Blue Peter time capsule dug up 33 years early at The O2

  • London

Staff at the O2 Arena will help rebury a Blue Peter millennium time capsule unearthed by builders, and damaged, 33 years early.

A spokesman said the concert venue was looking after the 1990s treasure trove and would repair or replace it.

Buried in 1998 by the BBC show's presenters Katy Hill and Richard Bacon, it contained a Roald Dahl book, a Spice Girls CD, a Tamagotchi toy, photographs of Princess Diana, a video of a child's walk to school and a grandfather's letter about what had changed during his lifetime.

It was found on Wednesday by construction workers excavating the land at the east London venue for a retail development.

Presenters Richard Bacon and Katy Hill with the Blue Peter time capsule before it was buried in 1998

The discovery solved a problem for the O2 team and the BBC, who had been searching for the precise location of the capsule for months.

A BBC spokeswoman said the discovery could give Blue Peter viewers the opportunity to add more treasures to the box.