Or is green more your colour? If it's the green badge you favour

# Just submit stuff about

# The environment, conservation or nature...

What's this about a sports badge, I think I heard you say?

It's fairly self-explanatory, Stephen - clue's in the name!

# This one's only available in summer and to get it, in short

# You have to have inspired other people to get involved in sport

# Then there's the gold one. Notice the music's gone all celestial

# You can only get one of these if you do something REALLY special

# Demonstrate amazing courage in the face of danger

# Like saving someone's life or something equally major

# Some gold badge owners you might have heard of, I reckon,

# Jessica Ennis has got one and so has David Beckham

# The most famous person to own a badge, by far, though,

# Is a little northern chap by the name of Gary Barlow...

Isn't it the Queen?

-Hmm?

-I'm sure it's Her Majesty, the Queen.

No, no, you're right, it's Her Majesty, the Queen.

# Badges!

# Blue Peter badges!

# There's loads of different colours to adorn your sternum

# Can't buy them in the shops, you have to earn 'em

# They can get you into theme parks, castles and zoos

# They can liven up your jumper or your bag or your shoes

# What will you do?

-# What will you do?

-# What will you do?

# What will you do, to get your...

# Blue Peter badge? #

I love Brett Domino.

You can head to the website and check out online

if you want to show your friends or just see it again.

Now. You might have guessed, it is time for our feathery feature.

This is Mumble. We will meet him properly later.

Before that, do you know what?

This is the first time I've ever been this close to an owl.

But for Jake, who's 11, meeting a bird of prey like this

is just part of his everyday life. Check this out.

Hi, I'm Jake and I look after real live birds of prey.

This is what it's like being me.

My family run a bird of prey centre.

I help out after school and at weekends.

As soon as I get home,

I get changed, grab a bite to eat and head over to the centre.

We have over 50 different species of birds here,

including owls,

storks and eagles.

But my three favourite are...

Peregrine falcons are the fastest bird in the world.

They can even catch other birds in mid-air.

Kestrels have amazing eyesight

which helps them catch small animals like mice and voles.

Vultures wee on themselves on hot days to help keep them cool

and to kill off bacteria.

One of my jobs is weighing the birds.

If they're too heavy, they can't fly.

If they're too light,

they don't have the energy and the strength to fly.

This one is overweight.

But this one is just right.

It might look like a glamorous job,

but I also have to clean out the feathers and poo.

I also show people around the centre

and tell them facts. Say hi, everyone!

ALL: Hi!

'There is a lot for me to do.

'But don't worry, I have my mum, dad and my two sisters -

'Daisy and Lily.'

'My dad has been working with birds of prey for 30 years.

'And as I get older, he is training me too.

'One day I would like to run a centre just like him.'

DAD: ..here at the centre, all part of our show.

At the weekends, we put on shows,

where we fly the birds for the public.

Those birds are kites,

they're the oldest species of bird of prey in the world.

I do have other interests.

I'm learning to play the guitar.

ELECTRIC GUITAR RIFF RECORD SCRATCHES

Well, I said I was learning.

At the moment, I am hand-rearing a ten-day-old owl.

It's living with me while it's cold outside.

Blue Peter viewers have sent in questions for me.

Star Stone Peach Octopus says...

"How do you know when one or more birds are ill?"

They act differently, and sometimes they won't fly

and they just won't eat.

Violet Puffy Spangle says...

"If you could be any bird, which one would it be and why?"

Probably a Ruppelle's griffon,

because they soar higher than planes.

Siam Fuzzy Puma asks...

"Who is your favourite celebrity?"

David Attenborough, because he works with wildlife around the world.

Star Stone Whirling Hamster asks...

"Has a bird ever pooped on you?"

One day I was cleaning an aviary and two baby turkey vultures

were on a perch and one directed it

right at me, and it went right down my face.

Star Stone Creative Cheetah wants to know...

"What is your favourite bird and why?"

Funny you should ask that.

This is one of my favourite kestrels.

She's called Whisper. I have to wear a special glove

so her talons don't dig into me.

And this is a pouch where I keep her dinner.

You feel like flying today, Whisper?

I like Whisper because I love the way she acts with me.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what it is like

to work with birds of prey.

And this is what it's like being me.

Do you know what? Hearing Jake's story about bird poo,

I'm hoping our next guests are on their best behaviour.

