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Blue Peter ID cards no joke

£900 eBay bid bursts the dam

It was meant to be a joke, but reality has turned out to be stranger than science fiction. Blue Peter producers are indeed considering introducing ID Cards for kids.

The corporation felt compelled to act to stop the sale on eBay of the Blue Peter badges that it awards to kids who impress the cameras with charitable gestures or daring feats. So it suspended the privileges they confer on their owners until they could find a way of ensuring only Blue Peter heroes could enjoy them.

Today, a BBC spokesperson said: "We are looking at ways of having a secure system in place. It will be something like some sort of verification or ID, just a secure way of doing it, of proving your identity."

One gallant Blue Peter veteran, who was decorated with a gold Blue Peter badge for services to charity 10 years ago, has attracted bids for his medal of nearly £900 on eBay.*

With four and a half days before bidding closes, it might even top a grand, assuming the bidders aren't hoaxers.

But only Gold badge holders can expect any sort of serious bidding. Common or Blue Peter garden badges are awarded at the rate of 50,000 a year and have been worn since 1963. Only a handful of gold badges are awarded each year. ®

Bootnote

*Thanks to loyal reader Neil Hanson for bringing the outrageous bid to our attention

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