BBC to introduce young children to Shakespeare with CBeebies excerpts
The channel’s controller Kay Benbow says the CBeebies audience could benefit from hearing the words of the Bard
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The initiative will culminate later this year with a CBeebies interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filmed at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool and starring the channel’s best-known presenter, Justin Fletcher, as Bottom, and his side-kick Steve Kynman as Shakespeare.
The channel’s controller, Kay Benbow, said that the CBeebies audience, aged six and under, could benefit from hearing the words of the Bard. “We are introducing the language,” she said. “Nobody is going to be saying, ‘We want five-year-olds to be quoting Shakespeare.’ I just want them to hear the language, understand the stories and just get a sense of it.”
The excerpts from Shakespeare’s plays will be performed in sign language as part of the poetry-based programme Magic Hands. Other plays featured include Twelfth Night and As You Like It. “Shakespeare is meant to be performed; it’s much harder sitting reading it in the classrooms. If you see it performed, it brings it to life even if you don’t understand every single word,” said Ms Benbow.
She is determined to give young children greater exposure to the arts. On Easter Monday, CBeebies will be screening Tortoise & the Hare, made in association with Northern Ballet. A production of The Nutcracker, made with the same company, is planned for Christmas.
Controller Kay Benbow (Joe Plimmer)
During six years as controller, Ms Benbow has attempted to look beyond the narrow definition of “children’s programming” and turn CBeebies into a “multi-genre channel” that incorporates drama, factual and entertainment shows. Family drama Topsy and Tim was its best performing show last year, while an adaptation of the Katie Morag books has won it two Baftas.
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