BBC making £34m investment in children's services

I suspect its main problem was it was totally geared towards the American education system and we just never "got it". The BBC didn't want it and the commercial regulator had grave concerns about it too at the time. There was a report on it which I've never been able to find online - Reactions to Sesame Street in Britain 1971.

These days of course various characters, segments and what not were all spun-off and air quite happily on the various preschool channels - Cartoonito appear to be the most recent service to pick Sesame Street up but it doesn't appear in their schedule at the moment.

I'm not sure why they're only bringing up the Americanisation (or should that be Americanization?) problem now. For years the numerous kids channels like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney have been made up of American imports and very little original British-made programming. And yet, amazingly, I didn't grow up with an American accent.

I suspect its main problem was it was totally geared towards the American education system and we just never "got it". The BBC didn't want it and the commercial regulator had grave concerns about it too at the time. There was a report on it which I've never been able to find online - Reactions to Sesame Street in Britain 1971.

These days of course various characters, segments and what not were all spun-off and air quite happily on the various preschool channels - Cartoonito appear to be the most recent service to pick Sesame Street up but it doesn't appear in their schedule at the moment.

My belief is the bbc will take this slowly and will just normalise its practice around this current generation so today 5-10 year olds will be tomorrows 25-30 years and BBC one will follow suit.

I think the Zee vs Zed issue loomed too... I'm not joking...

That says more about our socially conservative administrations than anything else. Sesame Street was bold and progressive and its messages about compassion and equality are pretty universal. I can imagine some of the authorities here were disgusted at the thought of our children 'being exposed' to such horror.

And the 911 issue.

That says more about our socially conservative administrations than anything else. Sesame Street was bold and progressive and its messages about compassion and equality are pretty universal. I can imagine some of the authorities here were disgusted at the thought of our children 'being exposed' to such horror.

It's back as a brand but not as a programme

I don't think anyone's thinking that far ahead. Who knows what the technological landscape will be in in 10 years time let alone 20! BBC One is very unlikely to exist in 2037

In yesterday's announcement Tony Hall said that they're working towards what shape the BBC's services will be in for 2022, the corporations 100th birthday

Operation Ouch and My Life first to ‘grow up’

Older-skewing versions of CBBC brands such as Operation Ouch and My Life are to be developed to help the broadcaster reach teenagers.

While the corporation’s £34m three-year funding boost for children’s output, unveiled yesterday, will include drama, comedy and factual output for 13-16 year-olds, BBC director of children’s Alice Webb said she also wanted to “allow some of our existing shows and characters to grow up with our audience”.

She said work had already begun on extending documentary strand My Life and Maverick Television’s health format Operation Ouch to this older audience by tackling issues such as young people’s mental health and the effects of alcohol.

CBBC drama The Dumping Ground could also be in Webb’s sights.

In a keynote address at the Children’s Media Conference, Webb said: “As children grow up through the The Dumping Ground, we get deluged by children who ask why a character had to grow up and move out.

“There are some really clear indicators for us of what the audience wants and we are going to be led by them.”

‘From 5 Live to BBC1’

With the BBC committed to serving 6-12 year-olds via CBBC, Webb said this older-skewing content would primarily be distributed on iPlayer and across social media as part of the ambition to “connect children right across the BBC, from 5 Live to BBC1”.

Webb added: “That audience between the age of 13 and 16 risks falling between the gaps between mainstream channels and our much-loved children’s channels. Tackling issues that are important to our audience is dear to our heart and we’ll do that for teenagers as well as for CBBC and Cbeebies.”

She pointed to research with teens conducted by BBC Children’s which revealed the demographic was interested in drama and current affairs which reflected their lives. “Those are the areas we are starting with,” she said.

CBBC controller Cheryl Taylor has been tasked with finding “innovative, impactful” commissions, such as coming-of-age dramas.

“We want shows that share the growing pains of that young audience, comedy and powerful factual content – and content that might play out on social media, on third party platforms as well as on our own,” Webb said. “Content that lives and hangs out with our audience wherever they are.”

Im sure someone is, back in 85/86 some one in the BBC must have had a good look at the satellite channels/feeds and said no but surly there were keeping an eye on it, to see when it would be possible for extra BBC Channels hence choice and knowledge. Thus somewhere in the deeps of the Broadcasting house someone is looking at the possibilities, how else did the BBC come up with this idea.