Greg Childs, Director of the Children's Media Foundation (CMF), discusses the significant changes and challenges facing UK children's media. Greg's background includes a long career at the BBC, producing shows like Record Breakers and being involved in launching early online content and digital channels like CBBC and CBeebies. He also co-founded the Children's Media Conference (CMC).

The fundamental change in the industry is how children consume media. This shift to on-demand viewing, largely driven by the internet and video games between 1995 and 1998, meant children wanted control over when they watched content. This has led to a "crisis" for the industry.

The crisis involves the collapse of the financial model, particularly for commercial public service broadcasters, due to the decimation of the advertising base. Kids' attention is now fragmented across traditional channels, YouTube, TikTok, and gaming platforms like Roblox, especially for those over seven. Traditional channel viewing figures, even for CBBC, are significantly lower than in the past.

Putting content on platforms like YouTube isn't a simple fix. Concerns include safety issues (algorithms linking content to disturbing material), low revenue (YouTube doesn't share ad revenue effectively, especially for children's content after an FTC fine), and YouTube's view of itself as a platform for user-generated content, not a publisher or commissioner. This limits its responsibility, and its algorithm isn't set up to promote public service content.

A key issue is prominence. While the recent Media Bill requires smart TVs to ensure public service channels are prominent, it doesn't address prominence on online platforms like YouTube. The CMF lobbied for this, arguing the bill was stuck in the 20th century. Achieving public service prominence on YouTube is complex but needs "a lot of thought".

The CMF is advocating for collaboration with platforms to get them to consider their societal role. There has been some "small progress," with a minister writing to social video platforms asking how they will make culturally relevant, age-appropriate content more prominent. However, the space is still described as a "wild west".

Parents have a crucial role in helping children navigate the digital world, compared to guiding them through traffic. This involves media literacy, which should also have a greater emphasis in schools. Parents should:

Talk about what kids watch and why they like it.

Watch media together or discuss how it's made and its agendas.

Teach kids to distinguish between truth and fake content, increasingly vital with AI.

Keep open communication channels about media consumption.

Be aware of what their children are watching for significant periods.

Despite challenges, the British children's TV industry is "brilliant" and "punches above its weight" globally, particularly in animation. It retains a tremendous skills base. Many practitioners see their work as a vocation, driven by a duty of care and a shared aim to improve children's lives. The belief that "what's good for kids is good for business" is something platforms like YouTube need to learn.

Greg also shared memories of producing Record Breakers for 10 years, highlighting the joy and responsibility of making stimulating, emotional programming. He recalled working with presenters Roy Castle and Cheryl Baker and the edited nature of Norris McWhirter's segment. Working at BBC Television Centre was a "fantastic time," feeling like a democratic "factory for making television."

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A familiar face from children's television, known for her extensive work on CBBC and her role as Gem on the hugely popular show, Swashbuckle. Gemma shares her journey from childhood dreams of being a performer and communicator to fulfilling a God-given calling in the media world. We delve into her early experiences, the challenges she faced, her successful TV career, and her transition into authorship.

Natural Enthusiasm: Discover how Gemma's naturally smiley and enthusiastic personality shines through her work. While acknowledging moments for deeper thought, she aims to bring "life and light and joy" to those she interacts with.

Finding Her Calling: Gemma shares how childhood experiences making home videos and recording radio shows pointed towards a career in performance and communication. A powerful word of prophecy at a church camp solidified her feeling that she was called to be "salt and light" in the media.

Church as a Training Ground: Learn how Gemma's involvement in her church youth group provided her first stage, microphone experience, and a "very forgiving audience" for honing her skills through dramas, public speaking, and even a memorable Spice Girls performance. Her experience helping run a church toddler group also taught her valuable skills for working with children.

Communicating with the Individual: Gemma reveals her philosophy of speaking directly to one person in the audience, often picturing a specific child like her godson Reuben. She emphasizes avoiding patronising language and treating children as "small human beings". This personal connection led to touching feedback from viewers who felt seen and heard, including those who saw representation on screen.

Championing Diversity: Coming from less diverse environments, Gemma found the diverse team at CBBC welcoming and felt a profound sense of belonging seeing people who looked like her. She discusses the importance of diverse representation in children's TV and feels proud to have trailblazed alongside others, empowering younger performers of colour.

Overcoming Personal Challenges: In a moment of powerful honesty, Gemma shares the struggles she faced with low self-esteem and severe adult acne while working on live television. She talks about the difficult decision to step back from TV to prioritise her health and confidence, stressing the importance of authenticity as a presenter.

Swashbuckle Success Story: Hear about Gemma's return to television with the highly successful Swashbuckle. She describes the show's high energy, the joy of working with the cast and crew (including Friday dress-up days!), and the thought process behind the physical games designed to align with Key Stage criteria and tested with children. Gemma also discusses making the show inclusive for children with different abilities and some memorable on-set dramas.

Parenting in the Digital Age: How Much Screen Time is Healthy? Gemma shares her family's thoughtful approach to screen time with their daughter. They differentiate between educational content and games, setting limits on the latter. TVs are kept in family spaces only, without personal devices in bedrooms, to facilitate co-viewing and monitoring, particularly regarding concerns about YouTube algorithms. The conversation also touches on encouraging other activities like board games and crafts.

Transition to Authorship: Gemma discusses her new career as an author, writing children's books that feature mixed-race families, drawing on her own family and faith.

Gemma's journey highlights the passion and dedication behind quality children's programming and the evolving ways in which she continues to communicate and inspire audiences, now through literature.

Find out more about Gemma and her work on her website: gemmahunt.com

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Since its debut in 2018, Bluey has become one of the most popular and beloved TV shows of all time. In this episode, Bluey’s sound designer and mixer Dan Brumm walks us through how the show began, the unique challenges of season one, and the lengths he goes to give the show its organic sound. Plus, Dallas reveals the secret timing of the Bluey theme song.

MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Speedy the Spider - The Limbo Twist

Stationary Sign - Paint by Numbers

Trabant 33 - Bird Songs

Ruiqi Zhao - Getaway

John Utah - Obvious Trent

Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen - Ventus

Moss Harman - Buffoon

Josef Falkensköld - Crayons

Alexandra Woodward - Family Life

Josef Bel Habib - Next To Our House

Alexandra Woodward - First Wives Club

Anna Dager - Visions

Ruiqi Zhao - No More Sadness

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