Normally we give them a big round of applause, but today just a quiet one,

for Mumble and Atka with Carole and Vicki. Hello!

Thank you so much for coming in today. Oh, Mumble's getting excited!

So, Carol, what type of owl is he?

He is a European eagle owl, one of the largest of all owls.

-Although he's actually quite a small male.

-Oh, really?

The females are much bigger.

I thought he was really heavy, what about Atka?

Atka's a bit heavier than Mumble, a couple of pound more.

-And what type of owl is she?

-She's a female snowy owl.

Are we likely to see them in the UK? If I looked out my window...

You wouldn't see Atka. They live in colder climates.

ATKA HOOTS

They live in, like, the Outer Hebrides, Iceland...

But you could see an eagle owl,

there are a few pairs in this country.

How old are Mumble and Atka?

Mumble is coming up to five, and Atka is three.

-And how old will they get?

-They can live 30 years plus in captivity,

but in the wild, it can be as little as three years.

So why are they good predators?

They've got fabulous eyesight, and their hearing is very good.

Certainly, with the barn owl, they are totally silent in flight.

These can be quite big, but they don't make a lot of noise,

so their prey doesn't hear them coming.

It seems strange they hunt at dusk or dawn, is it not harder to see?

Different owls have different colours of eyes,

and that denotes whether they are nocturnal or diurnal hunters.

Some hunt when it goes dark, some hunt when it's getting light.

If you look closely at Atka, has she got two different eyelids?

Yeah, they have what's called a nictitating membrane

which helps them to clear their eye and when they're flying

it's like a visor, really.

It just protects their eye.

They've got one that protects it

and one that's a bit like a windscreen wiper.

Yeah, they don't blink as much with the full eyelid,

but you will see that one quite often.

I think we've actually got that in slow motion.

That is amazing, two eyelids.

You've brought some eggshells in with you today,

what is this little one?

An English barn owl egg.

-And this big one?

-And that one is a European eagle owl.

-Wow, so this one grows into Mumble?

-Yes.

What do they eat when they're just little babies?

Their parents will bring them mice, voles, small animals like that.

The parents will tear it up and feed the chicks,

until they're old enough to eat the full animal themselves.

OK, let's do some owl myth-busting.

-I have heard that they can turn their heads 360 degrees, is it true?

-No.

-Aww! So how far?

-Just past 180 degrees,

but they can turn it different ways as well,

so they can look upside down.

They've got a lot of extra vertebrae in their neck

because they need to be able to see a lot.

Their eyes are fixed in their skull, so they can't look

side-to-side like we can, which is why they need to turn their head.

And owl myth number two is that they're wise.

-They have to be really clever, yes.

-Oh, yes.

Just to be able to survive, they have to be alert all the time.

Survival isn't easy for them, so they need to be clever.

-So they are wise, Mumble's a wise old owl?

-Yes.

-MUMBLE HOOTS

-Not particularly old, are you?

He can hear us speaking about him!

Thank you very much for bringing them in today.

I just knew meeting these owls was going to be a hoot.

CAROLE AND VICKI LAUGH Get it? Over to you.

That there was a Barney Harwood joke.

Now, it is time to welcome to Blue Peter -

put your hands together, make some noise, for Tich!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-Welcome to Blue Peter. How are you?

-I am very well, how are you?

I am very, very good.

It is probably fair to say your pop career has just skyrocketed,

with four million hits online,

you've been touring with the likes of Olly Murs, Little Mix,

One Direction, how on earth are you feeling at this point?

I am so lucky, I am so happy.

It is an absolute honour to be able to share the stage

with such amazing artists.

-And just live the music dream.

-Exactly.

A little bird tells me that you're a bit of a fashionista?

I love fashion, I always have done.

I love going through the magazines, picking out different styles,

I love experimenting with colours and different shapes.

-Yes, it is a big hobby of mine.

-Well, you will love this, then.

We will be showing you how to make one of these T-shirts.

All of the instructions and details are on our website...

Now, you may have seen something similar to this with tie-dying,

but this is much less messy, and in my opinion, much cooler.

You need a plain coloured T-shirt, plastic cups,

coloured permanent markers, a paintbrush,

elastic bands, and the important part -

make-up remover, but this is the liquid, and not the lotion.

First, Tich, we have to place a plastic cup in between the T-shirt.

Then you take an elastic band and wrap it

-round the rim of the cup.

-What?

That becomes our canvas.

