CBeebies launches female-led cartoon series

So, farewell Bob the Builder and hello Bitz the engineer.

CBeebies has launched a new cartoon with a female obsessed engineer as the star character to address ‘gender imbalance’ in children’s animations.

It follows the adventures of eight-year-old engineer Bitz and her younger brother Bob, who make creations in her ‘maker-space’ tree house.

Kay Benbow, who steps down this month after seven years at the helm of CBeebies, told The Times: ‘She’s the problem solver. We’ve female engineering consultants on board.’

She added: ‘We always aim to inspire on CBeebies and I hope that will encourage a new generation of engineer.

‘Bitz is a wonderful female role model, she is full of creative ideas and energy that will take our viewers on adventures that we know will fire their imaginations.

‘It’s designed to show pre-school children that girls can do science and problem-solving.’

The show follows the animated antics of inventor and creator eight-year-old Bitz and her younger brother Bob

The move is part of a drive to diversify children’s programming which has seen some male-led cartoons axed. 

Old favourites such as Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam are no longer shown on CBeebies.

Cherished children’s series Bob the Builder moved to Channel 5 in 2015 with the show’s first prominent black character, oodles of health and safety-friendly hi-vis strips and Bob’s fellow builder Wendy given a glamourous makeover as his ‘business partner and electrical specialist’. 

Old favourite, male-led cartoons such as Bob the Builder are no longer on CBeebies 

Fireman Sam has also been axed by CBeebies as it seeks a greater gender balance in cartoons

Those shows have been replaced by animations such as Treasure Champs, a series about generosity, empathy and honesty.  

Diversity campaigners have also criticised CBeebies for featuring too many male names in the titles of shows, such as Mr Tumble and Mr Bloom’s Nursery. 

CBeebies launched in 2002 targeted at children under six and is watched by 2.3 million children a week.

Dennis the Menace’s comeback becomes BBC children’s channel most watched show

The new cartoon series Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed was a smash hit among youngsters and was this week’s 10th most-watched programme in the country among children aged six to 12.

Animators were told to keep familiar British sights, such as red telephone boxes and pillar boxes, to a minimum to increase the chances of the series being bought by foreign broadcasters.

It’s also hoped stripping back on Britishness will appeal to more children from overseas. 

The new Dennis the Menace on CBBC was the channel’s most watched show this week

Actor Freddie Fox, 28, who voices Dennis for the new show, said he was not surprised by the success the newly launched show has enjoyed.

He told said children needed to be able to relate to Beano characters, adding: ‘That level of escapism is incredibly important, especially in the world we live in.’