Northern Irish YouTuber Adam Beales has been named as the 40th presenter of Blue Peter.
Beales, from Londonderry, will co-host alongside Lindsey Russell, Richie Driss and Mwaka Mudenda, who was unveiled as a new presenter in May.
Beales, whose first show airs today, said: “I am humbled and ecstatic to be part of such a legendary production. It’s kind of weird – in a super exciting way – that the show I once watched when I was younger, is now the show I will be presenting along with the talented Lindsey, Richie, Mwaksy and of course, Henry.
“I can’t wait to get stuck in, even with the challenges they throw at me, though I am hoping none of them involve cheese – I hate cheese!”
Beales has appeared already on the CBBC panel show The Dog Ate My Homework. He first rose to prominence via his own YouTube channel, which features his family and has videos of pranks, challenges and life hacks, and now has nearly three million subscribers.
“Adam really impressed us during his auditions, he’s a natural in front of the camera but he’s also very funny, incredibly warm, brilliant with kids and also perhaps a little bit mischievous which the Blue Peter audience will absolutely love,” said Blue Peter editor Ellen Evans.
Meanwhile, Newsround has launched its own YouTube channel after getting rid of its teatime TV bulletin.
The news programme has been on television for almost 50 years, however the corporation said it is aiming to move more of its children’s content online, where it believes the audience is.
Presenter De’Graft Mensah said he wasn’t sad to see the changes, as “the world was a very different place” to when he was watching the programme as a kid himself.
“I grew up in a world where coming home to watch scheduled television was the law! It was something that everyone did,” he said.
“I’m quite happy that we’re now able to adapt. It’s a very bad move to be stubborn and stay as you are when everything around you is changing.”
