One of the longest ever running children’s TV shows shuts up shop tonight with its last ever episode.

I have never been a big GH fan, not even when I was within it’s target audience, so I can’t say that I’m gutted about the BBC’s decision on this one. But some people must have liked it as there has been quite a fewonline campaigns from fans who want to save the show. Read more & comment »

The Doctor’s former companion returns to our screens in this BBC Children’s drama adventure series produced by current Doctor Who supremo Russell T Davies.

Now working as an investigative journalist, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) discovers that life back on Earth can be just as mysterious, exciting and dangerous as exploring time and space in the TARDIS.

Together with her young friends Rani and Clyde, and her adopted, genetically engineered, son Luke, Sarah Jane comes face to face with a whole host of weird and wonderful alien beings.

Monday 29 September 4.35pm CBBC on BBC One

Television production company, RDF has purchased the rights to classic children’s TV shows, Worzel Gummidge and Rentaghost.

The company which is reponsible for TV shows such as Location Location, Wife Swap and Shipwrecked, has licensed the rights to both shows from Los Angeles-based intellectual property firm Pidgeon Entertainment and will rework the shows for international modern audiences.

“We feel there is real potential for these classic brands to be reworked for a modern-day audience,” said Nigel Pickard, director of family entertainment at RDF.

I was never a big Rentaghost fan, but Worzel Gummidge was an institution in our house on a Sunday. I would love to see its return, either in it’s original form or a new updated version.

Here’s a great clip for those of you who are too young to remember the show!

Nickelodeon presents…Ross Lee’s Ghoulies is an electrifying new show where Ross welcomes viewers into his Ghouliverse; a weird, wacky and wonderful world set in Filthy Manor, a haunted house like no other!

Ross shares his spooky castle with a plethora of fiendish friends including Armpit, a talking armpit in a jar; Tarquin the bogeyman butler and Screaming Lord Grimace who reads scary stories from his Grimosaurus.

The studio based show, which will broadcast on Saturday mornings from 10am to 12pm, includes sketches , Caught by the Ghoulies – a hidden camera prank show, TV spoofs such as the weekly horror soap, Beastenders, and valiant celebrities including Sharon Osbourne, Kirsty Gallagher, Dermot O’Leary, Adele Silva and Caroline Flack, who are brave enough to enter this madcap world and have fantastically funny chats with freaky fortune-teller Gypsy Ross Lee, crazy dentist Doctor Floss and creepy teacher, Professor Von Munster – all of whom are played by Ross himself. Read more & comment »

Turn off the games console, put away the board games and come feast your eyes on cartoon awesomeness this summer with CITV.

Totally Summer runs from July until September and there will be a veritable banquet of new shows featuring throughout the event.

There will be brand new cartoons airing such as The Adventures Of Paddington Bear, Skyland and Pokemon! Read more & comment »

Former Spice Girl and veteran promoter of animal print clothing, Mel B has been talking about her new TV show due to hit our screens sometime next year.

The 33-year-old said: “I’ve written my own sitcom that’s just been picked up by Nickelodeon that I start at Christmas.

“I’m the star of it. It’s a bit like Hannah Montana, but the black version.”

Seriously? Did she say that with a straight face?

A year-long green initiative called EcoBeebies will launch on the CBeebies channel on 13 June 2008. EcoBeebies will introduce 3-6 year olds and their families to a range of environmental, conservation and wildlife related issues, with contributions from familiar faces including Springwatch presenter and conservationist Bill Oddie.

The launch day will be marked with a one-off special show called Easy Peasy EcoBeebies, followed a week later by a weekly nature programme called The Green Balloon Club, which will be broadcast every Friday afternoon for a year. In addition, children can access EcoBeebies via an initiative called the Green Stars Club on the CBeebies website, enabling children to learn more about conservation and their environment with parents and carers online.

Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies said, Read more & comment »

Playhouse Disney’s inaugural Playing for The Planet Awards were launched today by campaign ambassador Tana Ramsay. The Awards mark the one year anniversary of Playhouse Disney’s Playing for The Planet campaign, the first of its kind to bring environmentalism to life in a fun way for preschoolers, families and nurseries around the UK.

To help preschoolers secure the future of the planet they will inherit, Playhouse Disney has teamed up with leading environmentalist Professor Bill McGuire to devise a set of recommendations to get them on the right track from an early age. Each idea highlights something that preschoolers can do everyday to help save the planet and reveals the positive impact that even the country’s youngest residents can make. The Playing for The Planet Guide also offers ideas on making these planet saving changes fun by turning them into games and activities to engage young children. Read more & comment »

David Beckham has become the latest in a long line of stars to appear on children’s TV show, Sesame Street.

