CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air television network owned by the BBC. It is aimed at young children aged 7 and under. It also manages an international network supported by subscription services.
History
Launch
The CBeebies channel launched on 11 February 2002, with the first show to air being Teletubbies. The domestic CBeebies channel broadcasts from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm each day. The station was joined in March 2007 by an audio CBeebies Radio, which broadcast for three hours each day on the radio station BBC Radio 7 until April 2011. CBeebies Radio, however, has continued as a feature on the channel's website since 2013, and as a station on BBC Sounds broadcasting from 6am to 10pm. A magazine called CBeebies Weekly was first published in 2006.Since 27 March 2013, CBeebies has been carried by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, sharing a channel with BFBS Extra. The UK channel is also available in the Republic of Ireland.
International and Non-English versions
owns and operates the international CBeebies feeds, with most of them operating on a 24-hour schedule.The first international launch for the CBeebies channel was in India in May 2007, although the channel was withdrawn at the end of November 2012 due to "commercial considerations". The Polish CBeebies channel was launched in December 2007, while feeds in Latin America, Asia, South Africa and Australia were launched in 2008.
In March 2011, the on demand version of the network was launched in the US and is available on Xfinity.
On 13 May 2011, CBeebies was launched as a programme block on the channel BBC Kids in Canada, available on weekdays between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. It is serving a similar schedule to the main channel. The block ceased alongside its main channel on 31 December 2018, with some programmes moving to Knowledge Network.
In April 2015, BBC Worldwide signed with South Korean broadcaster KBS and Japanese broadcaster Kids Station to launch CBeebies blocks on both channels.
In April 2016, a channel for the MENA region was launched.
On 10 March 2017, CBeebies Asia was launched in Taiwan, replacing BBC Entertainment. CBeebies Asia has already launched in Hong Kong, South Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. On 13 April 2017, the localised CBeebies feed for Latin America ceased transmissions along with BBC Earth and BBC Entertainment.
On 5 April 2018, a feed was launched on Digiturk in Turkey.
In September 2018 as part of a branding strategy, the unbranded 2-hour children's block on BBC Alba was split into CBeebies Alba and CBBC Alba, with the former airing during the first hour and the latter airing during the second hour. This block features its own presentation, presenters and shows all dubbed into Scottish Gaelic.
On 1 December 2019, The Australian feed launched in New Zealand on Sky.
Since 2017, BBC Kids created a CBeebies programming block from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Canada. The announcer changed his or her voice to sound like from Canada.
Management
In the UK, CBeebies is operated by the BBC Children's division and part of BBC North. The division is also responsible for CBBC and overall strategic responsibility for all of the BBC's domestic services for children rests with the Director of Children's, Alice Webb. The direction of the domestic CBeebies channel itself rested with Kay Benbow, the last Controller of the channel commissioning all CBeebies content across BBC television, online, interactive TV, and radio. She took over from the first controller Michael Carrington in 2010. In 2017 it was announced that the CBeebies controller post will close in December 2017 and all content for the CBeebies brand would be commissioned by a new, pan BBC Children's role entitled Head of Content.Internationally, CBeebies is owned by BBC Studios, who operate the brand.
Presentation
The links between programmes on CBeebies are primarily achieved through the use of in-vision continuity, using presenters to interact with the children. In the UK, links are pre-recorded rather than broadcast live, as is the case on sister channel CBBC. They were originally pre-recorded from studio TC0 at BBC Television Centre in London, however, moved out in 2008 to Teddington Studios, and returned briefly in 2010. From September 2011, the links have been based at the BBC's Northern base at Dock10, MediaCityUK, following the move of the BBC Children's department there. International variants feature broadcast links produced either in the corresponding country or from a central base.Logo and idents
Presenters
As well as hosting some of the shows, a number of presenters fill the gaps between the CBeebies shows, speaking directly to the child, leading activities based on a topic from the CBeebies website, showing viewers' birthday cards, and introducing the shows. Many of the presenters have histories as characters on other services or on children's programmes.In the UK, presenters seen on the channel and the stranded service are:
- Andy Day
- Katy Ashworth
- Cat Sandion
- Rebecca Keatley
- Ben Cajee
- Dodge T. Dog
- Evie Pickerill
- Joanna Adeyinka-Burford
- Nigel Clarke
- Sue Monroe
- Nicole Davis
- Justin Fletcher
- Sarah-Jane Honeywell
- Eva Alexander
- Chris Jarvis
- Pui Fan Lee
- Sidney Sloane
- Alex Winters
- Cerrie Burnell
- Ryan Russell
The international variants feature different personalities per broadcast region.
- The Australian feed is the only non-UK CBeebies service to feature more than one presenter, as this feed features 3 presenters. Tara Colegrave has presented since the channel's launch in 2008 and when the continuity links moved from the UK to Australia, she was joined by Robbie Harding and Duncan Fellows in 2011.
