CBeebies Grown s6o5h ups Feed

2012-12-19T15:24:36+00:00

CBeebies have got a very special new animation for this Christmas. 'The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas' is the Nativity story as told through the eyes of an adventurous young cow called Marjorie.

Marjorie has heard that a new King is to be born in Bethlehem and there'll be a celebration - probably a street party! - and she really wants to be part of it.

We see very familiar scenes from the Nativity, but told from a slightly different perspective - that of the sheep (rather than the shepherds), the stately camels (rather than their owners, the Wise Men) and the donkey that transported Mary to Bethlehem!

Written by Andy Cutbill and designed by Russell Adjo, the programme is produced by Baby Cow and Komedia who have assembled a stellar comedy cast including Issie Sutie, Johnny Vegas, Miriam Margolyes and Simon Greenall.

'The Cow that Almost Missed Christmas' is a respectful, but very funny interpretation of the Nativity and a lovely celebratory viewing opportunity for all the family.

You can catch Marjorie and friends on CBeebies on Wednesday 19th December at 4.30pm, and again on 24th December at 3.30pm, and 25th December at 8.30am.

'The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas' will also be shown on BBC One on 21st December at 3.30pm, and on BBC Two on 25th December at 6.30am.

2012-12-18T10:21:29+00:00

CBeebies is thrilled to announce that Beatrix Potter's timeless character Peter Rabbit is bounding on to the screen this Christmas! Set in the Lake District, this exciting new series features brand new stories based on the classic Potter tales, and will launch with a Christmas special to whet your appetites before the main series launches in 2013.

Mischievous, charming and brave, Peter is a hero who overcomes obstacles, outwits predators and avoids trouble as he embarks on a series of exciting adventures in his attempt to grow up to be just like his father. They are big paws to fill, but with his father's journal and the help of his best friends Benjamin Bunny and Lily Bobtail, Peter is ready for some fun and delightful new discoveries.

As readers of the original Beatrix Potter series will know, the books aren't without peril and danger - that Peter's father got put in a pie by Mr McGregor! The challenge with this adaptation was how to portray the predation element whilst still being suitable for a preschool audience. The brand-new series is an action-adventure show at its heart, with plenty of thrills and spills, but never shies away from the fact that "foxes chase rabbits - that's just how the world works". In keeping with the Potter books, Peter's father is absent in the series but his death is never mentioned.

Peter Rabbit is full of rich animation, exciting storylies and beautiful characters, and we hope our audience loves it just as much as we do. Peter Rabbit's Christmas Tale transmits on CBeebies on Thursday 20 December at 4.30pm, and Christmas Day on BBC 1 at 9.25am.

Go to the Peter Rabbit webpage

2012-11-29T15:26:36+00:00

We're dusting off the tinsel in the CBeebies office! Christmas is fast approaching and the CBeebies House is a flurry of festive activity with everyone rushing around getting all the Christmas specials ready.

This year we have a bumper crop of brand new seasonal episodes, kicking off with 'Show Me Show Me Winter Special' and 'Baby Jake Loves Christmas' on 17th December, then 'Mr Bloom's Nursery - Hoe Hoe Hoe' on the 18th and 'Mike the Knight and the Sneezing Reindeer' and '64 Zoo Lane - The Story of the Merry Jinglewhizz' on 20th December.

We also have a couple of beautiful one-off Christmas animations; 'The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas', a unique re-telling of the nativity story through the eyes of a cow called Marjorie, who lives in a stable in Bethlehem (I think you can see where that's going…) and 'Peter Rabbit's Christmas Tale'. (This is actually a taste of things to come as we're very excited to be welcoming a full series of animated tales based on Beatrix Potter's classics to CBeebies in the new year!)

The highlight of the Christmas schedule for many of us, of course will be the CBeebies Pantomime. This year Sid is starring as Jack in a special CBeebies adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk which you can watch on December 21st (and then repeatedly on your HD recorder/iplayer another couple of hundred times if the kids have their way!)

This year the cast recorded the Panto songs with the BBC Philharmonic in advance so that little ones can learn them beforehand and have fun singing along when the Panto comes on TV. Andy and Mr Bloom will be introducing a new one every week on the CBeebies website.

Your little Christmas angels will also be able to make their very own shoebox theatre to recreate scenes from the pantomime (printouts and instructions will be able from the website). We'll also have some special Pantomime behind the scenes videos and extras just for you grown-ups so keep an eye on our Grownups pages and social media for those.

The CBeebies website will be building up the excitement to Christmas Day with another fantastic interactive Advent Calendar, little ones will be able to open a new window every day to reveal a unique Christmassy surprise from one of their favourite CBeebies characters or presenters. CBeebies online will also be crammed full of festive things to make and do including Christmas bunting, paper chains and for the first time, Christmas cards featuring favourite CBeebies shows and characters.

For those long car journeys during the holidays don't forget all the lovely CBeebies Radio shows. As well all the great regular programmess like 'Tree Fu Tom Spell School' and 'Nina Goes Inventing', this Christmas, highlights include a Christmas Special presented by Chris from Show Me Show Me, a radio version of the Pantomime and a special episode of our new series about birds 'Feathered Friends'. There are also specials called 'The Ministry of Stories' featuring Radio 4 Woman's Hour presenter Jenni Murray and 'Robin' a Christmas tale from the garden presented by Philippa Forrester. All of them can be listened to online or ed as podcasts to listen to whenever you like.

