Parents attack CBeebies show over gender-neutral raccoon
Parents have attacked a CBeebies show for featuring a gender-neutral raccoon.
In the episode of Hey Duggee, an award-winning show, which is aimed at five-year-olds, a racoon called Wren and 'their' siblings are introduced.
The gender-neutral language has been criticised as 'inappropriate' and 'confusing' for children still learning how to speak.
Hey Duggee, produced by Studio AKA in association with BBC Studios, features Duggee, a cartoon dog, who runs a clubhouse with five 'squirrels': Bettie, Roly, Tag, Norrie and Happy.
In the episode Sibling Badge, first shown last year, Roly discovers he is getting a new brother or sister.
The squirrels then meet different animals and their siblings. Dog Arlo is shown with 'his' siblings, monkey Lucy with 'her' siblings, yak Rami appears alongside 'his' siblings. It then adds: 'And this is Wren and their siblings.'
The words 'they' and 'their' are commonly used as gender-neutral pronouns, particularly for those who identify as non-binary.
The episode by Jo Clegg, the writer behind dozens of episodes as well as popular shows Go Jetters and Pip and Posy, has now come under question.
Shelley Charlesworth, researcher for Transgender Trend, a UK-based campaign group, described the episode as 'so inappropriate'.
She said she felt the use of the word 'their' for the last animal was subtle but not an error.
Ms Charlesworth said: 'Its target audience is still learning to speak and this only confuses. Language skills and accurate grammar take years to learn, most children are still making mistakes up to the age of eight.
'There is no way that a child of three to five can understand non-binary they/them pronouns, and using these neo-pronouns takes no account of child development.'
She accused the BBC of breaking its accuracy and impartiality code, adding the language 'stems from adult political activism'.
One parent who saw the programme accused the show's language of 'sounding weird', adding: 'The use of their in that particular bit just stuck out to me. There was no reason to use it as all the pronouns before were gendered.
'It just sounded weird. I don't think it was an accident.'
A BBC spokesman said: 'We take our responsibility to our young audience and their families very seriously and take great to care that all content is appropriate. Everyone is welcome at CBeebies and in this case Wren the raccoon is not a non-binary character.'
Hey Duggee was previously criticised for using the term 'fireman' by the London Fire Brigade after a veteran female firefighter had to explain why the term was wrong to a young relative.
The BBC said at the time 'CBeebies strives to avoid stereotyping and looks to celebrate strong female role models'.
A spokesman added: 'Within the wider context of the Hey Duggee Dressing Up Badge episode, animated characters are shown dressing up in costumes depicting roles such as a plumber, pirate, knight and farmer but these roles are occupied by girl characters as well as boys, is done without comment and infers these roles are all gender-neutral.'
In 2023, the BBC was accused of trying to brainwash children after telling them male fish could become female.
CBeebies broadcast a segment about how some species can go from 'being a boy fish to a girl fish'.
Campaigners claimed it was trying to normalise sex-swap ideology at a young age.
A BBC spokesman said at the time: 'While this segment aired at the start of June, it was not produced specifically for Pride month.
'CBeebies 'Everyone's Welcome' ethos supports inclusivity and we air segments on a range of related topics throughout the year.'
Grant Orchard, the series creator, said he ignored gender altogether in a 2017 interview.
'The way we treat characters on the show, we don't think about gender at all,' he said.
He added 'It wasn't a conscious decision to make it a gender-neutral show', adding 'kids' personalities are not allocated by their sex'.
'Only when we started talking to distribution and marketing people about the show, and they were discussing what kind of show it was and whether it would be placed in a boys or girls aisle in supermarkets, we became determined to keep the show gender neutral as much as possible.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Snoop Dogg reveals plans to open burger van at UK football stadium
Rapper Snoop Dogg has revealed his plans to open a burger van for football fans at Glasgow 's Celtic Park. The 53-year-old plans to serve fans himself and show them how stadium food 'can be good'. The West Coast rapper has previously spoken of investing in Glasgow's football club, similar to Ryan Reynolds' involvement in Wrexham FC. He said: 'The Celtic fans are gonna love it, and to make sure they are just right, Snoop is going to serve them himself.' Snoop Dogg has already published a cookbook and claims to have spoken to chef Gordon Ramsay about a possible venture in Glasgow together.
