CBBC (a contraction of the original name, Children's BBC, short for Children's British Broadcasting Corporation) is the brand name used for the BBC's children's television programmes, and currently specifically refers to those programmes aimed at children ages 6 through 12.
Arthur[]
Arthur first aired on Children's BBC in 1997. Arthur is currently the longest running cartoon on CBBC.
CBBC aired Arthur in an 11-minute timeslot, splitting episode pairs into individual episode segments. Episodes that take up both segments are split into two parts, an example being Arthur and the Haunted Tree House. On rare occasions where episode pairs aired as intended, they were known as a "double bill".
Skipped episodes[]
A few episodes have been skipped on CBBC. For example, "Postcards from Buster" was skipped[citation needed] as CBBC did not air the spinoff series of the same name, while "The Great MacGrady" was split into 2 parts with part 2 never airing[citation needed] as a result of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.
CBBC has not premiered any seasons after season 21, likely due to the existence of an Arthur Pluto TV channel available in the UK.
Widescreen introduction[]
In the United Kingdom, television networks including the BBC began introducing widescreen and airing media in the 16:9 format starting as early as 1998. Arthur, however, was produced in 4:3 until 2008. Starting with season 12, Arthur episodes were produced in widescreen and were broadcast in 16:9 in the U.K.
"Sign Zone"[]
The BBC uses British Sign Language (BSL) in its "Sign Zone," a morning program block that includes copies various BBC, CBBC and Cbeebies programing, and is now also perceivable in sign language. BSL is a visual way of communicating that uses gestures, facial expressions, and body language. It is used mainly by people who are deaf or to support those who have a hearing loss. Arthur also is one of the shows transcribed to sign language.