Newsround, the BBC’s flagship children’s show which celebrates 40 years on air this year, has been awarded the BAFTA Special Award.

The groundbreaking programme was one of the world’s first TV news shows made specifically for children. It began in 1972 as a twice-weekly programme and now broadcasts 45 bulletins a week. Over the years, its output has expanded to include sports coverage and documentary specials like Living With Alcohol, which won Best Factual Programme at our 2010 Children’s Awards.

A short history of Newsround

Newsround was the brainchild of Edward Barnes, the then BBC deputy head of children’s programmes, who had already helped to create Blue Peter.

At the time, the early evening news followed BBC One’s children’s shows. “A lot of it was unsuitable for children,” recalls Barnes. “They were getting a half digested knowledge of what was happening in the world. I felt we could do these stories in a way that children could come to terms with.”

From the start, Newsround’s mission was to explain world events to a young audience. But the idea was not universally popular. “Many people thought it would be an assault on innocent eyes and ears,” says Barnes.

Fortunately, Barnes received backing from departmental boss Monica Sims, BBC One controller Paul Fox, and head of TV news Derrick Amoore. Amoore’s support was crucial, giving Newsround access to the BBC’s vast newsgathering operation. With Barnes installed as editor, the programme gained a presenter – and a name – when John Craven signed up.

The first John Craven’s Newsround (as it was then known) was broadcast on 4 April 1972. Craven went on to present more than 3,000 bulletins until he left the show in 1989.

“John was absolutely pivotal to its success,” says Barnes. “He was a journalist by trade and understood children.”

A great challenge

Craven describes the 17 years he spent presenting Newsround as “a great challenge”.

“I had to explain complicated issues to people who hadn’t been around for very long. We always assumed that nobody had any prior knowledge of the story,” he says.

“Children will get hold of the news somehow, whether it’s from playground gossip, some hurried bulletin on a pop radio station or a tabloid newspaper headline. So it’s much better to have it explained in a way that they will understand.”

“We were holding a ladder up to the wall of childhood and letting children climb up and peep over the top to see what was happening.”
- John Craven, Newsround presenter, 1972-1989

His biggest story was the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, which killed all its crew. “We’d been following it closely because a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was on board. It happened 10 minutes before we went on air and we broke the story,” Craven recalls.

The show even led to Craven being banned from filming in South Africa. It is a ban he still wears as a badge of honour, and speaks to the reach and influence of the show. “Every time Newsround mentioned apartheid we explained what it meant. The South African government, which monitored all BBC news bulletins, didn’t like this constant reminder.”

News for children

Current BBC children’s boss Joe Godwin says Newsround’s founding principles remain as true today as they were in 1972:

“Newsround is not children’s news; it’s news for children. Our job is to communicate in a non-patronising way that treats children as intelligent human beings.” – Joe Godwin, director of BBC Children’s

Newsround joins a select band of shows, including Blue Peter, Coronation Street and Panorama, that have aired continuously for more than four decades.

What is the BAFTA special Award?

A BAFTA Special Award is one of the academy’s highest honours recognising an outstanding contribution to film, games or TV. You can see more recipients in our Awards database.

Newsround was presented with a BAFTA Special Award at the BAFTA Children’s Awards ceremony in London on 27 November 2011.

For more inspiring stories from the world of film, games and TV, explore our BAFTA Award Stories section.