Simply repeat the process and choose a pattern of your desire.

-I have gone...

-Very nice.

..for the three across the top, much like my favourite crossword.

-What have you gone for, Tich?

-A diagonal,

I wanted to spread the design throughout the whole T-shirt.

I like it, but while we do that, there are loads of questions

the viewers sent in, I think Lindsey's going to ask them.

-We've got loads for you, Tich.

-Oh!

-So we'll just dive straight in.

The first one's from Green Sweet Giraffe, he says...

"What gives you inspiration for your songs?"

Inspiration for me comes from real life things.

-I guess my songs are like a diary.

-I like it.

Ruby Sprinkles Shark says...

"What's your favourite song to dance to?"

I think anything from when I was growing up, really.

-I love Britney Spears.

-Yes.

-Backstreet Boys.

-Nineties.

-Good pop music.

-And Smiling Chimp says...

"What would you do if you weren't a singer?"

I think I would aspire to be a chef. Or a baker...

or a candlestick maker!

I like what you did there. Poetry as well as a singer!

Now, it gets a bit messy at this point,

worth putting a newspaper underneath.

We need to drip this onto the colours,

we are not pouring it.

-And then we will work the colour in with the paintbrush.

-Oh, wow.

-You can possibly see the colours begin to run.

-Oh, dear.

-Tiny drip.

-Tich, yours looks good.

I like how you've mixed the colours,

that looks really cool. TICH LAUGHS

Now, there is also something I should have possibly said -

not to put too much on, otherwise it might look like that!

-It looks good!

-Can I just say, it was meant to be a happy star.

-Well, it's a something star.

-Now it's a star in the night sky.

Once you have done this on all three of the cups, wait for it to dry

for two hours, pop off the elastic bands, take the cups out,

and then you will end up with T-shirts which look like those.

How good do they look?!

You might also get permanent marker on your fingers,

so you can use warm, soapy water.

The T-shirts, if you want to wash those,

hand wash them in cool water, do not put them

in the washing machine, the colour will go everywhere.

If you have done one, take a photo and send them to us.

We love when you get involved with our makes. It's...

We'll try and put as many photos as possible online.

It's time to take a look at what you've done so far. Wow!

-That is exceptional work.

-Lovely, really nice.

Something which you are exceptional at is singing, and we're

going to be seeing you in just a few moments.

-Thank you so much for coming to visit us.

-Thank you.

Now, whilst Tich goes and gets herself ready,

here's what is coming up next week.

The three of us will be taking on a dance challenge

with the cast of CBBC show The Next Step - you are going to love it.

And we will be showing you how to make these Easter egg nests.

And I will be facing

one of my biggest fears, it is fish.

And I absolutely hated them, they were terrifying!

Find out how I got on next week, but now,

performing her brand-new single - which I love -

-it is Tich, with Breathe In Breathe Out.

-Woo!

# Woke up too late for the train

# Routine always the same

# Another day in a life like any other

# I ran straight through the rain

# Saw your face when I felt the flame

# Both knew it wasn't a day like any other

# We're in a moment now

# I can't believe it how

# One touch, and suddenly I need you

# Tough luck, won't you tell me that it ain't true?

# You're gonna push me

# Promise you'll break my fall

# Oh, hold me close as I breathe in, breathe out

# Breathe in, breathe out

# I'm on the edge, just take me now

# And if you're gonna push me

# Then promise you'll break my fall

# Face down, I hit the floor

# Nothing to hide any more

# I've tried, but what is the use?

# I was always looking from a bird's eye view

# Dreaming of when I'd find you

# But I know I will never be the same

# We're in a moment now

# I can't believe it how

# One touch, and suddenly I need you

# Tough luck, won't you tell me that it ain't true?

# You're gonna push me, promise you'll break my fall

# Oh, hold me close as I breathe in, breathe out

# Breathe in, breathe out

# I'm on the edge, just take me now

# And if you're gonna push me, then promise you'll break my fall

# Breathe in, breathe out

# Like a love I can't stop

# Need you here, need you now, cos you've got my heart

# Breathe in, breathe out

# Baby, forever free falling

# One touch, and suddenly I need you

# Tough luck, won't you tell me that it ain't true?

# You're gonna push me, promise you'll break my fall

# You'll break my fall!

# Whoa-oh-ohhh

# Hold me close as I breathe in

# Close

# Oh, please break my fall-l-l-l

# Ohhhh. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE