CBBC (Children's BBC) is the brand-name for the BBC's children's television programmes aimed at children aged between 6 and 12 years old. The Children's BBC name as a dedicated programming strand began on 9 September 1985, with the CBBC name used informally since 1990. This became official with a relaunch of the BBC's branding in 1997.
CBBC programmes are shown on BBC One, BBC Two and the CBBC Channel. CBBC has a sister brand, CBeebies, for children under 6. The CBBC brand for BBC One and BBC Two are known as CBBC One on BBC One and CBBC Two on BBC Two.
CBBC comes under the control of the BBC Children's department, who are responsible for creating programming for children up to the age of 16. It is based in the East Tower of the BBC Television Centre, with some programmes coming from Scotland and Bristol.
Since February 2006, the Controller of BBC Children's has been Richard Deverell, with Anne Gilchrist as Creative Director of CBBC and Michael Carrington as Creative Director of CBeebies.
The department splits output into age groups, with CBeebies for ages up to 6, the CBBC brand for ages 6 to 12, and BBC Switch, for ages 12 to 16.
Contents |
CBBC produces a whole range of programme types, including drama, news, entertainment, educational programmes and what is known as 'contemporary factual'.
From launch until 1994, links between programmes were usually broadcast from the NC1 (BBC1) continuity suite, dubbed The Broom Cupboard. It was kitted out with a set and was fully operational, with the presenter actually operating the vision mixing and audio consoles. By 1994, the operation was expanded; Presentation Studio A was used until 1997, before moving to the purpose-built studio TC9, near the Blue Peter garden at BBC Television Centre. During a brief period of expansion in studio facilities in 2005, links for BBC One and BBC Two utilised studio TC10 (on the sixth floor of TV Centre, and originally news studio N1), whilst 'The Channel' became the sole occupant of TC9. The last live continuity links from TC9 were broadcast on BBC One on Friday 1 December 2006, presented for the final time by Angellica Bell and Simon Grant, who left CBBC without being replaced, leading to a reduction in the number of studio presenters. Between Monday 4 December 2006 and Thursday 6 March 2008, all CBBC Presentation output on BBC One, BBC Two and the CBBC Channel was produced from studio TC12. This has since been replaced by a new facility in the East Tower of Television Centre.
From 4 December 2006, CBBC continuity was presented from a small CSO studio by Gemma Hunt and Anne Foy. During Christmas, Level Up presenter Ayesha Asantwaa fronted weekend links. Hunt covered BBC One links and Foy presented links for the channel until February 2007 when the duo switched presenting duties. Comedian and BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Ted Robbins freelanced as a presenter during February half-term and the summer, appearing as The Governor from The Slammer. The CSO presentation format was discontinued on Sunday 2 September 2007 with Gemma Hunt making the final announcement from the set-up.
Monday 3 September 2007 saw the fifth CBBC relaunch.[1][2] As part of the relaunch, new logos, idents, interactive services, programmes and presenters were introduced. The previous CSO computer generated backgrounds used from December 2006 were replaced by a real set. Its design is a reflection of CBBC's roots, with a similar set up to the original Broom Cupboard.
Ed Petrie became the chief continuity presenter, accompanied by puppet sidekick Oucho T. Cactus (operated and voiced by Warrick Brownlow-Pike). The duo regularly present live, weekday afternoon links on the CBBC channel with Petrie voicing pre-recorded, out-of-vision announcements during the weekday strand on BBC One. The duo were on extended leave between 29 August 2008 and 1 December 2008 to record a new series for CBBC. During that time, relief presenter Holly Walsh presented weekday afternoon links.
Anne Foy presented pre-recorded in-vision links at the weekend alongside her dog, Elliot, until her departure in March 2008. Foy was replaced by two new presenters, Ben Hanson and Ciaran Joyce, who previously appeared in CBBC show The Story of Tracy Beaker. The duo regularly present in-vision links at the weekend and stand in for Ed and Oucho.
| Years | Presenters | Current Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-present | Ed Petrie | Weekday afternoons on the CBBC Channel |
| 2007-present | Oucho T. Cactus | Weekday afternoons on the CBBC Channel |
| 2008-present | Ben Hanson | CBBC Channel (Weekends), CBBC on BBC One/Two (Out of vision) |
| 2008-present | Ciaran Joyce | CBBC Channel (Weekends), CBBC on BBC One/Two (Out of vision) |
Notable former presenters have included Phillip Schofield, Andy Crane, Andi Peters, Philippa Forrester, Zoë Ball, Toby Anstis, Chris Jarvis, Kirsten O'Brien, Angellica Bell, Andrew Hayden-Smith and Gemma Hunt.
| Year | Presenters |
|---|---|
| February 2006 | Adam Fleming |
| December 2006 | Ayesha Asantwaa |
| April 2007 | Rani Price |
| Summer 2007, October 2007 | Ted Robbins |
| October 2007 | Lee Barnett |
| December 2007 - January 2008 | Ross Lee |
| 5 July - 2 August | Juan |
| 21 July 2008 - 1 August 2008 | Johny Pitts |
| 1 September 2008 - 28 November 2008 | Holly Walsh |
| 1 September 2008 - 28 November 2008 | Dunceton the Brain |
These logos show how the visual style of CBBC has developed over the course of its life:
| 1985-1991 | 1991-1997 | 1997-2002 |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-2005 | 2005-2007 | 2007- present |
CBBC extra is a free interactive television service from CBBC provided by BBC Red Button. It is accessible from the CBBC Channel by pressing red and then selecting CBBC extra. It can also be accessed from any other BBC channel by pressing red and going to page number 570. The service differs across digital platforms, for example DSAT (i.e: Sky) viewers can access a video loop. Its availability on DTT (Freeview) is dependent upon BBCi not showing other interactive services, such as major sports events coverage.[3]
CBBC extra offers 'Nev's Horoscopes', games, the UK Top 40, jokes sent in by viewers and a weekly competition.
Former presenters of CBBC Extra include Matt Edmonson, Rani Price, Sophie McDonnell, Mohini Sule and Anne Foy. The current presenter is Ed Petrie.
This new feature allows the viewers to play a quiz. Viewers can also send in their question which could be shown to the nation. There are 5 levels, each containing 5 questions. CBBC Quiz can be found by pressing the red button on a BBC television channel and keying in page 570. Viewers then arrive at CBBC Extra and can then select the option that reads CBBC Quiz. Alternatively, viewers can tune in to the CBBC Channel, press the red button and select CBBC Quiz from the main menu.
The CBBC website provides a wide range of activities for viewers, such as games, puzzles, message boards and frequently updated news feeds.
My CBBC is a feature to the new CBBC website. It allows the user to create their own "den" or room in which the can furnish. It is also possible to create your own avatar. The new feature is heavily promoted on the CBBC Channel.
Adventure Rock (previously named CBBC World) is a virtual online world that launched on 1 March 2008. Press releases have stated "it would allow digitally literate children the access to characters and resources they had come to expect. Users would be able to build an online presence, known as an avatar, then create and share content."
The emphasis on the system is on safety and responsibility, with no chatrooms or the financial aspects available in other online worlds such as Second Life.
Controller of Children's BBC Richard Deverell said:" Adventure Rock is a good example of the way we need to go. The thing that interests me is that children are at the vanguard. And that is where we are taking Children's BBC."[4]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||