"Beeby! Beeby!" (CBeebies)

Member Name: chrispitts

Product:	CBeebies
Date:	03/12/02 (1261 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality, Well-targeted, Addictive

Disadvantages: Addictive, Presenters are wooden

I recently read an article on parenting, which suggested you should limit childrens TV viewing to 1 hour per day. Hah! Try telling my 20 month old daughter Emily that! Emily, is addicted to a certain channel. We're trying hard to wean her off. "Cold turkey" didn't work, so we're gradually reducing the hours, but, as busy parents, it's all too easy to sit your child in front of the box.

So what is it about CBeebies which makes it such compelling viewing? Why does Emily call out for the odd shape-changing yellow blobs with eyes (The CBeebies, or in Emily's native tongue - "Beeby!") and their similarly primary-coloured chums? Having been subjected to hours (every day), I feel qualified to let you know.

For those of you not in the know, CBeebies is a Satellite/Cable channel (599 on NTL, fact-finders! - see - I've even memorized the number!) which shows nothing but pre-school entertainment throughout the day.

The Beebies themselves (you may have seen them popping up occasionally on terrestrial childrens BBC) are little time-fillers between programs, but Emily seems to like them just as much. In truth, they are far more entertaining than the inter-program presenters - who, by and large, can't sing, can't dance, can barely read an autocue, and have, on occasion, unsettled Emily enough to make her leave the room (having said that, it doesn't take much to make her do that these days...)

The programs range from the well-established kiddies favourites (Teletubbies, Bob the Builder, Tweenies), to slightly less well-known ones (Ballymory, Storymakers, Brum).
Generally, all programs are well-made, and production quality is good.

Educational value is variable, but Emily certainly seems to be learning a lot from watching - she spent a whole week wishing everyone a "'appy burday" after hearing the "Birthday Song". Some of the features are, quite frankly,
odd - recently we switched over because my wife couldn't stand the video footage of ants swarming all over a jungle floor.

And it's not restricted to children - very occasionally (OK, quite rarely), there are flashes of pure adult comedy. Prime examples being a young Zoe Ball on Playdays eyeing up the groin region of a male Gladiator and muttering - "Not bad, not bad at all!" (I think she was supposed to be commenting on his ability to jump around). The Shiny Show also provides some top quality moments - the three stars, Mucker, Tigs and Dogsby should be given a primetime terrestrial TV slot, in my opinion.

Strangely, CBeebies becomes addictive for adults too - not quite as pleasant, but unavoidable. You begin to develop affections and dislikes for characters - Bella from the Tweenies is far too bossy. Milo's cool. You begin to wonder about whether Brum ever visits the seedier areas of Birmingham, or whether he just hangs around Brindley Place (a bit of local knowledge never goes amis). You wonder why Clifford The Big Red Dog never empties his bowels, and what would happen if he did (well, he is the size of a house!)..... am I sounding completely mad yet?

Even our friends, on arrival, scorn CBeebies, and then, within minutes, are hooked on the storyline. Without the aid of alcohol, I might add. It's probably helped by Emily's commentary - "Oh. Poor dog." "Oh. Flower." "Oh. Beeby!"

Back to my initial point - is Emily viewing too much? I think not. I think most of the programs on CBeebies are sufficiently interactive that familys can watch together (anyone own up to remembering "Watch with Mother"?), she's learning vocabulary from the characters (Teletubbies excepted, of course), and she's even beginning to learn to dance, thanks to the Tweenies.

In summary, CBeebies rules! And sometimes, when Emily's in bed, it's quite an effort to ch
ange channels....

No, OK, I wouldn't quite go that far!

Summary: