Parenting

CBeebies is what makes parenting possible – I'd pay triple the licence fee to save it


If some people have their way, the days of the licence fee are seemingly numbered. And in a bid to protect it, the BBC chairman, David Clementi, has gone nuclear. Take the license fee away, he says, and there won’t be any more CBeebies.

Honestly, that’s enough. Take my licence fee. Double it. Triple it, even. David, I will give you my pin code and the keys to my car if you promise not to get rid of CBeebies. It is the crown jewel of the BBC. It makes parenting possible.

I have a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and I have to cook their dinner every night. Without CBeebies that would be impossible. CBeebies is the perfect temporary babysitter. Whatever their mood, I know I can plonk them down in front of the TV for half an hour after school or nursery and CBeebies will prevent them from killing each other, destroying my house or wandering into my kitchen and trying to put their hands on the hob.

CBeebies is a safe, welcoming place. The shows are bright and friendly and funny and educational. Every single second of the channel’s output is laser-focused on the wellbeing of the children it caters for, which is more than you can say for the channel’s competitors. Commercial rivals are garish and studded with adverts. Netflix is a crapshoot. And if you have ever let your kids watch YouTube, you will know that you are never more than three autoplays away from something truly disturbing.

CBeebies is an oasis from all that. Numberblocks is educational programming at its best. Something Special teaches genuine inclusivity. Hey Duggee is arguably the funniest show on television. Pick any show in the channel’s roster at random, and you will be presented with something that has been made with true care. And, honestly, I don’t know a single parent who hasn’t developed a debilitating crush on at at least one of its hosts.

So, please, keep the licence fee. There would be riots in the streets if CBeebies disappeared. If you really have to get rid of a channel, make it one of the rubbish ones. BBC Two, maybe.



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