Blue Peter Takes the Plunge: 25 Bungee Jumps for BBC Children in Need

4 days ago

4 min read

If you tuned into Blue Peter at 5pm on Friday 14th November, you might have spotted a very familiar crane on screen.

CBBC Blue Peter Bungee Jump Challenge for Children In Need

As part of a special Children in Need episode, CBBC's Blue Peter team took on an incredible challenge with our UK Bungee Club team in Salford Quays - 25 jumps against the clock to celebrate 25 years of Children in Need. We loved supporting this fantastic cause, working with the BBC once again, and showcasing what we do best: delivering safe, high-impact, height-based experiences that look great on camera.

You can watch the episode here on BBC iPlayer - the bungee challenge features from minutes 2:15 to 9:00.

The filming for this special feature took place on the 26th of October, on the morning of one of our weekend bungee events; so it wasn’t just the Blue Peter team racing against the clock, we were too!

25 Jumps for one big cause. The set-up was simple on paper but intricate in practice:

160ft crane bungee jump
25 jumps to complete
A strict time challenge
In aid of BBC Children in Need

All while customers were beginning to arrive and sign in for their own jumps!

There was also an added twist… presenter Shini Muthukrishnan had no idea she was meant to complete the challenge 25 times (a secret our crew needed to keep quiet). Believing she was only doing one jump for the cause, she got kitted up and headed into the bungee cage with Jumpmaster Dan.

After some understandable nerves and a few almost-jumps, Shini took the leap of faith and kicked off the challenge.

Once back on solid ground, she was handed a gold envelope revealing that she was actually due to complete another 24 jumps…with the clock ticking and Shini understandably nervous about the jump count, reinforcements were quickly brought in.

Presenters Abby and Joel reached out to legacy Blue Peter presenters Radzi and Mwaksy, who headed down to Salford Quays to help out, with Joel also stepping up to take the pressure off. With the 24 remaining jumps now shared between four presenters, the crew could press on.

While viewers saw the countdown and the nerves, behind the scenes it was a tight operation involving harness checks, weight categories, rope allocations, and constant communication between our jump crew and BBC's Blue Peter production team.

Bungee is always intense, but running this many jumps back-to-back, under time pressure, and on camera adds an extra layer of focus. Every jump still goes through the same safety checks we use on a standard event day - no shortcuts, even with the clock ticking.

With some less-than-ideal weather adding delays, things came right down to the wire, but with the whole Blue Peter team cheering her on, Shini took the final leap and wrapped up the challenge. Plenty of celebrations marked the close of a fantastic shoot supporting BCC Children in Need.

CBBC's Blue Peter crew after completing the Children In Need challenge with UK Bungee Club & Big Bang Experiences

Working With Blue Peter & the BBC

We’re no strangers to working alongside the BBC, and stepping onto site with the Blue Peter team felt familiar from the start. Our priority was to give them a smooth, safe and repeatable set-up that allowed the presenters to focus on the challenge, while the production crew captured every key moment.

In the run-up to filming, our team handled:

Site planning and layout around the crane and landing area
Full safety documentation, risk assessments and operational planning
Timing the flow of harnessing, briefing and jumps to suit filming schedules
Coordinating closely with the camera team to ensure every angle was covered

We delivered all of this at Salford Quays, one of our flagship 160ft locations and a backdrop the BBC knows well. Its open water, MediaCity skyline and spacious jump zone make it ideal for filming, adding strong visual impact without compromising safety or crew movement.

Our Ongoing Support for BBC Children in Need

This isn’t our first time supporting Children in Need - Big Bang Experiences previously delivered an on-air abseil for BBC Morning Live in support of the 2024 Children in Need campaign.

Whether it’s a one-off TV moment or a large-scale charity event, the aim is the same: create a memorable experience that raises money, raises awareness, and feels genuinely worth the fear at the edge.

Experts in Height-Based Filming & Live Challenges

Although the focus of this blog is the Children in Need and Blue Peter challenge, this project is a strong example of what we specialise in:

Height-based stunts - bungee, abseils, zip wires, and more
Complex logistics - multiple jumps, tight timings, live or pre-recorded shoots
TV & film support - making sure what’s safe also works on screen

From our perspective, success is when everything looks effortless on camera, even though there’s a huge amount of planning, structure and safety behind the scenes.

A Huge Thank You

We’re proud to have facilitated the Blue Peter team in taking on such a bold challenge, and loved playing our part in this BBC Children in Need special.

If you were inspired watching the jumps from the comfort of your sofa, you can take on the same 160ft bungee at Salford Quays yourself, or talk to us about height-based challenges for your charity, brand or production.

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