The BBC has announced the return of Play School, the beloved children's programme that last aired in 1988, after a 38-year hiatus. The revamped show will be adapted for the digital age with a new YouTube channel offering parenting resources, as the corporation seeks to offer quality children's programming amid growing concerns about addictive, low-quality online content.

The original Play School, which ran for over 20 years from 1964, is being brought back to maintain "the values that made it one of the BBC's most enduring children's programmes" through a blend of songs, stories, music, poetry and imaginative play. This move reflects a broader crisis in British children's television: investment by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 fell by 40% to below £80m between 2010 and 2024, whilst original content halved to less than 400 hours over the same period. Pre-production begins in February 2027, with the first episodes scheduled for the 2027-28 financial year.