Paul McCartney awarded the Gold Blue Peter Badge

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That is beautiful, that’s a great badge. I will wear it with great pride. Yes! I made it!

Paul McCartney

From paulmccartney.com, February 5, 2019:

Paul has sold over 700 million albums around the world as a solo artist with his band Wings and as a member of the legendary group, The Beatles but declared to Blue Peter that he’s ‘made it’ when the show presented him with a prestigious Gold Blue Peter Badge recently.

When Blue Peter presenter, Lindsey, asks him what advice he would give to young people who aspire to become musicians and songwriters, Paul replied: “The only advice really is to do it… a lot.  I have a song writing class and the first thing I say to them is ‘look I don’t really know how to do this’ and at first they kind of look at me, but when you think about it there is no formula. I know how to write one of my songs but I can’t say ‘you do it that way’, because it’s a very personal thing. So the advice really is to just do whatever it is you’re doing… a lot!”

Paul – the most successful musician and composer in pop history – was awarded the coveted badge for inspiring generations of people with his music just ahead of performing to a sold-out crowd at The O2 arena in London on his Freshen Up tour.

A delighted Paul said: “That is beautiful, that’s a great badge. I will wear it with great pride. Yes! I made it!”                                                            

The Gold Blue Peter Badge is the programme’s highest award, only a handful of which are presented each year to individuals who show great expertise in their chosen field, are considered to be role models, and who encourage and motivate children across many generations.

Editor of Blue Peter, Ewan Vinnicombe, said: “Sir Paul McCartney has inspired generations of Blue Peter viewers to love music and be creative – a core value of Blue Peter. I’m thrilled that we have been able to honour the legend that is Sir Paul with our highest accolade – a Gold badge.”

Paul joins a select group of people to have received a Gold Blue Peter Badge which also includes The Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Sir David Attenborough, JK Rowling, Steven Spielberg, Mary Berry,  David Beckham, Ed Sheeran and Madonna. Sir Peter Jackson, who is directing a new Beatles documentary about the making of their final studio album, Let It Be, also received a Gold Blue Peter Badge last year.

In October 2018 Blue Peter celebrated its milestone 60^th birthday which kicked off with the launch of the Gold Badge Walk – a path to honour some of the well-known names who have received the special accolade – at MediaCityUK, in Salford. The path celebrates some of the most successful people in sport, literature, music and other industries to receive the prestigious honour.

From Wikipedia:

A Blue Peter badge is an award for Blue Peter viewers, given by the BBC children’s television programme for those appearing on the show, or in recognition of achievement. They are awarded to children aged 6 to 15, or to adults who have been guests on the programme. Approximately 22,000 are distributed annually.

The badges were introduced to the programme by editor Biddy Baxter in 1963, from an idea by Blue Peter producer Edward Barnes. Except for the “Gold” badge and the pre-2005 “Competition Winners’ Badge”, the badges are in the shape of a shield containing the Blue Peter ship logo, designed by Tony Hart.

The badge provides the wearer with free entry to many British attractions, particularly museums and exhibitions that are featured on the show although many of the attractions will only allow one badge holder for each full price paying adult. The programme producers suspended the privileges amid concerns about the badges being sold in March 2006, but they were reintroduced with additional security a few months later.

[…] The Gold badge (a gold-plated brooch in the shape of the ship logo): This is Blue Peter’s highest award and is given for exceptional achievement, such as to people who have performed acts of extreme bravery, or represented their country in a major event. It takes the form of a gold-plated ship-shaped pin brooch. Gold badge holders include Leo Stuchbury (1993) who was awarded this badge for being the youngest ever person to complete the National Swimathon at the age of 6, Christopher Newby (2000), David Beckham, J. K. Rowling, Stephen Payne, Queen Elizabeth II (2001), Tom Daley (2009), David Tennant (2009), Anthony Horowitz (2011), Sir Jonathan Ive (2013), Helen Glover (2014), Peter Lord (2015), Steven Spielberg (2016), Roald Dahl (posthumously 2016), the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (2017), Ed Sheeran (2018), Madonna, Sir Peter Jackson, Sir David Attenborough, and Sir Paul McCartney (2019). […]

Last updated on December 28, 2020