Calum Leslie to achieve Cbeebies dream after royal boost
A campaign to see Radio 1 Newsbeat presenter Calum Leslie record a CBeebies Bedtime Story received an unexpected royal assist from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Calum had been told he could appear on the beloved children’s evening segment if a social media clip of him reached one million views by 08:30 GMT on Thursday. With the deadline approaching, Radio 1 Breakfast show host Greg James took a listener’s suggestion and reached out to Prince William and Princess Catherine for help.
Shortly afterward, the CBeebies post was shared from the royal couple’s official accounts, and Calum’s video hit its target in just ten minutes.
The CBeebies Bedtime Story, broadcast shortly before 19:00, sees celebrities and other well-known personalities read a short picture book to young viewers before wishing them a good night. Past readers have included Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Lewis Hamilton, and Harry Kane.
Calum’s “audition” clip, uploaded to Instagram, featured him in pyjamas reading the story of a giraffe born without markings who learns their differences make them special.
As Calum and Greg discussed strategies for increasing views during Thursday’s Breakfast show, listener Emma called in with an idea: reach out to the royals.
"I remember years ago when William and Kate said that they listen to the Breakfast Show on the school run," she said.
Emma suggested the couple would be "providing a service for their country" by sharing the clip on Instagram.
Greg then offered to send a voice note to William and Catherine’s official account.
To which Calum responded:
"Are you about to DM the future king of the United Kingdom about me in my pyjamas?"
Greg broadcast himself recording a voice message to the royals, noting they had just ten minutes to hit the one-million-view target.
"If that happens then CBeebies will upgrade him to a full Bedtime Story and he will be in the bedroom in amongst the greats," he said.
Soon after, the clip appeared as an Instagram story on the @princeandprincessofwales account, with the caption: "nice PJs, Calum". The video quickly surpassed one million views within ten minutes.
Calum received congratulations from fellow Radio 1 presenters, while Greg thanked the Prince and Princess for giving the campaign "the final push". CBeebies responded to Calum, saying: "See you in 2026."
Princess Catherine previously became the first royal to read a bedtime story on the channel in 2022, reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark for Children’s Mental Health Week. That same year, she also co-presented a special edition of BBC Newsbeat with Prince William, focusing on mental health.