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

CBeebies is the BBC’s channel for children aged six and under, and it runs without adverts or sponsorship between shows. The licence fee pays for it instead, which is why nothing on the channel is trying to sell a three-year-old a toy. Today, Friday 21 August 2026, there are 76 programmes on the schedule, all of it streaming live on BBC iPlayer alongside the broadcast.

CBeebies Schedule: Friday 21 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete CBeebies schedule for Friday 21 August 2026, on Freeview 202.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

What’s on CBeebies today

Friday’s morning follows the shape CBeebies mornings usually take: once the “This Is CBeebies” ident clears at 6am, short five- and ten-minute shows stack one after another so a young child can drift off and come back without losing the thread. Bing gets three separate slots between 6:05am and 9am, Hey Duggee runs in a back-to-back pair at 7:05am and 7:10am, and Bluey does the same straight after at 7:20am and 7:25am. Something Special, Justin Fletcher’s Makaton-signed strand, airs twice, once at 9:45am and again at 1:45pm.

The afternoon works through the channel’s usual rotation, Big Cook Little Cook, Numberblocks, Molly and Mack and Peter Rabbit among them, with Hey Duggee and Bluey each getting a second paired outing around 3:45pm and 4:40pm respectively. From 5pm the schedule narrows into the teatime wind-down: Dodge’s Pup School, Waffle the Wonder Dog, Rafi the Wishing Wizard, JoJo & Gran Gran, Sarah & Duck and Clangers, each getting a single slot before the evening’s three bedtime shows take over from 6:10pm.

CBeebies tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the CBeebies primetime line-up for tonight, Friday 21 August 2026.

Rafi the Wishing Wizard — CBeebies, 5:30pm

A five-minute opener for the teatime run, ahead of the block of story-led strands that carries the channel through to bedtime.

JoJo & Gran Gran — CBeebies, 5:35pm

JoJo & Gran Gran (series 2, episode 11) takes its pair to the lido for a swimming lesson, the sort of everyday outing the strand has built its following on since it began drawing on Caribbean-British family life.

Sarah & Duck — CBeebies, 5:50pm

Sarah and Duck mark a birthday in “Birthday Buoy” (series 3, episode 7), keeping to the show’s soft, slightly surreal humour rather than reaching for anything louder.

Clangers — CBeebies, 5:55pm

The stop-motion revival opens its second series with “Round and Round” (series 2, episode 1), still told without a word of English: just the family’s whistled dialogue and a narrator filling in the gaps.

BeddyByes — CBeebies, 6:10pm

BeddyByes eases things toward sleep with “Den” (series 1, episode 39), one of the short, deliberately low-key strands CBeebies schedules specifically for the last hour of its day.

In the Night Garden — CBeebies, 6:20pm

Mr Pontipine’s moustache blows away and needs chasing down in tonight’s In the Night Garden (series 2, episode 19), a typically small, dreamlike mishap for a show that has never needed much more than that.

CBeebies Bedtime Stories — CBeebies, 6:50pm

Billie Eilish takes the armchair for tonight’s CBeebies Bedtime Stories (series 2024, episode 60), reading Oliver Jeffers’ This Moose Belongs to Me. The celebrity guest-reader format is the strand’s biggest draw, and a name like this tends to pull in viewers well past the intended age range for its eight minutes.

Close — CBeebies, 6:58pm

CBeebies signs off for the night straight after, with programmes resuming at 6am tomorrow. BBC Four takes over the broadcast slot until then.

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

CBeebies doesn’t autoplay into the next episode or push in-app extras between shows. The channel just stops at 7pm and hands over to BBC Four for the night.

For a remit this narrow, the range holds up: decades-old homegrown commissions sit next to recent imports without 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 | Films on TV This Week