This week, workers at the O2 accidentally dug up a time capsule buried by Blue Peter in 1998. As a proud three-time badge awardee, you can imagine my horror when I heard the news.
The container, carefully laid down at what was then the Millennium Dome, was meant to remain undisturbed until 2050, but was unearthed in rough and untimely fashion by builders preparing the way for a shopping centre.
#TBT to the #BluePeter Time Capsule I buried at @TheO2 w @richardpbacon for 2050 – except builders JUST dug it up! 😂 pic.twitter.com/VYY86NxfNA
— Katy Hill (@KatyHillTV) February 2, 2017
While the capsule has been damaged, its contents remain intact and evoke heaps of nostalgia for the early Blair years; a Spice Girls CD, a Tamagotchi, some Teletubbies, photos of Princess Diana and a Roald Dahl book are just some of the items preserved, selected at the time by Blue Peter viewers.
The programme’s current hosts intend to repair the damage and rebury the pod soon, but not before topping it up with some items from 2017.
Adding value
Immediately deciding that an opportunity of this magnitude couldn’t be left to the after-school TV audience, I asked our team which items they would preserve for 2050.
Here’s what they told me:
Lauren Deitz: A selfie stick, because surely these awful tools won’t last forever. Maybe a photo of green space in London to prove that it did once exist. And a book – Harry Potter would be my choice, just in case e-readers do take over and books are no longer produced.
Katie Bannister: A bottle of Pressure Drop Brewing’s Bosko Absoluto; my favourite vinyl – Is this it by The Strokes; and my GameCube. This makes for a fabulous evening, too, by the way.
Mel Train: A bottle of prosecco (to see what it tastes like in 33 years’ time), a Nutribullet and a copy of Which?.
Rachel Collinson: A packet of cheesy Wotsits, just to see if they survive.
And for myself? A hoverboard seems fitting, or perhaps an e-cigarette. Maybe a copy of some software terms and conditions, although the end recipient might need another 33 years to get through them.
Before they close the lid for the second (and hopefully final) time, I’d like to know what items the Which? Convo community would hoard for future generations. So, what would you put in the Blue Peter capsule?
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