Something Special (TV series)
| Something Special | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Allan Johnston Justin Fletcher |
| Written by | Allan Johnston Tracey Hammett Howard Davidson (Series 1) David Ingham Alan Robinson Simon Ashdown (Series 2) |
| Directed by | Geoff Coward Helen Sheppard (Series 1) Brian Little Andy Burns Kathryn Wolfe (Series 2) |
| Presented by | Justin Fletcher (2003–present) George Webster (2023–present) Ben Cajee (2025–present) Maddie Moate (2025–present) |
| Composer | Archie Brown |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original languages | English Makaton |
| No. of series | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 275 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Yvonne Jennings (Series 1) Suzy Lamb Vanessa Amberleigh (Series 2) |
| Producers | Allan Johnston Phillip Cooper, Anna Perowne (Series 1) Kieran Roberts (Series 2) |
| Production location | Dock10 studios (2011–present) |
| Editors | Scott Price Paul Shields |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time |
|
| Production companies | BBC In-House Children's Unit (2003-2016) BBC Children's Productions (2017-2023) BBC Studios Kids & Family (2025-present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBeebies |
| Release | 1 September 2003 – present |
Something Special is a British children's television programme starring and presented by Justin Fletcher. It was created and produced by Allan Johnston. It is broadcast by the BBC, debuting on 1 September 2003. It is designed to introduce children to Makaton signing, and is specifically aimed at children with delayed learning and communication difficulties. It is aired on the CBeebies channel and is currently the longest running CBeebies programme and the longest running preschool series in Britain. In the past, it was also broadcast as part of the CBeebies programme strand on BBC One and BBC Two.
The name of the programme derives from the idea that all children, irrespective of their position on the learning spectrum, are special. The format of the show has evolved considerably since the original series. In 2012, a new series, "Something Special – We're All Friends" started, introducing some minor changes to the "Out and About" format. This format change has also included a change in location, and introduced the Tumble Tapp, a personalised tablet computer showing the "special things" to look for. Beginning with Series 14, additional presenters will alternate with Justin.
The earlier series of the show were taken out of re-run rotation sometime in the early 2010s; CBeebies now only airs the most recent series, currently Series 10-12.