David recorded an episode last week in which he introduced the word ‘persistence’ to Elmo.

‘David has always been a huge fan of the show. When he was a kid he watched it, like a lot of people, and knew all the characters. He was more than happy to go on,’ reveals a source to The Sun.

Below is a clip of James Blunt crooning with Tele about his favourite shape, the triangle! Read more & comment »

Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies, has unveiled the latest innovation from the UK’s favourite pre-school channel CBeebies. Kerwhizz is a new breakthrough multi-platform entertainment format aimed at 4 to 6 year olds.

Michael Carrington says: “Children love quizzes but there hasn’t ever been a television quiz for viewers of this age.

“Kerwhizz is tremendous fun, looks absolutely amazing and children and their grow-ups will be able to enjoy the game and the podcasts any time they like.”

In Kerwhizz three teams of CGI characters compete to answer questions that will give them add-ons or “pod-mods” for their high-tech racing machines which can help them to win a race against their opponents.

Visually stunning and packed with gags, Kerwhizz has been designed with the assistance of teachers, and a specialist adviser, to test the teams and the viewer.

The children watching are drawn into the action at every step of the game, answering questions, making predictions about the race and advising contestants when to use their “pod mods”. Read more & comment »

The loveable green ogre, and star of one of the most successful film franchises of all time, now comes to the smaller screen in his first Christmas special for BBC One!

Playing to over 21 million viewers when the festive family treat showcased in America, BBC One will host the UK premiere of the Shrek The Halls on Christmas Eve.

Just when Shrek thought he could finally sit back, relax and enjoy his happily ever after with his new family, the most joyous of all holidays arrives.

It’s Christmas Eve, and everyone is filled with holiday cheer, except for Shrek. He isn’t exactly the picture of yuletide joy, but for the sake of Fiona and the kids, he tries to get into the spirit of things as only an ogre can.

Unfortunately, everyone seems to have their own ideas about what Christmas is all about, so when Donkey, Puss In Boots, the Gingerbread Man and the whole gang try to join in on the fun, Shrek’s plans for a cosy family celebration end up spiralling into one truly unforgettable Christmas.

This half-hour of holiday entertainment with everyone’s favourite ogre family airs on Monday 24 December on BBC One.

The BBC children’s team is celebrating success today after winning ten awards at the British Academy Children’s Awards, which took place in London last night (Sunday 25 November).

CBeebies, headed by Creative Director Michael Carrington, won the Channel of the Year Award, which recognises innovation, commissioning, creative scheduling, impact on viewers and ratings success. CBeebies also enjoyed further success with the enormously popular and groundbreaking In The Night Garden, which won the Pre-school Live Action Award.

CBBC, under the guidance of Creative Director Anne Gilchrist, won eight awards including:

* Best Drama – That Summer Day
The programme told the story of the July 7 bomb attacks in London from the point of view of children who had experienced them.

* Best Factual – Newsround’s The Wrong Trainers
The show turned real life children’s stories about child poverty into short animated films. Read more & comment »

Dennis The Menace is to return to our TV screens after ten long years!

But don’t expect the old style Dennis, as Dennis has moved on during his time away!

Benjamin Gray, from Beano publisher DC Thomson, said: “The storylines are very much influenced by what is going on in the UK now.

“Children grow up in a world of reality TV, downloads and iPods. We have to reflect this, but the unique Dennis charm will still be there.”

The makers of Sesame Street are auditioning for a Northern Ireland version of the popular children’s TV show, Sesame Street.

The Jim Henson company are currently making up the puppets for the show and at least two new characters will be added to the cast. But don’t worry, bert and Ernie will be returning….I’m not so sure about Oscar the grouch!

Instead of being based in a New York sidewalk the new show will centre around life in the Titular tree. The 15-minute shows will also feature aspects of rural and urban life in Northern Ireland.

Executive Producer Colin Williams said the programmes “combine new muppets developed specially for our local audience, live action sequences filmed across Northern Ireland and classic Sesame Street moments”.

He added: “Through the fun interaction of the muppets in studio, Sesame Street archive clips and live action films, local children will enjoy learning about themselves and others.”

Sarah Jane Smith, investigative journalist and former companion to The Doctor, is back in a brand-new CBBC drama from the makers of Doctor Who. And in the first two-part story of the series she faces some familiar alien enemies of The Doctor as the Slitheen are back and out for revenge…

On their first day at their new school Maria and Luke soon realise that all is not as it seems. There’s a funny smell, the food keeps going off, the teachers keep farting and the new technology block is hiding some dark secrets. Read more & comment »