Latest news with #HeyDuggee
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hey Duggee's Squirrel Club spin off launches on CBeebies
Get ready to laugh, learn, and dance along as Hey Duggee's Squirrel Club - the new spin off series - premieres on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer from Monday 28 April. Families will be introduced to the new series, created from the multi-award-winning hit show Hey Duggee, as the stars join The Scott Mills Breakfast Show to answer questions from BBC Radio 2's littlest listeners (6.30-9.30am, Thursday 24 April). Joining Scott are fan favourites Duggee (Sander Jones), Chew Chew (Lucy Montgomery), Mr Crab (Adam Longworth) and King Tiger (Phillip Warner). The new episodes of the much-loved show air exclusively on CBeebies every weekday at 7.10am with episodes landing on BBC iPlayer every Monday. Audiences are in for a treat with a magical mix of fun, silliness, energy, and learning, all brought to life by the lovable Squirrels and a cast of familiar faces, as Happy, Roly, Tag, Norrie, and Betty embark on a brand-new set of adventures. Grown-ups can also listen out for the voice of renowned British space scientist Dame Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who brings Professor Jeanie to life, paired perfectly with the playful illustrations of acclaimed artist John Bond. Kate Morton, CBeebies Senior Head of Commissioning for BBC Children's and Education says: 'Hey Duggee is such a hit with our audiences we know the new Hey Duggee's Squirrel Club will be a winner. At BBC Children's and Education, we've always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire learning. Fans can join the Squirrel Club by singing and dancing along at home, learning through having fun.' Sue Goffe, CEO of Studio AKA, says: 'We're excited to announce the Hey Duggee Squirrel Club spin-off series arriving this April. Watch our beloved Squirrels embark on even more imaginative adventures; we can't wait for young fans to join them in discovering the joy of learning through play, laughter, and music.' With each episode, children are invited to join in on the laughter and learning, whether it's interacting to help solve mysteries, singing along, or dancing with their favourite characters. The episodes are comprised of mixed segments in a quick-paced, fun, varied format where viewers can feel like they are part of the club. Watch Hey Duggee Squirrel Club on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer from 28 April Watch Hey Duggee on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist About Hey Duggee Created by Grant Orchard and produced by Studio AKA in association with CBeebies and BBC Studios Kids & Family, Hey Duggee is packed full of fun adventures, imagination, gentle humour and learning through doing. The series is narrated by comedian and presenter, Alexander Armstrong, and also features voices performed by Sander Jones, Lucy Montgomery and Adam Longworth. Since launching in 2014, Hey Duggee has become a seven-time BAFTA and international Emmy award-winning hit. Since its debut, the series has been streamed 1.36 billion times on BBC iPlayer and has garnered over 3 billion lifetime views on its official YouTube channel. The Live Theatre Show, an adaptation of the hugely popular CBeebies series, successfully transferred to the stage and won the Olivier Award for best family show in 2023. Hey Duggee has also recently celebrated a 10th anniversary. HH
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why should parents have to explain ‘gender identity' to five-year-olds?
A very peculiar row has erupted over a BBC programme for small children. Apparently, some parents believe that Hey Duggee – a popular cartoon series about cute little animals – has been subtly promoting gender ideology to its audience of five-year-olds. They base this suspicion on the fact that, in one episode, a raccoon is referred to using gender-neutral pronouns. Other animal characters are given the pronouns 'his' or 'her'. Yet the raccoon, mysteriously, is given the pronoun 'their'. This, the parents infer, suggests that the raccoon identifies as 'non-binary'. For its part, the BBC has dismissed these claims. 'Wren the raccoon,' insists a spokesman, 'is not a non-binary character.' Hmm. All I can say is: I should hope not. Introducing a 'non-binary' character would be totally inappropriate for a programme with such young viewers. And it wouldn't be much fun for those viewers' parents, either. After all, little children are by nature extremely inquisitive. So it could lead to some terribly awkward conversations at home. Just imagine… 'Daddy, what's 'non-binary'?' 'Well. Er. Let's see. How shall I put this… Basically, darling, 'non-binary' is a type of gender identity.' 'What's 'gender identity'?' 'Good question. Very, very good question. Er… Think of it like a special sort of game, played by grown-ups, and which has extremely strict rules. What happens is, a man says he's now a lady – and then everyone else has to agree, or they get in lots of trouble and lose their jobs. Especially ladies. Men can sometimes get away with saying they think the man who's now a lady is still a man. But if ladies say they don't want the man who's now a lady to take his, or rather her, clothes off in the ladies' changing room, everybody gets very cross and shouts at them.' 'I see. But what's 'non-binary'?' 'Well. 'Non-binary' is someone who says, 'I'm not a man or a lady.' Or, in this case, 'I'm not a man raccoon or a lady raccoon.' So, instead of calling the raccoon 'he' or 'she', you have to call it 'they', as if it – or rather, they – were several raccoons, instead of just one. And if you don't call it – or rather, them – 'they', you'll get in lots of trouble, too.' Wouldn't be easy, would it? Especially if your five-year-old goes on to repeat your explanation to other children at school. Because the teachers might deem your phrasing to be insufficiently inclusive. In which case, both you and your five-year-old will probably be spending the rest of the year in detention. On the whole, therefore, I doubt I'm alone in hoping that the BBC will not be filling its children's cartoons with characters who are non-binary, or, for that matter, genderqueer, pangender, demigender or gender-fluid. Adults who describe themselves using such terminology would no doubt be delighted if the BBC were to 'affirm' them in this fashion. But why should parents have to explain 'gender-identity' to five-year-olds? Some of us find it difficult enough to understand ourselves. Anyway, it's funny how things turn out. Back in the late 1990s, when Teletubbies – another BBC hit – was first shown, some parents thought that it set a bad example to little children, because the characters in it all talked total gibberish. Those parents didn't know they were born. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Why should parents have to explain ‘gender identity' to five-year-olds?