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Everyone told me not to paint my oak doors but I did it anyway – I love it but trolls rage and say it was better before
A DIY enthusiast has revealed that everyone warned her against painting her oak doors black, but she did it anyway. And now, Rebecca Forrey, a stay-at-home mum-of-three who is on a mission to give her home a mega makeover, has no regrets over her latest DIY overhaul. 2 2 But having said that, Rebecca's black doors have left people totally divided - and while some suggest it will 'date' her property, others think it looks 'so classy'. Posting on social media, the brunette beauty gave her followers a close-up look at her oak doors, which she bought from Wickes. Alongside the clip, she revealed a comment she had heard one too many times, as she penned: 'Do NOT paint those oak doors black.' Clearly unbothered by the advice, moments later viewers saw Rebecca holding a paint brush. The content creator then mimed along to a viral audio that said: 'I'm not gon' do it girl, I was just thinking about it. I'm not gon' do it…I did it.' Seconds later, she proudly showed off her new black living room door and beamed: 'No regrets.' Rebecca confirmed that she didn't prime the door before painting and used Frenchic Furniture Pant in the shade Black Jack, from the Lazy Range. We think Rebecca's black door looks fabulous and matches the trendy decor of her beautiful home. But the TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ rebeccaforrey, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as at the time of writing it had quickly racked up 279,700 views in just 24 hours. Not only this, but it had also amassed 10,100 likes and 162 comments. DIY enthusiasts were split by the black doors and many eagerly raced to the comments to share their thoughts. One user beamed: 'The black is SO CHIC.' A second chimed in: 'Black looks soooo much better! So classy.' Whilst someone else gushed: 'Gorgeous!!! It looks so expensive!' Looking forward to five years' time when everyone is sanding their doors back to the natural finish TikTok user But at the same time, not everyone was as complimentary, as one DIY enthusiast slammed: 'Oak is much better.' Another added: '[It] will date quickly, whereas the oak remains timeless in my opinion.' And a third commented: 'Looking forward to five years' time when everyone is sanding their doors back to the natural finish.'
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Inside King Charles's rigid upbringing and the trait he inherited from his grandfather, King George VI, according to royal expert
Born heir to the throne, King Charles was taught values such as formality and self-control from an early age. As the late queen's hopes of Charles being raised 'normally' were dashed by the sudden death of King George when her firstborn was just three years old, the young prince's primary care was put in the hands of nannies. Ingrid Seward, 77, the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, has spent much of her career interviewing and writing about the Royal Family. Her latest book, My Mother and I, provides an inside perspective to the relationship between Charles and the late queen. She wrote that one nanny in particular – Mabel Anderson – had the greatest hand in shaping Charles's character. Although she had no formal training, Mabel was chosen because the queen liked her quiet, unassuming manner. She was even said to have sent King Charles special shampoo for his dandruff at boarding school. 'She was gentle, organised and worked by a strict routine,' wrote Seward. 'She provided both stability and security, and wherever they were in the world, her royal charges knew exactly what was happening in the Buckingham Palace nursery. 'It was unchanging and the same in the 60s, 70s and 80s as it had been in the 50s and Charles carried this routine into his life,' wrote the royal author. Even at the age of 76, Charles sticks to a rigid routine, reportedly starting the day with a Canadian air force exercise plan. His daily workout routine reportedly includes doing headstands in his boxers to help deal with back pain ailments after years of playing polo. Prince Harry wrote in his tell-all book Spare that his father would perform these exercises daily – and that there was always a risk of accidentally walking in on the King - 'in just a pair of boxers, propped against a door or hanging from a bar like a skilled acrobat '. He is also reported to have the same breakfast of muesli every day for breakfast. But rigidity is not always a positive trait. Seward wrote: 'According to behavioural experts, Charles's conduct was partly fashioned by the formality of life in Buckingham Palace and the constant presence of the adults and their expectations of him. Throughout history royals have been expected to be poised and stoic and rise above outbursts of anger. The late King George VI was known for his temper, as is King Charles 'This led him to become solitary and approach friendships with his peers with great caution. 'He was required to be tidy and neatly turned-out at all times, and his over-concern with appearance and things being just right has persisted all his life.' At Gordonstoun it was reported that Charles found no companionship among his schoolmates, but two compassionate young teachers helped him to survive the macho environment and became lifelong friends. It also led to him having a short fuse, which has been well-documented in his adult life. Seward wrote: 'Like his mother, Charles was sensitive to the plight of others, but like his grandfather George VI, he is intolerant of those who fail to offer him what he considers to be proper respect.' Former footman Mark Simpson said of Charles in the 1970s: 'I have heard him when I have been laying up dinner and he has been in his study next door screaming like crazy on the phone. 'Everybody would quake. He would clear his desk in one swipe. You could hear him sometimes in his bedroom. 'You couldn't hear what it was about but it was a huge, high-pitched scream. 