Back to the Future

In the eighties, all sorts of entities now long gone came together to produce the BBC Micro. It sprang from ideas in BBC Further Education, BBC Engineering, The Enterprise Board, The Department of Industry and The Department of Education and Science. Designed to get Britain on the front foot in computer literacy, the Acorn Micro B cost around £399 in 1983 (Acorn was apparently chosen because it would come in front of Apple in the phone book). Eventually more than 1.5 million were sold.

Now the BBC says it wants to capture the spirit of the Micro in 2015, by creating "a hands-on learning experience that allows any level of young coder from absolute beginner to advanced maker to get involved".  And Auntie wants to find new "Acorns", with an invitation  "looking for partners, large and small, who are both willing and able to contribute services and/or funding to the delivery of this project alongside the BBC".