【update Archives】

The update ArchivesUK General Election is set to take place this week, and there's an exciting digital partnership playing to election content: Roblox and the BBC.

The BBC is bringing Larry the Downing Street Cat — iconic Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office and pet-in-residence at the official home of the UK Prime Minister — to Roblox for this election.

Larry, along with digital avatars of BBC presenters like Laura Kuenssberg, Clive Myrie, and Jeremy Vine, will appear in a game that requires players to track down ballot boxes outside 10 Downing Street. If you find enough boxes, Larry will become your pet (whether or not you share Larry with the PM is unclear). While playing, Roblox users will also be shown facts about UK elections.

The game will be a part of the BBC’s Wonder Chase experience, which has been around on Roblox since April of this year. Wonder Chase, a free experience on Roblox, features a range of areas dedicated to BBC shows like Doctor Who, EastEnders, and The Next Step.

"I’ve never imagined being a gaming character before," says Kuenssberg, long-time political presenter at the BBC, "but like never before, in 2024 the BBC’s coverage of the election really IS getting everywhere." Fiona Campbell, controller of youth audience for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer says that the game is "an engaging and fun way to learn more about the country’s election whilst interacting with our top political experts."

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The UK's General Election will take place on July 4, with millions of people in the country headed to the polls to vote despite "mass apathy" towards the presiding political parties.

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