'It comes from his grandfather. It was quite scary to witness. But afterwards he would be back to normal and be very polite and say thank you every six minutes. 'The rest of the time he was terribly gentle.' Tom Quinn's book Yes, Ma'am The Secret Life of Royal Servants, which details accounts from royal servants over the years, revealed an insider's perspective on what life was really like inside the royal household. Insiders explained that Charles and Queen Camilla always treat their staff 'well', but that the King is prone to 'little bursts of irritation'. Charles, who is widely known to have a temper and has previously fumed in public over his pens not working, has very particular demands for how tasks are carried out. The monarch was said to have kicked up a fuss if he wasn't given the 'right teacup' and also had opinions on how his toothpaste was placed on his brush. In the book one servant recalled: 'Charles and Camilla do treat their staff well, but you always feel that they would no more fly without an aeroplane than invite you to have tea with them. 'And Charles does have little bursts of irritation with his staff – perhaps he hasn't been given exactly the right teacup, perfectly polished shoes and toothpaste neatly squeezed on to his toothbrush in exactly the way he likes it. The occasional tantrums of King Charles and the bullying tactics of Prince Andrew seem to have been ' inherited in different measures by Prince William and Prince Harry ', Tom Quinn writes. 'They both get irritated very quickly,' said one former member of staff. 'Throughout their lives they have had these things done for them, so they are very picky. It comes naturally to them. 'People who have everything done for them from childhood tend to be rather spoiled and prone to bouts of irritation because they have no idea how much work is involved in washing and ironing, polishing and sewing when they have never done any of it themselves.' Remembering Harry's temperament, one of the Duke of Sussex's former servants said: 'I remember once in his private apartments I'd muddled something – some of his papers on his desk or something. 'He was immediately angry and it was out of proportion to the problem, or at least I thought it was. 'I was surprised at how cross he was about something so trivial, but his other staff had experienced similar incidents. 'We thought it was a bit rich complaining about me being muddled given that Harry was probably the most muddled of all the royals of his generation.' How did George VI come to the throne? George, known as the 'reluctant king', was crowned following his brother Edward VIII's abdication. His coronation was held at Westminster Abbey in May 1937. In the run-up to the ceremony, he enlisted Lionel Logue to help him conquer his stammer after his private secretary introduced him to the Australian. One month after George's coronation, Edward VIII married American socialite divorcee Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé in Monts, France. Four months into their marriage, the couple went to visit Nazi Germany as Adolf Hitler's guests. Meanwhile King George's popularity soared as a wartime monarch and he became a figure of stability despite previously being marred by his speech impediment as well as a reputation for being unprepared. The boon to his reputation was aided by his decision to remain in London as the bombs of the Blitz rained down on the capital. George died of ill health in 1952, leaving his daughter Elizabeth, 25, to take over as Queen in a spell that has seen her become Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Prince Andrew, however, was said to have far more serious temper tantrums. The book tells how Andrew was 'bossy' and tended to 'act like a classic school bully' with staff - widely assumed to be down to frustrations he would never become king. According to the book, several former servants recalled Andrew - said to be the late queen's favourite son - insisting on removing a staffer due to disliking a mole on the man's face. Throughout history royals have been expected to be poised and stoic and rise above outbursts of anger. King George VI, though known for his stoic and dutiful nature, was also prone to outbursts of temper. He was described as 'highly strung' and a 'worrier,' and his temper could be explosive. In Harry's memoir he claims that his father, Charles, was bad at showing his emotions - alleging that when Charles broke the tragic news that Diana had died he didn't hug his son. 'He wasn't great at showing emotions under normal circumstances, how could he be expected to show them in such a crisis?' Harry wrote. 'He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face. 'On occasion, after a long multi-course dinner, I'd walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. 'The letter would say how proud he was of me for something I'd done or accomplished. 'I'd smile, place it under my pillow, but also wonder why he hadn't said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me.' In his recent tell-all interview with the BBC the Duke of Sussex claimed his father is not speaking to him because of his battle over taxpayer-funded police bodyguards. A young William, Harry and Charles are pictured in July 1999 In his recent tell-all interview with the BBC the Duke of Sussex claimed his father is not speaking to him because of his battle over taxpayer-funded police bodyguards. He said there had been 'so many disagreements, differences between me and some of my family', as he admitted he couldn't see a world in which his family would return to the UK. But, amid another devastating broadside reopening wounds with the Royal Family, Harry told the BBC in California that he wants 'reconciliation'. 'He won't speak to me because of this security stuff,' the prince said, adding he didn't know how long the King had left to live. Many royal observes continue to hold on to a hope of a reconciliation. But perhaps distance between the two men, who both seem to have inherited a short temper, is what is needed for the time being.