- The Asian feed shown in countries like Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore has Nisha Anil is the main presenter.
- The now-defunct Latin American feed variant had Roser Cabañas as the presenter.
- The Polish channel has had Aneta Bożena Piotrowska as main presenter since its launch in 2008. On some occasions between November 2014 to 2016 Aneta appeared on the UK channel.
- The South African feed utilises former UK presenter Sid Sloane. Cat Sandion also presented on this feed before becoming a presenter on the UK version.
- The CBeebies Alba block on BBC Alba uses Bard Cornark, Ben Cajee and Carrie Macneil as the presenters.
Stranded Segments
On 10 March 2003 a segment called the Bedtime Hour was aired.
From 3 April to 19 December 2004, each weekend afternoon was divided into five segments, which were presented by one of the then-current presenters, namely Chris Jarvis, Nicole Davis, Pui Fan Lee, Sidney Sloane and Sue Monroe. Each was given a core theme. The five segments aired from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm; the segmentation was later dispensed in December 2004, although the presenters still wore their respective colours for several months afterwards. They also cropped up in props used in links, such as coloured plates.
The five coloured room sections ran from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm and included the following:
- Pui's Exploring Hour , with programmes such as Come Outside, Teletubbies Everywhere, Tots TV, Boo!, Bits and Bobs, and Fab Lab
- Sid's Fix-It Hour , with programmes such as Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Little Robots, and Postman Pat
- Chris's Singalong Hour , with programmes such as Tweenies, Zingalong, and Balamory
- Sue's Make and Do Hour , with programmes such as SMarteenies, Tikkabilla, Pingu, and Big Cook, Little Cook
- Nicole's Furry Friends Hour , with programmes such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Koala Brothers, Angelmouse, Barnaby Bear, Binka,and The Magic Key
New strands were introduced on 3 April 2006; Get Set Go from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Explorers from 9:00 am to 10:00 am and 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Busy Beebies from 10:00 am to 11:45 am and 2:00 pm to 3:45 pm, Story Corner from 11:45 am to 12:00 pm and 3:45 pm to 4:00 pm and Little Lunchers from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. The Bedtime Hour was retained.
On 19 March 2007, these segments were dropped and modified to denote the time of day and the levels of activity, including:
- Get Set Go – Early morning schedule between 6:00am and 9:00am; retained from 2006 and given longer hours. Includes programmes such as Something Special, Baby Jake, Twirlywoos, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Postman Pat, Bing, Hey Duggee, Tinpo, Biggleton, Justin's House, Octonauts and Go Jetters.
- Discover and Do – Late morning and early afternoon, weekdays between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm. The strand is aimed at young children who would not be attending school or pre-school. It often contains programmes that give a learning opportunity to viewers, such as Show Me Show Me, Let's Play, Andy's Baby Animals, Teletubbies, My First, Alphablocks & Yakka Dee. The hour between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm is branded as Lunch Time and features shows such as My World Kitchen, Molly and Mack & Patchwork Pals.
- Big Fun Time – Late afternoon weekdays between 3:00 pm and 5:45 pm. This strand is notable for aiming at the higher end of its remit, airing programming for children who have recently returned from school. Programmes include Swashbuckle, Do You Know?, Andy's Safari Adventures, Apple Tree House, Catie's/Grace's Amazing Machines, Bitz & Bob, Waffle the Wonder Dog & Gigglebiz.
- Bedtime – The final hour and 15 minutes of CBeebies broadcasting between 5:45 pm and 7:00 pm. The original stranded section of the channel, Bedtime helps to prepare children for bed and features calm-natured programming. Programmes include Clangers, Moon & Me, Charlie and Lola, Tee and Mo and In the Night Garden. Story-telling is often told during the programmes. The final programme is always the Bedtime Stories slot and is followed by a final song, "The Time Has Come to Say Goodnight", before the channel closes for the day and BBC Four starts up. CBeebies Bedtime was renamed from Bedtime Hour as of 4 February 2019.
Storytimes
While the lunchtime story is usually read by one of the regular presenters, the final show of each day, the Bedtime Story is read by a guest storyteller, including well known actors, comedians, and past presenters of BBC children's television. Some notable storytellers in this slot have included James McAvoy, Simon Pegg, David Hasselhoff, Lulu, Damian Lewis, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens, David Tennant, Ben Faulks, Michael Rosen, Floella Benjamin, Shayne Ward, Chris Evans, Big Bird, Tom Hardy, David Schwimmer, Dolly Parton, Sir Elton John, Rick Astley and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA.In an unusual move, James Bolam appeared on "Bedtime Story" in costume and in character as Grandpa from Grandpa in My Pocket, not as himself. Another moment like this happened in July of 2020, when Gemma Hunt appeared as her character in Swashbuckle, Gem.
