Editing BBC Children's and Education (section)

==History==
{{Further|Timeline of children's television on the BBC}}

=== 1930–1952 ===
The BBC has produced and broadcast television programmes for children since the 1930s. The first children-specific strand on BBC was ''[[For the Children]]'', first broadcast on what was then the single 'BBC Television Service' on Saturday 24 April 1937; it was only ten minutes long. It lasted for two years before being taken off air when the service closed due to [[the Second World War]] in September 1939.

Following the war, ''For the Children'' recommenced on Sunday 7 July 1946, with a 20-minute slot every Sunday afternoon and the addition of programmes for preschool children under the banner ''For The Very Young'', and over the years they became an established feature of the early afternoons on the BBC's main channel BBC1.

=== 1952–1964 ===
In 1952, the "For the Children" / "For the Very Young" branding was dropped; older children's programmes were introduced by regular continuity announcers, while younger children's programming was broadcast under the ''[[Watch with Mother]]'' banner.

Significant series for older children that began in the 1950s included ''[[The Sooty Show]]'' and ''[[Blue Peter]]''.

=== 1964–1985 ===
The 1964 launch of [[BBC2]] allowed additional room for young children's programming. On 21 April 1964, ''[[Play School (British TV series)|Play School]]'' became its first official programme after a power outage meant the opening night launch programmes were never broadcast.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-04-16|title=BBC Two's 50th anniversary: Disastrous launch remembered|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27033129|access-date=2021-02-18}}</ref>

Away from the screen, in 1964, the Children's department was briefly amalgamated with Women's Programmes to form Family Programmes until it was reinstated in 1967. Around this time, the production offices moved to the newly developed [[BBC Television Centre]] in White City with most offices being based in the East Tower where they remained until its closure in 2011.

Other significant series that began in the 1960s include ''[[The Clangers]]'' and in 1965, the long running story telling format, ''[[Jackanory]]''.

Significant series that began in the 1970s included the long-running children's news service, ''[[Newsround]]''. In 1975, The ''[[Watch with Mother]]'' branding was dropped.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} In 1976, Saturday Morning television began in earnest with the launch of ''[[Multi-Coloured Swap Shop]]''. In 1978, ''[[Grange Hill]]'', a contemporary drama series set in a comprehensive school, began.

[[Roger Gale]], later an MP for the Conservative Party, was head of children's television from 1976 to 1979.<ref name=bbc2001>{{cite web | series=Vote 2001 - Candidates |title=Roger Gale| publisher=[[BBC News]] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/5/57602.stm | access-date=18 July 2022}}</ref>

Significant series that began in the 1980s include ''[[Postman Pat]]''. On 1 October 1980, ''[[See-Saw (TV programme)|See-Saw]]'' was launched (''Watch with Mother'' branding having ended in 1975), which was moved to BBC2 in June 1987, before ending in 1990.

In 1983, a Diamond Jubilee Festival Exhibition commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of BBC Children's Programmes at the Langham Hotel in London. The exhibition then moved to the [[Liverpool Garden Festival]] in 1984.

=== 1985–2002 ===
Until 1985, children's programmes on BBC1 were introduced by the usually off-screen continuity announcer, though often specially-designed menus and captions would be used. In September of that year, the block rebranded as '''Children's BBC''', and for the first time had a dedicated [[CBBC idents#Children's BBC (1985–1997)|Children's BBC logo]]. It was described in a BBC press release as, "a new package of programmes specially gift-wrapped for children."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lowe|first=Marion|date=1 September 1985|title=Copy of BBC Press Release announcing launch of BBC Children's|url=http://www.the-broom-cupboard.co.uk/mediapage3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928041702/http://www.the-broom-cupboard.co.uk/mediapage3.html|archive-date=2011-09-28|url-status=live|website=The-broom-cupboard.co.uk}}</ref> Early graphics and idents were generated by a [[BBC Micro]] computer, with which the BBC had been increasingly been experimenting with and utilising in their children's programming [[Continuity (broadcasting)|continuity]] for a year or so prior to the rebrand.

