Introduction
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The nation's favourite children's channel, CBeebies, is celebrating its fifth birthday with a host of new shows and fresh new look, from Monday 19 March.
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CBeebies Creative Director, Michael Carrington said: "We're launching a raft of new, innovative programming alongside our bedrock of family favourites. We have to remember that our audience keeps growing from tot to toddler to tearaway, so our programming needs to grow and change with them.
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"While we have globally recognised, award-wining programmes that will continue to be the foundation of the channel, we felt that it was time for a new look and some exciting new programmes for all our viewers."
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So, from today, the old-fashioned, bare studio sets will be gone and the presenters will take up residence in their new home, literally.
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Michael Carrington continued: "We want to make CBeebies a home from home for the under six-year-olds. For most young children, their world is quite small and centres on their family house.
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"So we've given our presenters a new home and they'll present in different places at different times of the day – perhaps the kitchen for breakfast time, the bedroom or sofa for story time and the garage for action adventures after school."
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Another major part of the channel's new look is its "zones". Driven by suggestions from parents and carers up and down the country, CBeebies' schedule will now mirror a child's activities through the day.
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First thing in the morning it's Get Set Go with lots of lively programmes to fit around teeth cleaning and getting ready for school.
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Once the four to six-year-olds are at the school gates, Discover And Do begins with more emphasis on exploring, making and learning for the under four-year-olds.
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At 3pm, after a long day at school, it's Big Fun Time which revels in sheer entertainment for all, before winding down with story time in the well established Bedtime Hour.
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Carrington continued: "We've spoken to a lot of parents and carers and collectively they made one big suggestion to us – to mirror the family rhythms of the day with clear programming for specific ages at specific times. I hope that our new 'zones' should make it easier for our viewers to find all their favourite shows."
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The CBeebies birthday celebration and changes aren't just limited to television. Monday also sees an enhanced audio offering with CBeebies Radio as part of the children's schedule on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 7.
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The programmes will transmit between 2 and 5pm daily, jam-packed full of CBeebies characters alongside specially commissioned programming for the under six-year-olds.
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The CBeebies online and interactive re-fresh isn't far behind. Over the next couple of months the whole CBeebies site will be redesigned with more programme-linked content and activities plus the special Grown Ups zone featuring parenting advice and information.
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Carrington added: "CBeebies is already the fourth most visited section of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ website behind the news, sport and football home pages.
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"It will also now encompass CBeebies Radio (which can be accessed via the site or on a DAB radio). I'm really excited that these new developments and changes allow us to increase CBeebies' offering to children under six across all of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's broadcasting mediums."
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At the heart of the new TV schedule are three extraordinary new shows.
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Tommy Zoom, for four to six-year-olds, is CBeebies first multi-platform commission. Born online where he was getting literally millions of hits, Tommy now has his own show.
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Tommy, his dog Daniel and his super-hero alter-ego Tommy Zoom tackle everyday ecological battles to save the world from the evil Polluto.
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For the three to six-year-olds, Mama Mirabelle's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Movies is an innovative, transatlantic co-production which celebrates the comedy, drama and gentle wisdom of the animal kingdom through a vibrant blend of animation and live action clips extracted from thousands of hours of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Natural History Unit and the National Geographic's outstanding archives.
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For CBeebies youngest viewers, Ragdoll's new show In The Night Garden brings together the best in the latest technical innovations in live character costume technology and CG animation, woven together within a stunning natural setting to create a compelling, appealing show for the under four-year-olds.
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Michael Carrington summed up: "With our new look, new schedule, new services and new series, we're thinking big for little people."
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Notes to Editors
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CBeebies scheduling (daily from Monday 19 March):
- In the Night Garden – 11am, 2pm and 6.20pm on CBeebies
- Mama Mirabelles Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Movies – daily at 9.20am and 12.20pm on CBeebies
- Tommy Zoom – daily at 5pm on CBeebies
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CBeebies on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two scheduling (daily from Tuesday 20 March):
- In the Night Garden – 10am
- Mama Mirabelle's Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Movies – 9.45am
- Tommy Zoom – 8.30am
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CBeebies Radio can be heard daily between 2 and 5pm on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 7. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 7 is available on DAB digital radio, digital TV and online.
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