IDRIS Elba has been announced as the latest celebrity taking part in the much-loved CBeebies Bedtime Stories over the Christmas period.
The star will kick off a special week of the Bedtime Stories series this Saturday and will read Hedgehog’s Balloon by Nick Butterworth.
The book is all about Percy the park keeper who sets out to help his friend hedgehog play with his very first balloon.
Other stars getting involved include Justin Fletcher, Mo Gilligan, Perrie, Kylie, James Norton and Cody Rhodes.
CBeebies Bedtime Story has been a family favourite since it launched on the channel in 2002.
Renowned for its star-studded guests, CBeebies stories’ aim is to inspire the nation to get reading.
Following Idris, CBeebies’ Justin Fletcher will read The Winter Wish by Helen Mortimer and Rachael Dean on Sunday, December 22.
On Monday, December 23, comedian Mo Gilligan reads My Dad is a Grizzly Bear by Swapna Haddow and Dapo Adeola which follows a boy with a wild imagination and his lively family.
On Christmas Eve, singer Perrie returns to CBeebies Bedtime Stories with the festive tale Mr Santa by Jarvis, a story which channels the excitement and joy of every child who has dreamed of meeting Father Christmas himself.
On Christmas Day, pop superstar Kylie counts down Aussie-style with The Australian 12 Days of Christmas by Michael Salmon.
Kylie explains that Christmas in Australia is a little bit different to the UK with twelve possums playing, eleven lizards leaping …six sharks a-surfing, and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
Boxing Day will see actor James Norton reading There is no Big Bad Wolf in this Story by Lou Carter and Deborah Allwright.
Welcoming in the New Year on Wednesday 1 January, undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes reads Gigantic by Rob Biddulph about a very small and determined blue whale.
Other top celebs that have read stories in the past include Kylie Minogue, Billie Eilish, Lewis Hamilton, Harry Styles, Reese Witherspoon, Sir Elton John, Anthony Joshua, Spice girls Mel C and Geri Halliwell-Horner, Ed Sheeran, Kate Winslet and Harry Kane.
CBeebies Bedtime Story has also seen many other landmark firsts.
Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose-Ayling Ellis read the first ever story in British Sign Language while Rugby champion Rob Burrow read the first story told using an eye controlled computer.
Lora Fachie read the first ever braille story while cricketers Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first LGBTQ+ couple to read a story and astronaut Tim Peake as the first to read from space.
Patricia Hidalgo, Director BBC Children’s and Education, said: “CBeebies Bedtime Stories brings magical moments to families all year round but there’s something extra special about stories at Christmas time.
“At its heart is the incredible power of storytelling, which spans generations from children to their grown-ups to grandparents, and this Christmas, we hope everyone takes something away from listening to a story snuggled up together.”
CBeebies Bedtime story is on every day during the week at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
