BBC Children's and Education facts for kids

BBC Children's and Education is a special part of the BBC. It creates TV shows, websites, and other content just for kids in the UK. They have two main brands you might know:

• CBBC is for older kids and teenagers, usually aged 7 to 17.
• CBeebies is for younger children.

Before 2002, all BBC children's shows were simply called CBBC. Now, CBBC and CBeebies each have their own TV channels. The CBBC channel broadcasts from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The CBeebies channel is on from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Both brands also have their own websites and content on BBC iPlayer.

What Shows Can You Watch?

BBC Children's creates and buys many different types of shows. These include exciting dramas, fun shows for pre-schoolers on CBeebies, news for kids, entertainment, and factual programmes. This means CBBC and CBeebies offer a mix of shows, just like the main BBC channels, but made especially for young people.

Some of the longest-running and most popular shows on CBBC include the famous magazine show Blue Peter. Other current shows you might enjoy are 4 O'Clock Club, Almost Never, The Dumping Ground, Got What It Takes?, Horrible Histories, Junior Bake Off, Shaun the Sheep, and Danger Mouse.

How Did Kids' TV Change on BBC?

For many years, BBC children's shows were shown on the main BBC One and BBC Two channels. In 1985, they started a special block called Children's BBC. This meant kids' shows had dedicated times each day.

• In the mornings, there were often shows for younger kids.
• In the afternoons, from about 3:00 PM to 5:35 PM, older kids could watch their favourite programmes.
• On weekends, especially Saturday mornings, there were popular shows like Going Live!

Over time, more children's programmes started appearing on BBC Two, especially during school holidays. By 1995, there was even a "Children's BBC Breakfast Show" on BBC Two.

New Channels: CBeebies & CBBC

Big changes happened in 2001 and 2002. The BBC decided to create two separate channels just for children. This was done to better serve different age groups.

• On 3 September 2001, the shows on BBC One and BBC Two started to be separated by age.
• Then, the new digital channels, CBeebies and CBBC, officially launched.

Even after the new channels started, children's shows still aired on BBC One and BBC Two. This was because not everyone had digital TV yet. Many kids still watched their favourite shows on the main channels.

Moving to Dedicated Channels

In 2008, the times for CBBC shows on BBC One changed slightly. This happened because a show called The Weakest Link moved to BBC One. This meant CBBC had to finish earlier.

A report in 2009 found that fewer kids were watching shows like Blue Peter and Newsround on BBC One. This was because more and more children were watching the dedicated CBBC and CBeebies channels.

Finally, in 2012, the BBC decided to move all children's programming permanently to the CBBC and CBeebies channels. This happened after most homes in the UK had switched to digital TV. It meant that children's shows stopped being shown regularly on BBC One and BBC Two. The last children's programme on BBC One aired on 21 December 2012. The CBeebies morning block on BBC Two ended on 4 January 2013.

Occasional Returns to BBC One and BBC Two

Sometimes, children's programming does return to the main channels for special reasons. For example:

• In September 2017, Saturday Mash-Up! started airing on BBC Two on Saturday mornings.
• In January 2021, during the Covid-19 lockdowns, educational content for children returned to BBC Two to help with home learning.

Other Cool Services

CBBC Website

The CBBC website is packed with fun stuff for kids aged 7 to 16. You can find:

• Lots of games to play.
• Videos of your favourite shows.
• Puzzles and things to print and make.
• A TV guide to see what's on.
• Areas where you can apply to be on a show!

The website also lets you watch shows like Tracy Beaker, Horrible Histories, Shaun the Sheep, Blue Peter, Newsround, and Danger Mouse. You can also use the BBC iPlayer through the website to catch up on shows you missed for up to 29 days.

Channels in Other Languages

The BBC also makes children's shows in other languages spoken in the UK. You can find programmes in Scottish Gaelic on BBC Alba and in Welsh on S4C.

High Definition Channels

CBBC shows are also available in super clear High Definition (HD). The dedicated CBBC HD channel launched on 10 December 2013, so you can watch your favourite shows in amazing quality!

Logos

• 

  This logo was used from 1997 to 2002, before the new TV channels launched.

• 

  This logo was used from 2002 to 2005. It became 3D between 2005 and 2007.

• 

  This logo was used from 2007 to 2016.

• 

  This is the current CBBC logo, used since March 2016.