The BBC has celebrated National BSL Day today with the launch of its new groundbreaking CBeebies series Tiny Tunes.
Tiny Tunes marks a significant step in children's TV on the BBC as the first CBeebies show to feature deaf children on screen, alongside deaf adults. According to the broadcaster, the show "offers meaningful representation for deaf children and helps young audiences grow up with a more inclusive view of the world".
Speaking of the milestone move, senior head of Children's Commissioning 0-6 for CBeebies at BBC Children's and Education Kate Morton said: "Tiny Tunes is a genuinely important programme for CBeebies, and the deaf community.
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
"It's the first time we've had deaf children on screen within our content, and that representation really matters. For deaf children to see themselves reflected, and for all young viewers to grow up with a broader, more inclusive understanding of the world.
"Launching on National British Sign Language Day, and ahead of Deaf Awareness Week, feels especially meaningful and underlines that accessibility and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do at CBeebies."
What to Read Next
Tiny Tunes, which is presented by Lisa Kelly, has been created by Flashing Lights Media, while Camilla Arnold serves as executive producer.
The programme follows on from BBC's other groundbreaking series Reunion, which aired in 2025. The BAFTA award-winning bilingual revenge thriller, told from the perspective of the deaf community, features both BSL (British sign language) and spoken English as it tells the traumatic story of deaf ex-convict Daniel Brennan, played by Matthew Gurney.
Ostracised from the deaf community after his release from prison, Daniel seeks both redemption and revenge for the past incidents that led to his imprisonment. The series scooped BAFTA's TV Craft Award for Best Scripted Cast, while Rose Ayling-Ellis is nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the main BAFTAs in May.
Starring alongside Gurney and Ayling-Ellis in the series are Lara Peake, Anne-Marie Duff and Eddie Marsan. In our five-star review, we praised the "outstanding cast" for making the show's "exquisite storytelling" richer before saying: "Reunion is a credit to its talented creator William Mager, whose experience as a deaf individual lives in each moment.
"By the end of the four-part drama, you will be forever changed by the words that underscore it all: 'No one to sign my name'."
Tiny Tunes is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer and CBeebies from Monday 4 May. Reunion is also available to stream now on iPlayer.
The new edition of Living Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Sir David Attenborough, is here! Buy Sir David Attenborough in newsagents or online.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
