Blue Peter was a children's magazine programme (still going today) and was broadcast twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.

The interviewer was one of the three usual Blue Peter presenters, Lesley Judd.

ABBA made a surprise visit to the programme a couple of hours before the UK première of ABBA - The Movie. They showed a short clip of the Take A Chance On Me PROMO and ended with So Long from ABBA - The Movie. NOTE that the link to ABBA - The Movie is of the Australian footage. There is a separate entry for the Swedish footage.

The dog (who Agnetha cannot stop stroking!) was called Shep (as in long-standing UK joke "Get DOWN Shep!").

Director: Mike Ward & Renny Rye
Series Editor: Biddy Baxter.

Bits of this appearance were also re-broadcast in a piece in the early 90's presented by Anthea Turner when they had Björn Again as guests and again in May 2007 during a programme about pop stars on children's TV on BBC 4 - When The Stranglers Met Roland Rat.

Singer Will Young used a medley of Blue Peter clips in his video for his single Who Am I.  ABBA's appearance is very brief (around the 2:40 mark).

Frida - when Benny is asked whether they take their big backing band with them everywhere, she turns round as if looking for them! 

Lesley Judd: We'll be meeting some more award winners, because today ABBA are making a flying
visit to the Blue Peter Studio. Well, little did we think that when we showed part of their
new film last week that we would be seeing them in person in 7 days time and that will be in
a couple of minutes.

.... And now, no prizes for guessing the names of the four Swedish singers who have just flown into Britain. They're ABBA and their song that everyone wants to hear at the moment is
at No.1 in the Hit Parade.

(A clip of the Take A Chance On Me PROMO is played)

Lesley: And here are Björn, Anna, Frida and Benny who go together to make up ABBA and first 

of all I'd like to say welcome to "Blue Peter" and thank you very much for coming along.

ABBA: Thank you
Björn: Nice to meet Shep!
Lesley: And Shep says hello as well! Björn, once you had the big success with "Waterloo" in
1974, obviously everybody in Great Britain knew who ABBA was, but were you formed as a group
before that?

Björn: Yes, we made our first record in '71 and we were working off and on as a group from
that time.

Lesley: Where did you all first meet? Is it a long story?

Agnetha: It's a long story!" (laughing). At first, I met Björn and Frida met Benny and then
we got together later.

Lesley: And joined up as a foursome?

Agnetha: Yes (nodding)

Björn: But we meet as friends you know

Lesley: Not as muscians? As friends first?

ABBA: Yes

Lesley: Anna, you and Frida always look absolutely beautiful. You wear lovely clothes on
stage and off if I may say so.

Agnetha: Thank you.

Lesley: Do you design them yourself?

Agnetha: No, we have a designer who designs them for us.

Lesley: Do you have a favourite outfit?

Agnetha: Yes, personally I like to have jeans and pullover!

Lesley: Casual ...?

Agnetha: Yes

Lesley: And how about you Frida?

Frida: I like about the same

Lesley: Casual as well?

Frida: Yes

Lesley: Benny, when you're on stage, you always have a very big backing band with you. Do you
take them everywhere when you are on tour?

Benny: No we don't. When we are touring we do, but we don't tour very often because of that.
We have so many people on the road, it's a tough job to keep it all together.

Lesley: Talking about touring, are you thinking of doing a concert tour of Britain?

Benny: Not in '78 that we know. We might do it in '79 but we haven't really decided that yet.

Lesley: I'm sure that ABBA fans are keeping their fingers crossed for that!

Björn: You can say that the movie that has the opening night tonight, is instead of a tour of
'78.

Lesley: Yep, so when you are not touring, making records, making films, what do you all do to
relax?

Frida: We all have families and children (everyone agrees)

Lesley: So not too much relaxation in that case! Do you find it difficult to get a little bit
of peace and quiet because you are in the public eye a lot of the time aren't you?

Benny: We stay home a lot you know. We like to keep it that way and like to keep our privacy
as much as possible.

Lesley: How long are you going to be in Britain this time?

Agnetha: We leave tomorrow.

Lesley: Really? A short flying visit? Now tell me a little bit about the film. We showed a
little extract from it last week. When did you make it?

Björn: We made it during our Australian tour which was in March last year.

Lesley: And did you enjoy making it?

Björn: Oh yes, we were just playing ourselves. We were playing the concerts and they were
filming.

Lesley: So you were hardly aware really of the cameraman and things being there.

Björn: No, we never think about that.

Lesley: Do you think you will make another one?

All: You never know!

Lesley: It all depends on how this one goes?

Benny: Yes

Lesley: Well I think if the success of your film goes on your recording success, it will be a
really vast success and I hope so. I know you are all in quite a rush because as you say,
it's your premiere of your film tonight and so I'd just like to say on behalf of all of us,
thank you very much for calling in and the very best of luck and continued success in your
career.

All: Thank you very much.

Lesley: And now for a real treat because coming up is a song which is from ABBA's new film.
It has a good title and is called "So Long".

(Clip of So Long from The Movie is shown).

Archive data from BBC’s written archive:

LCH2320R
Feb 16, 1978
Archive : BBC
Item Duration : 00:25:00.000+01:00
Catalogue : LONPROG
Copyright : PRT
Catalogue Page : 9492870
Copyright source : COLUMBIA-WARNER
Programme/Item : Programme
Page Number : 1/2
Children's magazine programme presented by John NOAKES, Peter PURVES & Lesley JUDD. Items re Abba, Key Note Appeal, Ironbridge Museum, rugby league dog & spelling mistake.
> live studio, sp s & cprt film, ex lib & cprt vt
ITEM 01:RUGBY DOG:clip of the Leeds V Halifax Rugby League Cup match featuring Mac, the dog on the pitch. Mac in studio with John & phono intv with his owner David LOWERY.
ITEM 02:IRONBRIDGE:FILM:Peter visits the Ironbridge Gorge Museum (10m21s).
ITEM 03:ABBA:Lesley intvs Benny, Bjorn, Frida and & Agnetha from ABBA. Promo vt clip Take A Chance On Me (20s), cprt film clip ex Abba The Movie, cprt Columbia-Warner (1m18s).
ITEM 04:SPELLING:John re the spelling mistake in the recipe for Valentine's cake. Shep licks his face as he writes 'desiccated' out.

Some information from Intermezzo Magazine No.38.
Extra thanks to Ken Griffin c/o ABBAMAILL (no longer online), Richard Knight; Chris Williams and Sam Shervz.
YouTube link c/o mozpiano2