Under fives are to have their own BBC current affairs programmes, made by the producers of In the Night Garden and Teletubbies. The Dimblebeebies are a pair of brothers who are far from dim. They roam the country in a special green Dimblebeeby van with its own special noise, Dimblebeep!
Whever they go they like answering everyone's questions (however silly) with their pals, and playing hashtag, with which under fives can join in at home. Sometimes they have to play with Hopping Hitchens and Foaming Phillips but they still manage to stay polite, even when they break things and make a mess!
"It's the first time BBC Children's programmes have ventured into the area of debate and current affairs, apart from the Iggle Piggle Liggle challenge to the European Court of Human Rights," said Mary Barnet, Commissioning Editor. "Our view is pre-schoolers are never too young to learn."
But Ms Barnet denied this was the BBC's way of addressing the impending crisis of what BBC executives call "Dimble Drought" as the Dimblebeebies' true life counterparts approach the end of their working lives. The BBC has had a Dimble in residence since the time of Richard the first, who reported on the cruelty of the crusades. But none of the real Dimbley babies grew up with an interest in mass debating.
Ms Barnet also denied there were sly references to the real Dimblebies' situation in the new show. In Episode 4 there's a story line in which the brothers don't want to go round the country and are fed up with questions and don't want to play with Fat Digby any more, despite his experience in industrial relations. "We want to stay at home in Dimbledon with the Dimblebeeby-birds and the Dimblebeeby-bees and the Mrs D's," they say, before singing their song "Not you sir, the man behind you"
Meanwhile the BBC have denied trying to grow GM Dimblebies in the new Blue Peter labs in Salford.
