The BBC has announced its Make it Digital initiative, with the aim of encouraging a new generation of people to engage with digital creativity, skills and coding.

Just as the BBC Micro was launched in the 1980s to help people get familiar with a new age of personal computing, in 2015 we now have the BBC Micro Bit.

This basic computer - which follows the lead of devices like Raspberry Pi - will be put in the hands of Year 7 school children, with plans to distribute over 1 million devices for free in the UK.

Micro Bit is currently a nickname, with the BBC saying that the final specifications, design and name may change, but the Micro Bit is designed to be a wearable personal computer.

It will feature an LED display and be compatible devices such as Raspberry Pi, Kano, Arduino and Galileo, as well as other Micro Bits, meaning that kids can work together. It's designed to be instantly accessible, letting children plug it in and get coding straight away.

Make it Digital isn't just about Micro Bit however. There will be a range of programming (broadcast and online) using some of the BBC's most iconic brands, like Doctor Who, EastEnders, and across radio, that addresses the new digital world we're living in.

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BBC

BBC Micro, the original star of school computer rooms

You might be panicking that Top Gear has been pulled, but there's also plans for a new BBC Two drama based around Grand Theft Auto. Whether this is all about stealing cars, or making video games, we'll have to wait and see.

Make it Digital sees the BBC pulling together some of the biggest names in digital industries, with involvement from Google, Samsung, ARM, Microsoft, BT and many more.

"This is exactly what the BBC is all about - bringing the industry together on an unprecedented scale and making a difference to millions," said Tony Hall, BBC Director-General.

"Just as we did with the BBC Micro in the 1980s, we want to inspire the digital visionaries of the future. Only the BBC can bring partners together to attempt something this ambitious, this important to Britain's future on the world stage."

The aim of Make it Digital is to provide the education and engagement to fill the estimated shortfall of 1.4 million digital professionals we're going to face over the next 5 years.

https://emp.bbc.co.uk/emp/watch?v=smpEmbed.html?playlist=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fcorporate2%2Fplaylist%2Fp02lsd0c&title=Make%20it%20Digital%20-%20Content%20Season&product=iplayer