Lesser-known storytellers James Blishen and Elliot King have appeared in and taken inspiration from CBeebies' storytime slot, with a programme for James in pre-planning called 'Storytime with James'.
CBeebies HD
The channel launched on 10 December 2013, though was rolled-out nationwide up to June 2014. The channel broadcasts on the BBC's new HD multiplex on Freeview and shares its stream with BBC Four HD as they air at different times. Prior to launch, the majority of CBeebies' HD output was broadcast on BBC HD before its closure on 26 March 2013.Other ventures
CBeebies website
The CBeebies website coincided with the launch of the UK channel in February 2002 and showcases a child friendly site with activities themed to all CBeebies programmes, past and present, with games, songs and print-outs featuring for nearly all shows. The UK version also features links to CBeebies iPlayer, a child friendly version of the BBC iPlayer featuring CBeebies programmes only, to CBeebies radio player and a dedicated micro site containing advice for raising children and toddlers called CBeebies Grown-ups, which was relaunched in 2011.The international channels and associated websites are run by BBC Studios. As a result, not all of them are the same and some channels have less extensive websites than other services. CBeebies channels in Asia, Australia, Poland, South Africa and the USA all have their own international variant.
VHS and DVD releases
have released several VHS/DVD compilations featuring shows airing on CBeebies at the time. As of 2014, Abbey Home Media releases the compilations.| VHS or DVD title | Release date | Programmes and Episodes |
| CBeebies: The Best of Pre-School Television | 28 October 2002 | Fimbles: Tambourine, Tweenies: Invitations, Bill and Ben: Around and Around, Andy Pandy: A Noisy Supper, Teletubbies Everywhere: Ice Skating |
| Playtime: Introducing Tikkabilla | 4 October 2004 | Tikkabilla in a 45-minute special, Bill and Ben: Go Fly a Kite/A Piece of Sky, Tweenies: Champions, Yoho Ahoy: Pancake with Poop/Paint with Booty, Little Robots: A Bit of Give and Take/By Myself, Andy Pandy: Rub-A-Dub/Potato Prints NOTE: This VHS/DVD also has the Andy Pandy song Honey in it, which comes after Rub-A-Dub. |
| CBeebies: The Ultimate Party Collection | 16 April 2007 | Big Cook Little Cook: Postman, Bobinogs: Happy Bobi-Birthday, The Roly Mo Show: Little Bo’s Birthday , Higgledy House: Birthday, Charlie and Lola: This is Actually My Party, Tweenies: Fizz’s Birthday , Balamory: The Lost Letter, The Koala Brothers: Penny's Birthday Surprise, Fimbles: Party Hat, Lunar Jim: A Surprise for Jim, LazyTown: Miss Roberta, Me Too: Disco Taxi |
| CBeebies: The Ultimate Summer Collection | 16 July 2007 | Balamory: Beach Bonanza, Fimbles: Seashell, Boogie Beebies: Dancing on the Sand, The Koala Brothers: Lolly's New Flavour, Tweenies: Summer, Me Too: The Juicer, Little Robots: Under the Stars, Higgledy House: Summertime, The Roly Mo Show: Beach, Big Cook Little Cook: Jack and Jill, Charlie and Lola: The Most Wonderfullest Picnic in the Whole Wide World |
| CBeebies: The Ultimate Christmas Collection | 12 November 2007 | Me Too: The Waterfall, Boogie Beebies: I Wish it Would Snow, Balamory: Panto, Fimbles: Tune, Lunar Jim: Too Many Fluffies, Charlie and Lola: Snow is my Favourite and My Best, Big Cook Little Cook: Father Christmas, The Roly Mo Show: Too Cold, Higgledy House: Movie, Tweenies: White Christmas |
| CBeebies: Get Set Go! | 21 July 2008 | The Roly Mo Show: Sports Day, Charlie and Lola: I Am Really, Really, Really Concentrating, Me Too: Sports Day, The Large Family: The Big Race, Tweenies: Fast and Slow, LazyTown: Sports Day, Little Robots: Good Sport Sporty, Higgledy House: Fitness, The Koala Brothers: George's Big Race, Fimbles: Chequered Flag |
| CBeebies: Bedtime | 20 October 2008 | Charlie and Lola: I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed, Fimbles: Moon, Me Too: I Want to Say Goodnight, Teletubbies: Putting Angus to Bed, Higgledy House: Bedtime, The Roly Mo Show: Sweet Dreams, Little Robots: Sweet Dreams Scary, Balamory: Bedtime, Tweenies: Sleepover, Charlie and Lola: Can You Maybe Turn the Light On |
| CBeebies: Big Fun Time | 16 February 2009 | Harry and Toto: Stop and Go, Brum: Brum and the Airport Adventure, Little Robots: Metal Makes Us Special, LazyTown: Little Sportacus, Lunar Jim: Rover's Big Dig, Higgledy House: Babysitting, Charlie and Lola: I Want to Be Much More Bigger Like You, The Large Family: Elephants Never Forget, Fimbles: Wellington, The Koala Brothers: Mitzi's Busy Day, Boogie Beebies: Roll Up, Roll Up, The Roly Mo Show: Come Dancing, Me Too: Smiles and Frowns |
