CBBC is celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who with the launch of an exciting Blue Peter competition, which will give children the chance to design a brand-new device for the forthcoming series of Doctor Who.
The competition, which will be launched on the Doctor Who: Blue Peter Special on Thursday 21st November, is a must-see for all young Doctor Who fans. Viewers aged between six and 15 will be asked to design a new sonic device for either Sontaran Commander Strax, Madame Vastra or Jenny Flint and the winning gadgets will feature in the iconic science fiction series next year.
There will be three eligible age categories for the competition - six to eight years, nine to 11 years and 12 to 15 years. All entries will be considered by a panel of judges which will include Blue Peter editor Ewan Vinnicombe, Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat, Doctor Who producer Nikki Wilson, Doctor Who’s brand account manager Edward Russell, CBBC presenter Chris Johnson, Blue Peter series producer Ellen Evans and Michael Pickwoad, production designer for Doctor Who.
Winners will be announced as part of Blue Peter’s Christmas show on 19th December. The designer of the winning device will be invited to Cardiff to see their gadget being used on the Doctor Who set, with three runners up each receiving a special framed picture including their competition entry and a signed picture of the actor they designed their device for.
Competition details will be live on the Blue Peter website following the launch on the show on 21st November.
Ewan Vinnicombe, editor of Blue Peter, said:
“Blue Peter and Doctor Who have collaborated many times over the history of both series and we felt that the 50th anniversary was a great opportunity to celebrate that and give our young viewers the chance to use their imagination and really get involved in the show. We can’t wait to see what great ideas they come up with for the new devices and to see them in action on the Doctor Who set.”
In addition to the exclusive competition, Blue Peter will also be broadcasting two live episodes dedicated to Doctor Who - Doctor Who: Blue Peter Special on Thursday 21st November and a Doctor Who: Blue Peter Party episode on Saturday 23rd November.
Presenters Barney Harwood, Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya will be joined by aliens and monsters in the studio and the audience will be challenged to design their very own alien live on air. Viewer questions will be answered by Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, and in true Blue Peter style there will be a very special themed ‘make’ as the team shows the CBBC audience how to make their very own cushion (to hide behind) and some tasty - if slightly scary - Dalek cupcakes.
[Source: BBC Media Centre]