A Blue Peter millennium time capsule that was buried in the nineties has been dug up by accident – 33 years too early! Former presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon planted the time capsule under the Millennium Dome, now the O2 Arena, in 1998. It was due to be unearthed in 2050.
Construction works at a redevelopment site in Greenwich, south London accidentally stumbled across it on Wednesday. The capsule was damaged but its contents are safe and will be reburied. A spokesperson for the BBC said: "Although a little earlier than anticipated, we're looking forward to sharing these memories with our viewers and making new ones as we return the capsule to the earth so that it can be reopened in 2050 as originally planned."
Blue Peter presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon planted the time capsule in 1998
Back in the nineties, viewers were asked to submit suggestions for what they'd like to see in the capsule. The winning entries included a Spice Girls CD, a Roald Dahl book, a Tamagotchi toy, Tellytubby dolls, roller blade wheels, an insulin pen and an asthma inhaler. A France 1998 World Cup football was also locked away, as well as more poignant items – a picture of a dove to symbolise peace in Northern Ireland, and a photo of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died the year earlier.
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The time capsule was buried under the Millenium Dome, now the O2 Arena
A spokesman for the O2 Arena said: "The team at The O2 and our contractors ISG have been searching for the Blue Peter time capsule since we started construction work in 2016. We found it yesterday but sadly it was accidently damaged during excavations. The capsule and its contents are safely stored in our office and we've let the team at Blue Peter know. We're going to work with them to either repair or replace the capsule and bury it again for the future."