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Blue Peter Toys With Orphans

by | 15th, March 2007

konnie.jpg“BLUE CHEATER,” announces the Star’s front page. And instantly we fear the worst.

Has a star on flagship BBC children’s show Blue Peter been caught cheating?

Realising that John Leslie once fronted the show, so too Anthea Turner, the sight of host Konnie Huq in a pink singlet makes our blood run cold.

We are all set to send the children and grandma from the room, expecting to see pictures of rolled up bank notes, stills from home-made porn videos and a spurned spouse sobbing her heart out.

But reading on we learn that this is the story of another phoneline scandal. A relief to many, but not for the thousands of viewers who called the show to give their answer to a quiz.

As the Sun reports (“AND HERE’S ONE WE MADE UP EARLIER”), 13,862 people got their parent’s permission and called Blue Peter to identity an EastEnders’ star from a picture of their feet.

This was part of the Blue Peter Shoe Biz Appeal. Money would go to Aids orphans in Africa. Calls cost 10p. And in total £450.52 was raised.

But technology failed. No caller could be selected to go through and take the prize. So a member of the production team was invited to find a winner.

And rather than phone in herself, she found a girl on a tour of the studio. This girl, let’s call her Peggey Sawyer, stepped in at the last moment to save the show. She correctly guessed the shoes belonged to Charlie Clements. She won a toy.

But Mona Zahoor, visiting the studio with her son (he was, er, not selected), was shocked. She complained. And now the Mirror’s front page reads: “Here’s one we faked earlier.”

“We let you down,” trills the aforesaid Konnie to the watching, weeping millions. And not only us, Konnie, but EastEnders, shoes and those Malawi orphans, stooges in a scam.

First Madonna passes them by and now this…



Posted: 15th, March 2007 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink