The BBC has a proud track record of imaginative and inclusive children’s broadcasting. Long may it last
Britain has a long and grand tradition of children’s storytelling and, ever since the BBC’s Children’s Hour was first broadcast in 1946, television has been part of it. From the remarkable strangeness of Lewis Carroll’s Victorian Wonderland to the psychedelic wit of Hey Duggee, our culture has been lit up by creative people telling tall tales to the young.
This week’s debut by a new presenter, George Webster, on the BBC’s CBeebies channel was a reminder of the role that a public service broadcaster can play in making this culture an inclusive one. With disabled people seriously underrepresented in public life, including entertainment, Mr Webster, who has Down’s syndrome, is a pioneer. With another star presenter with a disability under its belt in Cerrie Burnell, CBeebies has done more to boost the profile of broadcasters with disabilities than most other media organisations put together.
