BBC Newcastle Children's Tour Review

AD - Invited 

* Update January 2026 These Tours are currently not available to book at Newcastle *

Did you know that you can book a tour to go behind the scenes at BBC Newcastle? I didn't until we were kindly invited along last week to see what the children's interactive tours were like.

 BBC Newcastle runs two different types of tour's, the children's one which we went on and is recommended for children aged 6-12 years old and they also have an adult one. If you don't live in the North East then you can also book on tours at your local BBC studios. 

BBC Newcastle is located on Barrack Road, just outside of the city centre about a 20 minute walk from the city centre (head past St James park), you can also get buses that will drop you off right outside the studio and there is also free onsite parking. 

Arriving for our tour we were greeted by two friendly members of staff who took our names, handed out lanyards and give the children name badges. The tour does take place in a working building so for this reason really young children (under 6) are not recommended. The tour takes around an hour and you will be on your feet the whole time. 

If your children watch CBBC shows then they will really enjoy this tour, at 14 my teen was a bit too old to be interested in the shows they mentioned. The younger children (around age's 7-10 years old) on the tour seemed to really enjoy learning about the shows and they all seemed to be having a brilliant time.

 The tour kicked off with some rather gruesome Horrible Histories gory games, which the younger children enjoyed getting involved and competing in, it was a good ice breaker to get children interested and involved. 

We then moved around the building learning about the history of BBC Newcastle and the shows they have produced, Byker Grove anyone? Totally loved that show as a child!

 We got to see lots of behind the scenes ways that BBC Newcastle works, learning about green screens and the room where the morning travel reports are recorded and how everything works. 

We got to see sets from some CBBC show's and we got to go into the iconic Look North newsroom studio, it looks a lot different than I ever imagined it to be. We learnt how the studio worked, how to read the weather and little tips and tricks the presenters use. We even got to see what it is like in the backstage director's seat and what goes on during a live broadcast.

One thing worth noting is that the two tour guides really made the children feel welcome. 

After seeing the main parts of the building it was time for some fun activities learning about different job roles in the industry, how popular shows like Dick & Dom are made and how to create sound effects for radio shows. At the end of the day, you can even have a go at presenting your own news and weather forecast, it is a lot harder than it looks on TV that's for sure! 

 We enjoyed the tour, the tour guides were really friendly and it was really interesting for both adults and children learning about what goes on behind the scenes in a TV and radio station. However, at 14, I do think that my teen was a bit too old for this tour and we were not familiar with a lot of the shows they kept mentioning such as Dumping Ground and Wolfblood. I do think that the recommended age of 6-12 is a good indication of the age range of children who would enjoy this tour. 

If you have a child aged between 6-12 years old who watches CBBC programs then I highly recommend you take them on this tour as they will love it. Also if your an adult that just fancies a look around the studios and seeing what goes on behind the scenes then I recommend you go on an adult tour. 

Currently there are no tours available to book in England but they can still be booked for Wales and Scotland.  For full details on prices and how to book visit the BBC Tour's Website. 

BBC Newcastle 

Broadcasting House

Barrack Road

Newcastle Upon Tyne 

NE2 4NS