In the CBeebies House, the presenters will be getting festive showing little ones lots of fantastic things to make and do and will be bringing you a some early Christmas presents: new number raps from 10-15! You can catch all the number raps from 1-15 on the corresponding dates from 1st December.

To round up each day in true CBeebies style we'll have an extra-special bedtime story. This December we've got a selection of magical wintry tales read by some fantastic new readers (including Simon Pegg, Floella Benjamin and Bernard Cribbins!) as well as old favourites like Simon Callow reading 'The Night Before Christmas' and Derek Jacobi reading 'Stickman'.

Believe it or not this is only a small selection of the festive fun going on across CBeebies during December so don't forget to keep an eye on CBeebies Facebook, Twitter and the Grown-ups pages for all the latest.

2011-12-12T13:30:42+00:00

Counting the days till this year's CBeebies Panto, Strictly Cinderella!

We caught up with all our CBeebies stars as they slapped on the greasepaint, crammed into their corsets and got ready to take to the stage.

Strictly Cinderella is on CBeebies on Friday 16th December at 4.30 pm.

2011-12-03T17:42:44+00:00

So, the builders have (mostly!) left, we're all settling into life and work in MediaCityUK and after what has been a year of massive change, it feels really lovely to be looking forward to the first Christmas in our new home.

There is great excitement here at CBeebies, not only about all the amazing things we've got lined-up for the festive season but also about some brilliant news we've just received. Last week Mr Bloom's Nursery won Best Children's Programme at the Royal Television Society North West Awards and then this week CBeebies was crowned Channel of the Year at the Children's BAFTAs for the second year running!

It feels fantastic to know that other people share the love we have for the things we create and enjoy watching and interacting with them as much as we love making them.

I am really excited about all the amazing things we've got in store for Christmas on CBeebies this year. The build-up to Christmas is always a magical time for families and children and it feels lovely to be able to play our part in making it extra-special.

Lots of you have been asking about the Christmas Pantomime, the Winter Song, and all the Christmas and seasonally-themed episodes that make CBeebies feel so special at this time of year.

The festive season kicks off for CBeebies on the 1st December with two special events: the premiere of a brand new Octonauts Christmas special; 'Octonauts and the great Christmas rescue' and the return of the fantastic CBeebies Advent Calendar online.

Little ones can unlock a new treat online every day as they count down to Christmas, including exclusive Christmassy clips from their favourite shows, messages from Justin, Mr Bloom and the CBeebies presenters, specially recorded songs from CBeebies shows and lots more.

There will also be a CBeebies Christmas page to visit with festive games, things to make, songs and clips so there will be plenty to keep little fingers and minds busy between now and when Santa comes…

The CBeebies Pantomime has become a cherished seasonal tradition on the channel and each year it seems to get funnier, and more lovely. This year is a real departure for us because we're teaming up with Strictly Come Dancing to bring you 'Strictly Cinderella'! For one night only, the Strictly set will be transformed into Prince Charming's palace as Alex (playing the prince) tries to woo Cinderella, played by Katrina Bryant (Nina) with the help of 'palace choreographer' Artem Chigvintsev at the Strictly CBeebies dance competition..

It also features plenty of hilarious performances from the rest of the CBeebies family, Justin, Mr Bloom, Chris, Pui, Katy, Nisha, Mr Maker, Sid, Cerrie, Andy - and even a special cameo from the Strictly Judges themselves!

This year we'll also have a special audio production of the Pantomime which will be available on the Grown-ups page from December 15th, perfect for ing and listening to in the car if you're planning a long drive to visit family or friends over the holidays!

You can watch the pantomime on Friday 16th December at 4.30, and we have a few special panto-themed treats like photos and behind the scenes videos just for you grown-ups so keep an eye the Grown-ups page and CBeebies social media sites for those.

We have two brand new seasonal songs this year, a fabulous new Christmas Song featuring Andy, Sid, Cerrie, Alex and Katy getting ready for Christmas in the new CBeebies House and an enchanting 'Winter Song' all about children's experiences of Winter, from getting wrapped up to play outside to wishing for snow. The Winter Song will be hitting your screens on December 5th and you'll be able to see the Christmas one from the 12th December.

I'm also thrilled to be welcoming some new bedtime story readers to CBeebies this Christmas, reading an enchanting selection of festive tales both old and new - more exciting news to come on those very soon!

From 12th December on CBeebies you'll start to see all the lovely Christmas Specials in Big Fun Time after school. Brand new for this year are festive episodes of The Adventures of Abney and Teal, Justin's House, Timmy Time, Mister Maker comes to town, Rastamouse and Mike the Knight, as well as favourites from previous Christmases - Charlie and Lola, Postman Pat, Chuggington, ZingZillas, Show Me Show Me, Gigglebiz and lots more.

You can plan your Christmas viewing through the CBeebies schedule and catch up with anything you miss on the iPlayer

Little ones can access the Advent Calendar here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/

The Christmas page here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/christmas/

You can keep up to date with everything going on over Christmas through the CBeebies Grown-ups Page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/

By 'liking' the CBeebies Facebook Page and following @CBeebiesHQ on Twitter.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful festive season and enjoy all the fantastic Christmas content on CBeebies, as much as we've enjoyed putting it together.

Kay