91Èȱ¬

CBeebies has commissioned Initial, an Endemol Company, to produce a brand new cookery show, I Can Cook.

Aimed to get under-sixes in the kitchen, the series will celebrate a hands-on approach to cooking and discover the magic of the full cycle of food. From the field to the fork, children will learn to connect what's on their plate everyday with the world around them.

With a selection of specially-tailored simple recipes, top cookery tips and the chance to get a bit messy, the children will learn how to grow it, cook it and eat it.

Hosted by newcomer Katy Ashworth, the series is set in a bespoke kitchen studio, specially created for under-sixes.

Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies, says: "I Can Cook will inspire youngsters (and their mums, dads and carers) to get in the kitchen and get cooking together. The series has a bright, contemporary feel and embraces CBeebies' core aim of encouraging young children to learn through play. It's a vibrant mix of recipes, games, songs and an investigation into food and the world around them.

"And, I think that in Katy we've found an amazing, new talent. Her passion, creativity and genuine connection with children just bowled me over when I saw her audition tape. She's perfect and I'm certain that children up and the down country will be inspired by her enthusiasm, songs and sparky personality to rush straight to the kitchen and get cooking!"

For each programme, Katy will welcome five children into the I Can Cook kitchen to create a recipe a day. Together they will explore where ingredients come from and how some foods are made as well as learning some simple kitchen and cookery skills.

There will also be plenty of joining-in songs about washing hands and laying the table as well as action songs for lots of kitchen fun.

Christopher Pilkington, Executive Producer at Initial, added: "The programme is especially designed to empower children with the gift of cooking. The series will encourage them to get involved and have a go in a fun and entertaining way."

Transmission is expected in the autumn of 2009. The executive producers are Christopher Pilkington at Initial and Sarah Colclough at the 91Èȱ¬. The series producer is Driana Jones.

There will be an accompanying website at bbc.co.uk/cbeebies.

Notes to Editors

CBeebies remains the most watched and loved channel for the under-sixes, with almost half of the target audience tuning in each week (parents and carers with children aged 0-3 and 4-6 year olds in digital homes) it reaches well over double (almost three times) the audience of its pre-school competitors.

CBeebies website regularly reaches almost a million weekly users and reached more than one million unique users in the UK during the first week of February 2009, a record for the site.

FW