The most significant change was that the [[Continuity announcers in the United Kingdom|continuity announcer]] was seen on screen (in-vision). Rather than use the existing BBC1 announcer, a new presenter was selected. The launch presenter was [[Phillip Schofield]], presenting the slot for the first time at 15:55 BST on 9 September 1985.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-09-09|title=CBBC presenters past and present celebrate 30th anniversary|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34196932|access-date=2021-02-18}}</ref> Remaining in the small continuity booth at [[Television Centre, London|Television Centre]], during the first few days of these broadcasts, Schofield began to refer to the space as "The Broom Cupboard", due to its very small size, and supposedly due to the BBC only sparing a small broom cupboard for him to host from. This quickly became an established name for the space, even appearing in billings as such. A [[list of CBBC presenters]] shows that many more followed and this style of presentation continued and remains on the CBBC channel as of 2025.

During the 1990s, Children's BBC began to be informally referred to on-air as CBBC (this occurred at around the same time that [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]]'s rival service [[Children's ITV]] began to be referred to as CITV in a similar manner). The official billing name and on-air branding of Children's BBC remained in place, however, until the BBC's network-wide branding refresh on 4 October 1997, when the official billing name and on-air branding changed to '''CBBC''' (Children's ITV changed their official billing name to CITV after their own branding refresh the following year).

From 1996 to 1999, CBBC programmes were also shown on the channel [[Nickelodeon (UK and Ireland)|Nickelodeon]], as part of the ''CBBC on Nickelodeon'' (known as Children's BBC on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 1997) programming block. The CBBC on Nickelodeon block was originally hosted by Otis the Aardvark from its launch until 4 October 1997, when he was replaced by Marvin P. Porcevark, who unlike Otis, never appeared on the original CBBC block.

The launch of digital channel BBC Choice in 1998 saw the channel broadcasting children's programming in a Saturday afternoon slot which was subsequently replaced by the daily 6 am to 7 pm service CBBC on Choice, which aired archive preschool programming and was itself the precursor of the current [[CBBC]] and [[CBeebies]] channels.

=== 2002–2012 ===
In 2002, the launch of the [[CBBC]] and [[CBeebies]] channels saw a wide variety of programmes, both new and archive, being shown again on the new channels from 6 am or 7 am until 7 pm.

In 2005, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, [[Tessa Jowell]], was questioned in the House of Commons as to whether a public service broadcaster should really be broadcasting "lavatorial" humour.<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/cm050117/debtext/50117-03.htm#50117-03_spnew10 Parliament debate], question by Peter Luff MP</ref> Ms Jowell responded that it was the government's job to develop a charter for the BBC; and then the BBC's job to determine standards of taste, decency, and appropriateness.

BBC Children's relocated to BBC Bridge House, [[MediaCityUK]] in [[Salford Quays]] in May 2011. In September 2011, the flagship magazine show ''[[Blue Peter]]'' began live broadcasts from its new home,<ref>{{cite news|date=27 September 2011|title=Revamped Blue Peter moves north|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15027778|access-date=24 June 2012}}</ref> with daily news programme ''[[Newsround]]'' joining it in November 2011.

=== 2012–present ===
Following the decline in viewing on BBC One and BBC Two and as part of the Delivering Quality First proposals submitted by the BBC in October 2011 and approved by the [[BBC Trust]] in May 2012, it was announced all children's programming on BBC One and Two would be moved permanently to the CBBC and CBeebies channels following the digital switchover. It was found that the majority of child viewers watched the programmes on these channels already and that only 7% of these children watched CBBC programmes on BBC One and Two.<ref name="DQF conclusions">{{cite web|title=Delivering Quality First Final Conclusions|url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/review_report_research/dqf/final_conclusions.pdf|access-date=18 May 2012|publisher=BBC Trust}}</ref> Children's programming on BBC One ended on 21 December 2012 with the CBeebies' morning strand on BBC Two ending on 4 January 2013.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|date=21 December 2012|title=Children's programming comes to an end on BBC One|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20809627|access-date=21 December 2012|publisher=BBC News (BBC)}}</ref>

