BBC Children in Need and BBC Two’s See Hear have announced a dedicated programme to “get the nation signing,” which will see Pudsey Bear learn British Sign Language (BSL) for the first time.
See Hear is a long-running monthly magazine programme on BBC Two that covers relevant issues for the deaf and hard of hearing community, presented by Julian Peedle-Calloo and Yvonne Cobb, who are both deaf and communicate via BSL. The programme is also subtitled.
In the special programme, which TX’s on Wednesday November, 1 at 8am, on BBC Two, Julian and Yvonne are challenged to “get the nation signing” and travel to locations across the country to visit projects funded by BBC Children in Need for deaf children and young people to learn more about their funding and how they benefit.
The programme sees the duo visit Deaf Active in Merseyside which receives a grant of £111,864, over three years, from BBC Children in Need to deliver after school and holiday club sessions for deaf children and young people, which enables them to learn new skills, develop confidence and self-esteem, and encourage their independence.
Elsewhere, Yvonne visits DSN, which works in Cheshire and North East Wales, and receives a grant of £99,834 to deliver family support and weekly football sessions to deaf and hard of hearing children and young people and their siblings.
The programme also features a visit to Morning Live where Yvonne teaches presenters Gethin Jones and Kym Marsh, alongside guests Dr Ranj and Strictly’s Nadia Bychkova how to sign their names in BSL.
See Hear presenter, Yvonne Cobb, who also presents a weekly cookery segment on Morning Live said: “We had a lot of fun filming this special programme for BBC Children in Need, as we travelled across the country meeting projects and deaf children and young people to learn more about how they benefit from BBC Children in Need funding. We even managed to teach Pudsey some BSL which was a first for the big yellow bear.”
Julian Peedle-Calloo added: “It was a real pleasure to film this special programme for BBC Children in Need, and so insightful to meet with children and families who have benefited from this long standing charity. We hope that you enjoy this special programme as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Tommy Nagra, Director of Content at BBC Children in Need said: “We are delighted to collaborate with See Hear and for the first time see Pudsey learning British Sign Language from children and young people supported by BBC Children In Need funded projects. It’s a great addition to our season of programmes.”
