Accidentally dug up time capsule is going on tour

A Blue Peter time capsule which has been under lock and key since it was accidentally unearthed by construction workers is going on tour.

The Millennium Time Capsule has been kept in a secret location after it was dug up 33 years earlier than planned.

It will now travel around the UK, as part of the famous children’s TV show’s 60th birthday year. The capsule will then be sealed and stored in the National Archives until it will be seen by a new generation in 2050.

The capsule was buried by then Blue Peter presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon on June 11 1998, beneath the Millennium Dome.

It was meant to be excavated in 2050 but was accidentally dug up in February last year.

The capsule and its contents – apart from a missing Spice Girls CD – was returned to Blue Peter and has remained in a secret location.

Items for the capsule were decided by viewers of the BBC show in 1998 and include a set of British coins, Teletubby dolls, a photograph of Diana, Princess of Wales, letters from viewers about life at the time, an insulin pen and asthma inhaler.

Blue Peter editor Ewan Vinnicombe said: “I can remember the 1998 Millennium Time Capsule getting buried when I was in my first year working at BBC Children’s.

“Time certainly flies and now, 20 years later, as the show’s editor I am deciding the future of one of the most iconic parts of the programme.

“Although unexpected, it is brilliant that we can let families across the UK see the contents of the 1998 time capsule earlier than planned before it is sealed away until 2050 at the National Archives.”

The Blue Peter Time Capsule tour starts on May 25.

The capsule was buried in 1998 by then presenters Richard Bacon and Katy Hill.