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

Published: 26 August 2026

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, Thursday 27 August 2026, there are 77 programmes on the schedule, all of it streaming live on BBC iPlayer alongside the broadcast.

CBeebies Schedule: Thursday 27 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete CBeebies schedule for Thursday 27 August 2026, on Freeview 202.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

What’s on CBeebies today

Thursday’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 slots between 6:05am and 9am, and Hey Duggee and Bluey both run in back-to-back pairs at 7:05am–7:35am, a shape that repeats late in the afternoon. Something Special, Justin Fletcher’s Makaton-signed strand, airs twice, at 9:45am and 1:45pm, and Maddie + Triggs and Piggy Builders each get two outings too, morning and early afternoon.

The afternoon works through the channel’s usual rotation, Octonauts, Numberblocks, Peter Rabbit and Time for School among them, with Hey Duggee doubling up again at 3:45pm and 3:50pm. Do Not Watch This Show has a new episode at 4:30pm, still firmly a daytime slot despite the flag. Bluey follows straight after at 4:40pm and 4:45pm, though it’s worth knowing these aren’t fresh episodes: they’re the same two instalments the channel already showed first thing this morning, at 7:20am and 7:30am. 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 and Sarah & Duck, each getting a single slot before the evening’s bedtime run takes over at 6pm.

CBeebies tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

CBeebies doesn’t really have a primetime in the way most channels do. The evening is barely an hour long, and it exists purely to wind a small child down for bed rather than to hold anyone’s attention.

Clangers, BeddyByes and In the Night Garden — CBeebies, 6pm to 6:50pm

The evening opens with Clangers at 6pm, the stop-motion knitted mice on their small blue planet, before BeddyByes takes the 6:10pm slot with its own gentle bedtime rituals. In the Night Garden then fills the half-hour from 6:20pm, the slowest and most repetitive of the three, which is rather the point at this time of day.

CBeebies Bedtime Stories — CBeebies, 6:50pm

The night’s proper highlight is the last one. Sharon D Clarke reads tonight’s Bedtime Story, taken from the Little People, Big Dreams picture-book series, and her subject is jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. It’s an eight-minute read, and it closes the broadcast day.

CBeebies signs off two minutes later, at 6:58pm, with a short card telling viewers programmes resume at 6am — not a show, just the channel going dark until morning.

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