In November 2015, as a further aspect of the Delivering Quality First plan that resulted in the replacement of [[BBC Three]] with a [[BBC Three (online)|branded digital presence]], the BBC Trust approved a proposal for CBBC to extend its broadcast day by two hours, using bandwidth previously reserved for BBC Three. The two new hours are aimed towards an older youth audience.<ref name="telegraph-parentsconcerns">{{cite news|title=BBC Trust rejects parents' concerns over keeping CBBC on air until 9pm|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/bbc/12019648/BBC-Trust-rejects-parents-concerns-over-keeping-CBBC-on-air-until-9pm.html|access-date=17 February 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref><ref name="bbc-3shutdownconditions">{{cite web|title=BBC Trust publishes final decision on proposals for BBC Three, CBBC, iPlayer, BBC One+1|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2015/service_changes_decision|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref>

On 14 March 2016, CBBC unveiled a new logo and on-air presentation, featuring an abstract, multicoloured wordmark enclosed in a box. CBBC controller Cheryl Taylor stated that the new brand was designed to be "fun and unpredictable" and would "appeal to both ends of our broad age spectrum". The logo was also meant to be suitable for use across digital platforms.<ref name="guardian-newlogo16">{{cite web|title=New CBBC logo 'doesn't scream children's TV', admits controller|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/14/new-cbbc-logo-childrens-tv-bbc3-w1a|website=The Guardian|date=14 March 2016 |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> On 11 April 2016, CBBC officially extended its broadcast day to be from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.<ref name="lsource-cbbcextend">{{cite web|title=CBBC hours to extend from 11 April|url=http://licensingsource.net/cbbc-hours-to-extend-from-april-11/|website=Licensing Source|access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

Throughout the decade, changes in viewing patterns had an impact on BBC Children's services. [[Ofcom]] research showed that between 2010 and 2017, television viewing dropped by 40% for children aged 4–9 and by 47% for children aged 10–15.<ref>[https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/116519/childrens-content-review-update.pdf Children's content review] ofcom.org.uk</ref>

On 4 July 2017, the BBC announced as part of its inaugural Annual Plan for 2017–18, that it would invest an additional £34 million into children's content for digital platforms over the next three years, in an effort to counter changes in viewing habits.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40489812|title=BBC making £34m investment in children's services|date=4 July 2017|publisher=BBC News|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jul/04/bbc-promises-wider-mix-than-rivals-seeks-reinvent-itself|title=BBC promises a wider mix than rivals as it seeks to reinvent itself|last=Ruddick|first=Graham|date=4 July 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 July 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In 2019, it was announced that the Children's and Education departments would merge to become BBC Children's and Education.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-05-01|title=Webb to head new BBC Children's & Education department|url=https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/broadcasting-news/2019/05/webb-head-new-bbc-childrens-education-department|access-date=2021-02-18|website=Prolific North}}</ref>

In March 2021, the BBC announced that the CBBC channel's broadcast hours would be reduced, closing at 7 pm instead of 9 pm each day from January 2022. This is a return to the channel's broadcast hours before their extension in 2016. The move is to make way for the return of [[BBC Three]] to linear broadcast television.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/entertainment-arts-56251020|date=2 March 2021|title=BBC Three will return to TV screens after six-year break}}</ref>

In May 2022, it was announced that CBBC would eventually be discontinued as a linear channel, along with [[BBC Four]] and [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]], but also that this would not happen for "at least the next three years".<ref>{{Cite web |title=A digital-first BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2022/digital-first-bbc-director-general-tim-davie |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>