CBeebies TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On CBeebies Tonight

CBeebies is the BBC’s channel for children aged six and under, and the first thing most parents notice about it is what isn’t there. No adverts, and no sponsorship bumpers between shows either. The licence fee pays for the channel instead, which is why nothing on it is trying to sell a three-year-old a toy. Today, Wednesday 5 August 2026, there are 74 programmes on the schedule, all of it streaming live on BBC iPlayer alongside the broadcast.

CBeebies Schedule: Wednesday 5 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete CBeebies schedule for Wednesday 5 August 2026, on Freeview 202.

What’s on CBeebies today

The morning is built the way CBeebies mornings usually are: five- and ten-minute blocks stacked one after another, so a child can drift off and come back without missing a plot. Nothing before 8:45am runs longer than fifteen minutes. Bluey gets five outings today, a paired run at 7:25am and 7:30am, a single episode at 11:15am, then another pair at 4:35pm and 4:45pm.

Three episodes are genuinely new: What’s in Your Plant Pot? at 10:45am, Vida the Vet at 3:50pm, and Do Not Watch This Show at 4:20pm. Everything else is a repeat, including two runs of Something Special at 9:45am and 1:45pm, four separate Hey Duggee slots through the day, and a stretch of Zog, Octonauts and Peter Rabbit carrying the afternoon through to teatime.

CBeebies this evening — the wind-down to bedtime

CBeebies doesn’t do primetime. Instead, the last stretch before sign-off is built around one purpose: getting a small child calm and ready for bed. Here’s how that plays out on Wednesday 5 August 2026.

BeddyByes — CBeebies, 6:10pm

MeMo and BaBa’s tickle chase gets out of hand in this episode, and BaBa wants to stop before MeMo does. It’s a small, ordinary disagreement, the kind toddlers have several times a day, resolved with help from the Yummies rather than a lecture. The pacing here is noticeably slower than anything earlier in the schedule, which is the point.

In the Night Garden — CBeebies, 6:20pm

Igglepiggle goes looking for somewhere quiet after the garden gets too noisy for him, which is a fairly on-the-nose bit of programming for the half-hour right before bedtime. Anyone who has sat through this show knows the repetition and the slow, half-lit visuals are doing a specific job rather than trying to hold an adult’s attention.

CBeebies Bedtime Stories — CBeebies, 6:50pm

Tonight’s reader is Cody Rhodes, the American wrestler, with a book called Gigantic, about a whale with an outsized heart. The Bedtime Story has made a habit of pulling in guests well outside the usual children’s-TV roster, and pairing a WWE star with a picture book about a whale is a fairly typical example of that mismatch working in the show’s favour.

Close — CBeebies, 6:58pm

The channel signs off for the night straight after the Bedtime Story, handing its slot to BBC Four until CBeebies programming resumes at 6am.

What kind of shows are on CBeebies

CBeebies’ own commissions

Most of the schedule is BBC-commissioned. Hey Duggee, from Studio AKA and BBC Studios, has taken multiple Children’s BAFTAs since 2015 and is one of the most-streamed titles the channel has ever had. Something Special, presented by Justin Fletcher since 2003, is the longest-running preschool series in Britain. Sarah & Duck, Numberblocks and Charlie and Lola have all been in rotation for years too.

Imported animated hits

Bluey, made by Ludo Studio in Australia and co-commissioned with the ABC, has been CBeebies’ most-watched show since 2024. It’s rare for a preschool cartoon to hold an adult’s attention as well as a child’s, but Bluey manages it. Puffin Rock and Zog, adapted from Julia Donaldson’s picture book, are the other imports you’ll see most often.

Inclusive and accessible programming

Accessibility isn’t parked in one corner of the schedule here. Something Special was built around Makaton signing from the outset, for children with delayed learning and communication needs, and presenters use Makaton in the links between programmes. The nightly Bedtime Story has run episodes signed in British Sign Language and read in Braille.

How to watch CBeebies

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find CBeebies across the main UK television platforms:

Virgin Media and Freesat numbers can vary slightly depending on your box and region, so check your on-screen guide if these don’t match.

Streaming online

CBeebies streams live and free on BBC iPlayer, either through a browser at bbc.co.uk/iplayer or via the iPlayer app on smart TVs, games consoles and phones. You’ll need a free BBC account, and the same TV Licence that covers the broadcast covers the stream. Full box sets of most CBeebies shows sit in the on-demand section as well, usually for weeks or months after they first air, which is how most parents actually use it.

CBeebies and CBBC

The two channels launched on the same day, 11 February 2002, and the split between them is purely about age. CBeebies is for six and under, and leans hard on gentle pacing, repetition and routine. CBBC takes over from six to twelve, runs much later into the evening, and moves at a considerably faster clip. If your child has started finding Bing and Hey Duggee babyish, our CBBC TV guide covers what’s next.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is CBeebies on Freeview?

Freeview channel 202, with an HD simulcast on 204. No subscription is needed on any Freeview device.

What channel is CBeebies on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat?

Sky channel 608, Virgin Media channel 702, and Freesat channel 644, with Freesat HD on channel 608.

What time does CBeebies start and finish each day?

6am to 7pm, every day, with a short “This Is CBeebies” ident from around 5:30am. BBC Four has the same broadcast slot outside those hours.

When is the CBeebies Bedtime Hour and Bedtime Story?

It’s the last hour or so of the day, renamed simply Bedtime in 2023. It ends with the CBeebies Bedtime Story at 6:50pm, the final programme before sign-off.

Is CBeebies free to watch and does it carry adverts?

No advertising at all, which is unusual among children’s channels. A valid TV Licence is needed to watch it live or on iPlayer, as with any BBC service.

Can I watch CBeebies on BBC iPlayer?

Yes. There’s a live feed plus a dedicated CBeebies section, and a free BBC account is all you need to sign in.

Verdict

There’s no autoplay queue here, no next-episode countdown, no in-app anything. The channel just stops at 7pm and hands over, which does the arguing on your behalf.

For a remit this narrow the range is decent: decades-old homegrown commissions sitting next to recent imports without either looking out of place. Is it good for a toddler? Reliably, and that’s the only test worth applying. Nobody puts CBeebies on for appointment viewing. They put it on to get a small child calm and pointed at bed.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | CBBC TV Guide | BBC iPlayer Guide