The News at Bedtime facts for kids
A screenshot of an online trailer for The News at Bedtime featuring Jack Dee (left) as John Tweedledum and Peter Capaldi (right) as Jim Tweedledee.
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| Other names | News at Bedtime |
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| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Jack Dee Peter Capaldi Lucy Montgomery Vicki Pepperdine Dan Tetsell Lewis MacLeod Alex MacQueen |
| Written by | Ian Hislop Nick Newman |
| Produced by | Simon Nicholls |
| Recording studio | Maida Vale Studios |
| Original release | 24 December 2009 – 31 December 2010 |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Opening theme | A remix of the BBC News theme playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". |
| Website | BBC website |
The News at Bedtime is a funny radio show on BBC Radio 4. It was written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. They also write for the funny magazine Private Eye.
This show makes fun of regular news programmes. It's set in a magical place called "Nurseryland." In Nurseryland, all your favorite nursery rhymes and children's stories are real! The main newsreaders are Jack Dee and Peter Capaldi. They play characters named John Tweedledum and Jim Tweedledee. The show first aired around Christmas 2009. It ran from Christmas Eve 2009 to New Year's Day 2010. There was also a special "Year in Review" episode on 31 December 2010.
Welcome to Nurseryland News!
The News at Bedtime is a news show from the amazing world of Nurseryland. Here, nursery rhymes and children's stories are not just tales; they are real events! The main news anchors are John Tweedledum and Jim Tweedledee. They often show that they don't really like each other.
John Tweedledum thinks he is more serious and professional. Jim Tweedledee, on the other hand, loves celebrity gossip and news. When one of them gets annoyed, they hit the other with a toy rattle.
Other fun characters help with the show. Mary Mary is the "Contrary Correspondent." She reports live from all the strange news stories. Peter Rabbi gives a "Thought for the Day" message. And Dilly Dilly tells you the weather.
How the Show Was Made
The News at Bedtime was created by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. Ian is the editor of Private Eye magazine. Nick is his good friend and also writes for the magazine sometimes. The idea for the radio show came from a column they wrote for Private Eye.
Nick Newman explained how they wrote the show. Usually, for Private Eye, they find a real news story. Then they find a nursery rhyme that fits it. But for the radio show, they did the opposite! They started with a nursery rhyme. Then they thought about how it could be a news story. Nick said this made the show "timeless" but still a little bit about current events.
He also shared a cool fact about nursery rhymes. He said, "It's such a mad world, nursery rhymes, when you think about it logically." For example, everyone thinks Humpty Dumpty is just an egg. But Nick explained that Humpty Dumpty was actually a cannon! It was used in the English Civil War. One side blew it up, and it fell down. So, "all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again" was about fixing the cannon. This shows that some nursery rhymes come from real historical events!
Episode Guide
| # | Title | Original airdate | |
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| 1–1 | "Episode 1" | 24 December 2009 | |
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John Tweedledum, Jim Tweedledee and Mary Mary report on the scandal of Jack and his genetically modified beanstalk.
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| 1–2 | "Episode 2" | 25 December 2009 | |
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It is Christmas in Nurseryland, and as everyone prepares for the Christmas Message from The Queen of Hearts, The News at Bedtime reports on the ongoing strike action threatened by Santa Claus over modernisation.
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| 1–3 | "Episode 3" | 28 December 2009 | |
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In a special episode, The News at Bedtime cover the nutrition of Nurseryland, interviewing food campaigner Jack Sprat and with Mary Mary covering the news that a house made from sweets is to be demolished because it is unhealthy.
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| 1–4 | "Episode 4" | 29 December 2009 | |
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Jim Tweedledee reports live from Mooston as the world prepares for a space mission which will see the first cow to jump over the moon.
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| 1–5 | "Episode 5" | 30 December 2009 | |
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Mary Mary reports on a medical operation to try and save the live of an old lady who swallowed a fly, while John Tweedledum interviews Gregory Griggs about the death of Cock Robin.
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| 1–6 | "Episode 6" | 31 December 2009 | |
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There is a disturbing news about the death of an egg sat on a wall, so Mary Mary attempts to interview one of the king's horses and one of the king's men.
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| 1–7 | "Episode 7" | 1 January 2010 | |
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It is New Year's Day and the riot police are called upon during the Teddy Bears' Picnic.
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| 1–8 | "Special: The Year in Review" | 31 December 2010 | |
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Co-news anchors John Tweedledum (Jack Dee) and Jim Tweedledee (Peter Capaldi) host a very special review of the previous year in Nursery Land.
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- The News at Bedtime at BBC Programmes
