Nightmares and fairytales

Children’s TV presenter Cerrie Bernell remains confident of her appeal to children despite parental sniping says Ian Macrae

Cerrie Bernell has written a play. “It’s called Winged,” she tells me, spelling out the word in the interests of clarity.

“It’s about a fairy who’s born with one wing and they make her a false wing out of petals which she refuses to wear. The main thread of the story relates directly to disability.”

As someone recently at the centre of a media storm over her right to be on television and the ludicrous idea that this new recruit to the presentation team on CBeeBies, (the BBC’s channel for three to six year olds,) is frightening to her audience, Cerrie is very calm.

“I certainly don’t take it personally. I think I’m facing the same discrimination that any disabled person in my place would face.”

Two months into her new role as co-presenter on the Channel’s Bedtime Hour, Cerrie was the subject of hostile feedback from a number of parents. There were claims that her impairment made her so frightening that children would have nightmares. Other parents objected to having to face difficult issues and questions with their young families. While she accepts that it was the fact that she has a media profile which gave the row momentum, Cerrie knows that such medieval attitudes have roots which go much deeper.

”It’s part of a wider problem and typical of the discrimination that disabled people face in all professions. It’s great that people have been made aware that such attitudes exist, but, you know, all disabled people know that they do.”

Her five month old daughter, Amelie, is making her own very vocal contribution to our conversation and it’s clear from her smiles that she’s frightened neither of her mother’s impairment nor mine. But what about Cerrie’s TV audience?

“Children I’ve met in the street are just excited to meet someone from the telly. Some of them ask me about my arm. One little girl said ‘You’ve got one arm and I’ve got one hairclip’, and off she went. So little kids, they notice, but then they’re off chasing a butterfly or counting pebbles.”

And parents she’s met similarly in passing say that their children love watching her.

Auditioning for the CBeeBies job was a whole new ballgame in comparison to her previous theatrical experience.
There were two auditions and the second was six hours long and you had to do lots of different things with different people. I’m used to going for jobs where there are maybe 20 people up for the part and this time there were over a thousand.

She loves the freedom the CBeeBies job gives her – “we’re given permission to be as creative and as silly as we like” – her approach to being a disabled person in that role is entirely matter of fact. BBC publicity shots all show her right arm to the fore, all part of her overt statement.

“There aren’t enough disabled people on telly. If there were more, this wouldn’t have happened. The fact that I’m one of the first children’s TV presenters, that’s what should be shocking."

But Cerrie’s real professional love remains acting, maybe one day playing her own creation, that disabled assertive, out and proud fairy.