CBeebies is a British television channel produced by the BBC and aimed at children 4 years and under. Launched on 11 February 2002 it broadcasts from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Freeview (where it shares bandwidth with BBC Four, broadcast after 7 p.m.), cable, IPTV and digital satellite. An audio counterpart, CBeebies Radio, broadcasts for 3 hours everyday on BBC 7 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The CBBC Channel is its sister channel for older children. ^[1]

CBeebies offers a mix of education and entertainment programming. The schedule on CBeebies is the same every weekday, with a different schedule (often with different programmes) at the weekends. Between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends, all programmes are signed. CBeebies also has programmes on BBC One and BBC Two and are known as CBeebies on BBC One and CBeebies on BBC Two. Michael Carrington is the current Controller for CBeebies, responsible for commissioning all content across BBC Television, On-line, Interactive TV, and Radio. ^[2].

The continuity for CBeebies is broadcast from Studio 4 of Teddington Studios, a small, widescreen equipped studio^[3]. It is understood that CBeebies will be able to make use of Teddington's facilities for half the rate charged to it by BBC Resources for studios at Television Centre - saving the channel around £500,000 per year.

The international CBeebies channel is commercial-free and wholly-owned by BBC Worldwide. The first international launch for the CBeebies channel was in India in May 2007. The channel is available on the TataSky digital satellite platform in addition to India online Broadband Pvt Ltd. The channel launched in Singapore on the mio TV in July 2007, on NOW TV in Hong Kong in October 2007, in Poland on the Cyfrowy Polsat digital satellite platform in December 2007, in Indonesia on Indovision in April 2008 in Mexico on the Sky Latin America digital satellite platform in August 2008, and in Africa on DStv in September 2008. It will launch in Australia on FOXTEL on November 1, 2008.

Programming

Strands

Get Set Go

CBeebies' first block of the day is Get Set Go, presented by Andy Day, and broadcasts between 6am and 9am. On a weekend, Sidney Sloane co-presents Get Set Go alongside Day.

Discover & Do

Get Set Go is followed by Discover & Do, presented by Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee. Broadcast between 9am and 12pm, the strand is repeated between 12pm and 3pm.

Big Fun Time

Big Fun Time, hosted by Sidney Sloane, is broadcast from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. On a weekend, Andy Day co-presents "Big Fun Time" alongside Sloane.

Bedtime Hour

CBeebies's final hour of transmission is given over to Bedtime Hour. The programmes are calm, often involving stories, such as 64 Zoo Lane, The Fimbles, Step Inside, The Story Makers and The Roly Mo Show. In March 2007, a new series, In the Night Garden, debuted in the strand.

The closing programme of the day features a celebrity reading a bedtime story, in the tradition of Jackanory. Recent celebrities have included most of the cast of the drama series Life on Mars.

The strand begins at 6pm with a song ("Goodbye Sun, Hello Moon") and concludes with a pre-recorded clip of continuity presenter Chris Jarvis singing a lullaby ("The Time Has Come to Say Goodnight"). Following the song, the station closes down for the night.

Presenters

Currently, the continuity presenting team consists of:

• Pui Fan Lee ^[4]
• Chris Jarvis ^[4]
• Sidney Sloane ^[4]
• Andy Day ^[4]
• Aneta Piotrowska (Cbeebies Poland) ^[5]

Relief presenters

Tikkabilla and Something Special presenter Justin Fletcher also occasionally provides links. Sarah Jane Honeywell also makes occasional appearances, as does former staff presenter Sue Monroe (Cbeebies Springwatch)^[6]

Previous presenters

• Sue Monroe (until March 2006)^[7]
• Nicole Davis (until February 2006)^[8]
• Eva Alexander (February to October 2006)^[4]

Almost all the CBeebies presenters have appeared in children's programmes prior to presenting CBeebies ? Pui Fan Lee originally played the Teletubbies character Po, and Sue Monroe voiced and puppeteeredTigs in The Shiny Show. She also operated and voiced Poppy in Playdays and Webster for CBeebies.^[9]

Prior to 2006, links between programmes on weekend mornings were presented out-of-vision and featured a pair of animated characters called Bear And Butterfly (voiced by Chris Jarvis, Pui Fan Lee and Sue Monroe.)

Songs

CBeebies presentation throughout the day is accompanied by songs sung by the presenters.

Regular songs

• What's the Day?: Originally each weekday was divided into five segments, each presented by one of the original five "core presenters" namely Chris, Nicole, Pui, Sid and Sue. The start of each segment was accompanied by the What's the Day? song. Each segment was themed (for instance Sid's segment included "building and making" programmes such as "Bob the Builder", Nicole's included animal programmes and so on). Latterly the segmentation was dispensed with, except for the Bedtime Hour discussed below.
• The Birthday Song: sung before presenters show cards sent in on behalf of their young viewers who are celebrating a birthday that day. CBeebies does not use Happy Birthday to You which despite wide public performance is purportedly a copyrighted work. ^{[10] [11] [12]}
• It's time for Lunch: Broadcast at 12 noon includes Eva, Chris, Sid and Pui buying fruit and vegetables from market stalls, preparing food such as sandwiches and eating them. ^[12]
• Goodbye Sun, Hello Moon: Broadcast at 6 p.m. to mark the beginning of the Bedtime Hour.
• Goodnight: Lullaby broadcast at 7pm to mark the close of transmission from CBeebies. ^[12]

Occasional songs

• Sid Says: a rap-style presentation by Sid, who tells the audience to perform simple actions (such as "Sid says, Sid says, Sid says, Sid says, Sid says 'wave your hands'"). ^[12]
• Number Debut: This song was only ever sung 4 times in history by Sid & Sarah-Jane. It was a rap sung before showings of Numberjacks about Sid getting his numbers in the wrong order.

Seasonal songs

• Happy Christmas: during the Christmas 2006 season, a segment was recorded featuring Chris, Sid, Pui, Justin and Sarah-Jane singing the 'Happy Christmas from CBeebies to you' song. ^[6]

Awards

• Children's Channel of the Year awarded at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards (25 November 2007)^[13]

• Best Music Original Score John Greswell & David Schweitzer for Charlie and Lola at the Royal Television Society Awards (29 November 2007)^[14]

• Best Pre-school Animation Series awarded to Charlie & Lola at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards^[13]

• Best Writer awarded to Anna Starkey for Charlie & Lola at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards^[13]

• Best Children's Live-Action Series awarded to In the Night Garden at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards^[13]

• Best Children's Programme awarded to Nina & the Neurons at the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2007 ^[15]

• Best Children's Programme awarded for Charlie & Lola at the Broadcast Awards 2007 ^[16]

• Best TV Series for Children and Adults awarded to Charlie & Lola at the Bradford Animation Festival 2006 ^[17]

• CBeebies was Highly Commended in the Best Children's Channel category at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards 2006 ^[18]

• Best Pre-school Live Action Series awarded to CBeebies AutumnWatch at the BAFTA Children's Awards 2006 ^[19]

• Best Pre-school Live Action Series awarded to Boogie Beebies at the BAFTA Children's Awards 2005 ^[20]

References

External links

• CBeebies Magazine
• CBeebies to move (Broadcast)
• CBeebies to quit BBC TV Centre (The Guardian)

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