Distinctive, high quality, original, with the best known kids talent and made in the UK ? the Winter/Spring Season from CBeebies and CBBC across TV, radio and online

Introduction

Piplings, little lamb Timmy, a shrinking Grandad and the first TV show for much loved pair Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee are all on hand to delight the under-sixes this Winter/Spring on CBeebies .

 

On sister channel, CBBC , 6-12 year olds will delight in the return of top secret teenage agents, Richard Hammond in his first show for children plus an all new detective series from the best selling children's author of the Artemis Fowl books.

 

Unveiled today, Richard Deverell , Controller, BBC Children's, said: "This is an exciting season for us ? special versions of BBC iPlayer for CBBC and CBeebies audiences will launch and the programmes unveiled today have at their heart the aim to provide fresh, distinctive and uniquely British content that is loved by every child in the UK.

 

"Our programmes and websites aim to inspire a child's imagination, help a child understand itself and its place in the world and provide positive role models of children for children.

 

"We want to provide moments for children when they can laugh out loud, drop their jaws in astonishment and, above all, be inspired, and I believe that's what we've achieved with this season across radio, tv and online."

 

News highlights of the season include CBeebies favourites Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee pairing up to present a brand new show called Show Me Show Me ; brand new episodes of the phenomenally successful In The Night Garden and children's favourite presenter, Justin Fletcher , in the channel's first ever comedy sketch show, Gigglebox .

 

On CBBC, Sarah Jane Smith ( Elisabeth Sladen ) returns for a third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures in Autumn 2009, produced by Doctor Who supremo Russell T Davies .

 

Together with her companions Rani and Clyde and her adopted son Luke, Sarah Jane once again comes face to face with a whole host of weird and wonderful alien beings.

 

Richard Hammond's Blast Lab sees the star appear in a new science-based game show, his first show for children, and British naturalist and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall returns to CBBC with his most daring adventure yet ? travelling to six continents to find his "deadly 60" most lethal animals on earth.

 

CBeebies Winter/Spring 2009

 

The CBeebies schedule is zoned to mirror a child's mood and activities through the day.

 

Michael Carrington , Controller, CBeebies, said: "We originate over 100 hours of new programming every year for the under-sixes and I'm proud to unveil a season of modern, exciting and fresh shows that blend music, movement and storytelling."

 

For the playful learning zone, Discover & Do , new shows include Timmy Time , from the makers of the much-loved and critically acclaimed Shaun the Sheep.

 

Little lamb Timmy, along with his animal chums, including Yabba the duckling, Finlay the fox cub and Paxton the piglet go through an animal version of a child's nursery day in each episode.

 

Taking a completely original approach, Waybuloo is not just a series, it's a philosophy for a happy life, and is like nothing children will have ever seen before.

 

The series transports children into a magical land called Nara ? a real world, which is inhabited by adorable animated characters called Piplings who embody a range of emotions including love, wisdom, happiness and harmony.

 

Show Me Show Me sees much loved CBeebies pair Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee move on from their channel presentation roles to team up in an all-new series in which the two play, explore and investigate in their exciting new playroom.

 

Come and play! Enter the lift, press the button and count the floors from one-to-ten on a magical, musical journey to the top floor flat where Chris and Pui have a playroom in the sky.

 

Poetry Pie vividly brings to life the incredible poems of well known contemporary poets specially written for CBeebies, with an animated cast of creatures who act, dance and sing the words of the poems.

 

Charlie the Alien, Amber the Hermit Crab, Mischa the Hamster, Evie the Cow and Findlay the Dragon read the funny and charming poems, all of which are chosen to reflect the lives of children watching at home.

 

Big Fun Time , entertaining programmes for the afternoon, include this season Dirtgirlworld ? a fearless, fun-loving, gumboot-wearing girl who grows huge tomatoes, knows the names of clouds and drives a big, orange tractor.

 

This music-filled series explores nature and is full of bizarre insects, underground tunnels and performing stunts.

 

Grandpa In My Pocket is a charming new comedy drama aimed at four-to-six year olds.

 

Grandpa lives with his family and grandson Jason in a beautiful seaside town called Sunnysands. Everyone thinks he spends all his time stuck in his armchair, but when he puts his magic shrinking cap on, he becomes small enough to fit into Jason's pocket and the two then have a host of hilarious adventures.

 

Myths, legends and age-old tales from around the world jump off the pages and straight into a child's imagination in Tellytales .

 

An innovative mix of animation and live action, where children help create the artwork and play all the characters.

 

Returning to the Bedtime Hour are brand new episodes of children's favourite, In The Night Garden ? a magical programme about that universal time between waking and sleeping.

 

CBBC

 

A year on from its re-launch and CBBC offers 6-12-year-olds the very best content, which is child focussed and reflects British life and culture.

 

Anne Gilchrist , Controller, CBBC, said: "I am intensely proud of the shows and the websites we produce for children. I see children as fun loving, free spirited, curious, full of potential for good, and able to achieve amazing things. This season of programmes aims to harness all those things."

 

Season highlights include Richard Hammond 's Blast Lab , a new science-based game show.

 

Situated in a fictitious underground laboratory, each show focuses on a different scientific theme as Richard invites two groups of three friends to take part in his crazy experiments.

 

Featuring some of the UK's top comic talent, Horrible Histories introduces children to fascinating events and characters from British and international history.

 

Strange facts, astonishing traditions, rotten rulers, gory battles, crazy inventions and countless weird and wonderful moments from the past all feature in the mix of live action sketches.

 

CBBC examines child homelessness and runaways in a short season of programmes which aim to provide a window into the world of the 130,000 UK children who have no place that they can call home.

 

Runaway is a three-part drama from award-winning writer/director Paul Wilmshurst (Trial And Retribution).

 

Sean, played by William Miller (Oliver in the BBC's Oliver Twist), is an 11-year-old fleeing an unhappy home life and bullying at school. Taking to the streets, he meets repeat runaway Molly and together they try to survive by sleeping rough, stealing and eventually falling in to the clutches of a deceptive individual.

 

Sofa Surfers (street slang for homeless children) tells five stories of child poverty.

 

This ground-breaking documentary series offers the children caught up in being homeless a voice. All aspects of their lives are filmed by the documentary team and the kids will have their own cameras to take with them to record their experiences for themselves.

 

In drama, much-loved M.I. High returns for a third high gloss series.

 

St Hope's School may look like an ordinary comprehensive but its unconventional pupils and ineffective staff are oblivious to a big secret. Deep beneath the school lies the secret headquarters of M.I. High ? a division of highly trained spies.

 

Half Moon Investigations is a brand new comedy drama series based on children's author Eoin Colfer's (Artemis Fowl) book.

 

Schoolboy turned private detective Fletcher "Half" Moon gets to work solving mysteries and fighting for justice. Every detective needs a partner and Half Moon, not being the tallest or the most confident 13-year-old, finds an unlikely ally in former bad guy Red Sharkey. While Moon sticks to the rules, Red knows how to bend them.

 

On the beautiful island of Rarotonga, in the middle of the South Pacific, Robbo and his kid sister Megan set up serving smoothies in the sun with their new island friends in new drama Paradise Cafe .

 

But, the fledgling business is plagued by legions of sea ghosts set free from a hidden prison within the rotting coral at the bottom of the ocean.

 

British naturalist and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall returns to CBBC with his most daring adventure yet ? Deadly 60 , in which he travels to six continents to find his "deadly 60" most lethal animals on earth.

 

From beauties to beasts, Steve discovers creatures in far-flung places such as Australia, South Africa, North America, South America and India.

 

TM2

 

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