A playful mission to secure Newsbeat presenter Calum Leslie a coveted spot on CBeebies Bedtime Stories got an unexpected – and rather regal – helping hand.
Calum had been set a challenge: if a clip of him reading a children’s story hit one million views before 08:30 on Thursday, he’d earn the chance to record an official Bedtime Story for the channel. With the deadline rapidly approaching, hopes were starting to fade… until Greg James decided to aim high. Very high.
During the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Greg followed a listener’s bold suggestion to rope in the Prince and Princess of Wales. The pair famously used to tune in during the school run, so Greg fired off a voice note to the royals’ official Instagram asking for a last-minute share.
And amazingly, it worked.
Within minutes, Calum’s pyjama-clad “audition” appeared on the @princeandprincessofwales Instagram Story, complete with the wonderfully cheeky caption: “Nice PJs, Calum”.
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The result? The video smashed through the million-view target in roughly ten minutes.
Listeners, fellow Radio 1 DJs and Greg himself celebrated the win, with Greg thanking the royal couple for giving the campaign “the final push”. CBeebies joined in too, teasing Calum with a reply promising, “See you in 2026.”
The viral clip shows Calum reading a tale about a giraffe born without markings, discovering that what makes them different is what makes them special. Previous Bedtime Story readers include Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Tom Hardy, Lewis Hamilton and Harry Kane, all of whom have taken a turn in the iconic CBeebies armchair.
This isn’t the first time the Waleses have crossed paths with children’s broadcasting. Princess Catherine became the first royal to present a Bedtime Story back in 2022, reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark for Children’s Mental Health Week. That same year, she and Prince William co-presented a special edition of BBC Newsbeat focused on mental health.
For Calum, though, the unexpected royal intervention marks a surreal new career milestone… and perhaps the start of his journey to Bedtime Story stardom.
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