Tuesday, December 05, 2006

CBBC has been busy preparing for a few presentation changes. Simon Grant and Angellica Bell left on Friday. Of the remaining continuity presenters Gemma has a boyfriend, Anne is a friend of her local Evangelical Alliance church, and the BBC seems proud to announce that Jake lives with his girlfriend. I think he will enjoy a long career in the Corporation.

Last Friday there was a Newsround Extra programme about child poverty. The programme, called The Wrong Trainers, was made up of six animations of real kids explaining their situations. At times the programme got political as, for instance, when Chris said that "this Government is not spending money as wisely as they should be." The programme received a lot of good comments in Tim Levell's blog, and I think the BBC may enter it into some competitions like the Prix Jeunesse. But however good an example of children's tv The Wrong Trainers might be, Newsround is not inclusive and would still refuse to cover any issues involving gay kids or their families.

The Wrong Trainers was broadcast on the same day as Blue Peter's "Wear Your Wellies Day." The idea was that schools register with the scheme, and then allow kids to wear their wellies providing they donate £1 towards the 'Shoebiz' appeal. Obviously CBBC hadn't considered the pressure on kids from poor families to pay up, whether or not they can afford the money.

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