The BBC have unloaded the festive big guns with the Christmas guest readers of the CBeebies Bedtime Story. 

As with previous years, the BBC have attracted a sprinkling of star talent to read the bedtime story on CBeebies over the christmas period when the stories doubtless garner a wider audience. Previous readers have included Olivia Colman, Tom Hiddleston, Felicity Jones and Tom Hardy.

2024’s line-up is no slouch either, and includes Idris Elba (Hijack), Kylie Minogue and James Norton (King & Conqueror).

On Saturday 21 December, Idris reads Hedgehog’s Balloon by Nick Butterworth, all about Percy the park keeper who sets out to help his friend hedgehog play with his very first balloon.

CBeebies’ own Justin Fletcher, comic Mo Gilligan and popstar Perrie then follow, before Kylie Minogue appears on Christmas Day to count down ‘The Australian 12 Days of Christmas’ by Michael Salmon.

This involves twelve possums playing, eleven lizards leaping …six sharks a-surfing, and a kookaburra in a gum tree.

Actor James Norton (Playing Nice) takes on the job for Boxing Day, reading ‘There is no Big Bad Wolf in this Story’ by Lou Carter and Deborah Allwright, the hilarious tale of just what happens when the Big Bad Wolf has had enough.

Also announced for New Year’s Day is the undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, reading ‘Gigantic’ by Rob Biddulph about a very small and determined blue whale.

You can find the CBeebies Bedtime Story, with its remarkable back catalogue of readers, on BBC iPlayer.