Newsround
BBC children's news programme since 1972.
Newsround (stylised as newsround) is a BBC news programme for children that has been on the air without a break since 4 April 1972. When it first launched, it was called John Craven's Newsround, and it was among the very first TV news magazines anywhere in the world made specifically for a young audience. The show was created by Edward Barnes and John Craven. The BBC Children's Department originally ordered it as a short-run series and kept editorial control, while BBC News provided the technical facilities. It airs on CBBC and is designed for children between the ages of 5 and 15.
The programme was first hosted by John Craven, who presented it from 4 April 1972 until 22 June 1989. In the early days, when Craven was unavailable, stand-in presenters like Richard Whitmore were brought in from the main BBC News bulletins. In 1987, the show dropped "John Craven's" from its title and became simply Newsround, with a rotating team of presenters. Craven stayed on as both chief presenter and programme editor. Over time, the show built its own small reporting team, which included Helen Rollason, Lucy Mathen, and long-serving space editor Reg Turnill. Other presenters over the years have included Juliet Morris, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Julie Etchingham, Chris Rogers, Kate Gerbeau, Matthew Price, and Becky Jago. Regular reporters who also presented included Paul Welsh, Lizo Mzimba, and Terry Baddoo. For much of its first two decades, Newsround also relied on the BBC's wider network of national and international correspondents, such as John Humphrys, Michael Buerk, and Martin Bell.
Newsround was among the first British TV programmes to report the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger on 28 January 1986, though the claim that it was the very first is disputed. That edition was presented by Roger Finn, who had only recently joined the show. The programme also broke the news in Britain of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in Vatican City, and provided the first reports from the Windsor Castle fire in November 1992.
In February 2002, Newsround expanded from a single ten-minute programme on weekday evenings to bulletins broadcast throughout the day, seven days a week, to coincide with the launch of the CBBC Channel. These bulletins were shown on BBC One, BBC Two, and the CBBC Channel.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Edward Barnes · John Craven
- Presenter
- Nina Blissett · Ricky Boleto · Jenny Lawrence · De'Graft Mensah · Shanequa Paris
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Location
- BBC Television Centre (1972–2011) · dock10 studios (2011—present)
- Editor
- Lewis James
- Runtime
- 5–15 minutes
- Company
- BBC Studios Kids & Family
- First Aired
- 1972-04-04
- Last Aired
- present
- Related
- Sportsround · Ffeil
- Channel
- BBC One (1972–2012) · CBBC (2002–present) · BBC Two (2022–present)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Newsround was first presented by John Craven from 4 April 1972 until 22 June 1989. Initially, stand-in presenters such as Richard Whitmore came from main BBC News bulletins. In 1987, the show was renamed Newsround and featured a rotating team, with Craven serving as chief presenter and programme editor. The programme gradually developed its own reporting team, including Helen Rollason, Lucy Mathen, and long-serving space editor Reg Turnill. Other presenters included Juliet Morris, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Julie Etchingham, Chris Rogers, Kate Gerbeau, Matthew Price, and Becky Jago. Regular reporters who also presented included Paul Welsh, Lizo Mzimba, and Terry Baddoo. For most of its first two decades, Newsround drew on BBC correspondents. In July 2020, the 16:20 bulletin was replaced by a 16:45 bulletin, and the 08:15 bulletin (which had been introduced later than 1972) was axed.
Reader's Guide
Newsround holds significance as a pioneering children's news programme, being one of the first in the world to target a young audience with daily news. It was the first British television programme to break the news of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on 28 January 1986, and also first in Britain to report the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981 and the Windsor Castle fire in November 1992. In February 2002, it expanded from a single ten-minute weeknight programme to through-the-day bulletins seven days a week, coinciding with the launch of the CBBC Channel. In the early 2000s, it was the most watched programme for children in the UK and had the highest AI score of all CBBC programmes. Following the 9/11 attacks, Newsround launched a guide to help worried children. In July 2020, the 16:20 and 08:15 editions were axed, with focus shifting to the morning bulletin and website. The programme moved to new studios at Dock10, MediaCityUK in Salford Quays in November 2011, and later to a temporary set in the CBeebies studio in December 2023, before moving into a new permanent studio on 17 March 2025.
Did You Know?
- The programme was first in Britain to report an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
- In July 2020, the 16:20 and 08:15 bulletins were axed after being on air since 1972.
- Newsround moved into a new permanent studio on 17 March 2025, with Jenny Lawrence being the first to present from it.
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