St Benedict's Pupils film high wire Charity Adventure

Published on isbi School News dated Tuesday 29th of March 2011

Marcus Taylor and Georgia McConnell, 13 year old pupils at St Benedict's School in Ealing, were selected to film, with the BBC Blue Peter team, their own news story on Helen Skelton's epic high wire adventure in aid of Comic Relief.

Georgia and Marcus were chosen for this special project on BBC News Report practice day in February in recognition of their presenting and researching skills, and also their enthusiasm. They joined the Blue Peter team on a boat on the Thames to film a special 'behind the scenes' report on Helen Skelton's high wire walk between the Battersea Power Station towers.

On the 1st of February hundreds of excited Primary School children were cheering Helen Skelton on. Georgia and Marcus quickly set to work, with the help of their BBC mentor for the day, writing, storyboarding, interviewing and recording. Hard work on the icy Thames amongst excitable children!

The Blue Peter film of Helen Skelton's successful high wire walk was shown on BBC1 on Friday 11th March. The report was live on the BBC website, on the front page of the BBC School Report page for Comic Relief on Friday 18th March. The script and much of the filming was done entirely by Georgia and Marcus, the helicopter bits were filmed by Blue Peter though. Georgia and Marcus worked very hard in the freezing conditions and were commended by the BBC staff for their enthusiasm and journalistic skill.