| CBeebies: Discover + Do | 25 May 2009 | The Roly Mo Show: Dear Diary, Higgledy House: Cleaning the House, Me Too: Girl on a Bike, Balamory: Treasure Hunt, Charlie and Lola: I Am Goody the Good, Boogie Beebies: Building, Tweenies: Growing Bulbs, Big Cook Little Cook: Explorer, Fimbles: Cardboard Box |
| CBeebies: Greatest Hits! | 26 April 2010 | Teletubbies: Follow My Leader, Balamory: Disco, Charlie and Lola: I Can Dance Like a Dancer, The Roly Mo Show: Making Music, 3rd and Bird: A Chorus for Us!, LazyTown: Rockin' Robbie, Tweenies: Favourite Songs, Harry and Toto: Quiet and Loud, Boogie Beebies: Baby Boogie, Little Robots: The Sound of Music, Fimbly Songtime: Fimble Dance, Tommy Zoom: Boyz Noise, Big Cook Little Cook: Pop Star, The Koala Brothers: Josie's New Tune, Dirtgirlworld: Creepy Crawly Concert This is CBeebies, Get Set Go song, Discover and Do song, Lunchtime song, Birthday song, Big Fun Time song, Sunset song, Goodnight song, Spring song, Summer song, Autumn song, Winter song, Weekend song |
Album releases
Five CBeebies-branded CDs have been released, 'CBeebies: The Official Album' in 2002, 'My CBeebies Album' in 2006, 'My CBeebies Album ' in 2007, 'CBeebies: Song Time' in 2010, and 'CBeebies: The Album' in 2012.CBeebies Land
CBeebies Land opened in May 2014. Designed as a retheme of the previous Storybook Land and Old McDonald's Farmyard areas of the Alton Towers Resort theme park, it contains a range of themed rides, attractions and live entertainment based around various popular CBeebies programmes. It offers various indoor and outdoor activities aimed at making an immersive and interactive world for children and young families.The site based within Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire includes some of the more popular characters from the original channel for guests to meet. Described as a 'fun environment for pre-schoolers to play and learn' by critics. Before CBeebies Land, Alton Towers didn’t have enough rides suitable for young children and since opening CBeebies Land now makes visiting Alton Towers exciting for younger children.
At the start of the year, the theme park sporadically released information on the characters involved in the development via their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
- On 4 January, Mr Tumble was the first character confirmed - featuring in the Something Special Sensory Garden and 5 January saw Mr. Bloom confirmed as featuring in the development in the form of Mr Bloom's Allotments.
- On 6 January, the park revealed an In the Night Garden... redesign of their existing Riverbank Eyespy. On the re-themed attraction, In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, guests will be able to drift around the 'enchanted dreamworld'; an area that will use colours, sights and sounds to bring picture books to life. Iggle Piggle, Makka Pakka and Upsy Daisy will all be on the Night Garden Island to help children appreciate the values of diversity, and enjoy the wonder in the world around them.
The fourth reveal on 7 January was that of Nina and the Neurons Based around the popular show which sees Nina, with the help of her animated sense Neurons, explain how and why the world around us works as it does. Nina's Science Lab will bring together the Neurons to show how they control your five senses. In a hands-on scientific attraction, children will learn how their bodies work and what they do.
The latest addition to CBeebies Land for the 2019 season are two drop towers located next to the Mr Bloom's Allotment attraction. On 1 March 2019, it was confirmed that the drop towers would be named Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop. They are a relocation of the Hip & Hop drop towers at the Sea Life Adventure Park, Oberhausen, Germany.
Awards
The UK channel and the programmes it has broadcast have received a number of awards throughout the years. In 2002, the CBeebies Interactive TV Services was nominated in the Best Interactive Service category and CBeebies Online was nominated in the same category in 2005 at the BAFTA Children's Awards. The channel was awarded Best Children's Channel and Highly Commended at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards 2006, however only achieved a nomination in 2007 and 2008. The channel was also named Children's Channel of the Year at the BAFTA Children's awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016 and was nominated for Channel of the Year in 2008The CBeebies UK website was nominated Best Interactive Site at the 2007 BAFTA Children's awards, and the brand as a whole also won the Best Design and Innovation award by the Royal Television Society, whose awarding panel said "Its website is an integral part of the brand, with its TV production and online teams working together to create innovative game play and immersive web experiences."