A very peculiar row has erupted over a BBC programme for small children. Apparently, some parents believe that Hey Duggee – a popular cartoon series about cute little animals – has been subtly promoting gender ideology to its audience of five-year-olds. They base this suspicion on the fact that, in one episode, a raccoon is referred to using gender-neutral pronouns. Other animal characters are given the pronouns 'his' or 'her'. Yet the raccoon, mysteriously, is given the pronoun 'their'. This, the parents infer, suggests that the raccoon identifies as 'non-binary'. For its part, the BBC has dismissed these claims. 'Wren the raccoon,' insists a spokesman, 'is not a non-binary character.' Hmm. All I can say is: I should hope not. Introducing a 'non-binary' character would be totally inappropriate for a programme with such young viewers. And it wouldn't be much fun for those viewers' parents, either. After all, little children are by nature extremely inquisitive. So it could lead to some terribly awkward conversations at home. Just imagine… 'Daddy, what's 'non-binary'?' 'Well. Er. Let's see. How shall I put this… Basically, darling, 'non-binary' is a type of gender identity.' 'What's 'gender identity'?' 'Good question. Very, very good question. Er… Think of it like a special sort of game, played by grown-ups, and which has extremely strict rules. What happens is, a man says he's now a lady – and then everyone else has to agree, or they get in lots of trouble and lose their jobs. Especially ladies. Men can sometimes get away with saying they think the man who's now a lady is still a man. But if ladies say they don't want the man who's now a lady to take his, or rather her, clothes off in the ladies' changing room, everybody gets very cross and shouts at them.' 'I see. But what's 'non-binary'?' 'Well. 'Non-binary' is someone who says, 'I'm not a man or a lady.' Or, in this case, 'I'm not a man raccoon or a lady raccoon.' So, instead of calling the raccoon 'he' or 'she', you have to call it 'they', as if it – or rather, they – were several raccoons, instead of just one. And if you don't call it – or rather, them – 'they', you'll get in lots of trouble, too.' Wouldn't be easy, would it? Especially if your five-year-old goes on to repeat your explanation to other children at school. Because the teachers might deem your phrasing to be insufficiently inclusive. In which case, both you and your five-year-old will probably be spending the rest of the year in detention. On the whole, therefore, I doubt I'm alone in hoping that the BBC will not be filling its children's cartoons with characters who are non-binary, or, for that matter, genderqueer, pangender, demigender or gender-fluid. Adults who describe themselves using such terminology would no doubt be delighted if the BBC were to 'affirm' them in this fashion. But why should parents have to explain 'gender-identity' to five-year-olds? Some of us find it difficult enough to understand ourselves. Anyway, it's funny how things turn out. Back in the late 1990s, when Teletubbies – another BBC hit – was first shown, some parents thought that it set a bad example to little children, because the characters in it all talked total gibberish.
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
BBC issue statement after critics raise concerns over new Hey Duggee character
The BBC has issued a statement after critics raised concerns about a new character on the hit CBeebies show Hey Duggee. The show, aimed at five-year-olds, introduced racoon Wren and 'their' siblings when talking about different characters in the episode 'Sibling Badge'. This prompted some viewers to believe the new character was non-binary, by the use of the pronoun 'their', with critics claiming the gender-neutral language was 'inappropriate' and 'confusing', The Telegraph reports. 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.'
The Independent
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Watch: CBeebies show Hey Duggee introduce first gender-neutral character
CBeebies' show Hey Duggee has introduced its first gender neutral racoon character. The show, aimed at five-year-olds, introduced the racoon Wren and 'their' siblings when talking about different characters in the episode 'Sibling Badge'. The series, which aired for the first time last year, sees squirrel Roly discover he's going to have a sibling. The squirrels then meet different animals and their siblings. Arlo the Dog is introduced with 'his' siblings, monkey Lucy with 'her' siblings. Wren the racoon is then introduced with 'their' siblings.
