The CBBC Thread

CBBC MUST stay on BBC1, no questions asked. A lot of damage has already been caused industry-wide to children's TV in recent times but the presence of a regular slot on the BBC's flagship channel, as opposed to the second channel, reinforces the idea that children's TV matters and is not just an afterthought.

We have already seen the damage caused to Saturday mornings since the move to BBC2. The new series if TMi is a half-hearted effort at just 90 minutes (the rest of the time filled with - guess what - Tracy Beaker repeats) so any move of weekday afternoons will undoubtedly mean less effort being made and certainly no future for series like The Sarah Jane Adventures on a main channel.

Sadly the real problem with children's TV on any channel is market forces. If TV bosses stopped pandering to those we could still have a burgeoning market across all channels for quality children's output. Not to mention the ludicrous food advertising ban which exists only to scapegoat government policy failure...

The BBC looks to have cottoned onto the rumours:

BBC Denies Move

This is a denial of sorts from the BBC. However, there is a thinly disguised intention that this is likely to happen after DSO.

I imagine that we all knew that was going to happen though. There is no point running 2 childrens' channels and then having some of your programming shown elsewhere.

I really do worry about your obession with kids tv, Simon. There a passing interest which is fine but you really are OTT with it. Ask the target audience what they want. Its all different to when you were a child even if you are still holding onto it.

As for TMi, yes the show may be 30 minutes shorter but the actual content has not been reduced as they no longer show 15 minute cartoons or a 25 minute Prank Control programme or whatever it was call. The reason why they are at the Beeb this year is due to MTV selling of the studios at Leicester Square where they were based originally.

I'm only looking at it from a PSB standpoint. I have much better things to do than sit in front of BBC2 on Saturday mornings and I'm looking at things purely from the point of view of whether the BBC are following their commercial competitors in providing a reduced commitment to children's programming in this day and age. Yes, of course ask the target audience what they want. But it's as if the Saturday slot has become a mere box-ticking exercise - "give them anything as long as it fills a slot and we can do its as cheaply as possible". The same appears to be the case with the new BBC Switch.


No, instead they are showing the cartoons etc. in the remaining hour and a half up to 12noon. Quite what CBBC hope to achieve by repeating Tracy Beaker to death at any given opportunity is puzzling. There will come a time when the audience will revolt and want something else (just as the adult audience eventually got fed up with Dad's Army repeats and demanded other classic comedies).

Actually BBC Switch looks like it will be a lot better than a 'box-ticking' exercise. They aren't being forced to do this by any clause, it is because they feel there is a need for it.

Saturday afternoon just doesn't seem like the right slot somehow. Most teens are off out doing whatever then - I know I was, compare that with Sunday mornings (T4) and that seems to be a more suitable slot.

It is the perfect time for it, im usually studying on a saturday and no i dont like horse racing on as im doing my economics! Their version of the OC could be a winner too

I do remember back when I was in my teens that I used to watch the core on channel 5 on a saturday afternoon, not all teens go out, and if they only have freeview, they only really have T4 and e4, not much more else.

I notice that TMI is now back on, on Saturday mornings. Interesting to note that the show is now only 1.5 hours long and appears to be coming from TVC rather than the Leicester Square studio. It's a shame really as i thought TMI was a great package from Leicester Square. Had a real sense of Audience participation if they went outside. Still more of these nonsense cost cutting excercise's from the greatest of BBC management teams i guess. Bring back Greg!

Old news. It's already been discussed.

If you read my reply to Simon above you will see although the show is shorter in duration, it still has the same studio content as there is no full length cartoons and the inserted stuff barely lasts about 10-15 minutes tops

They were based at the MTV studios in Leicester Square but MTV have decided to sell them hence TMi moving to the Beeb. I agree it had more atmosphere at Leicester Square but the show is still as funny as ever.