Multi-tasking mothers and fathers who have juggled homeschooling alongside work during the coronavirus pandemic are being celebrated in a special episode of a popular children’s show.
The two-minute specially dedicated episode of BBC show Hey Duggee is billed as a fast-paced, good-humoured look at navigating parenthood throughout 2020.
Narrated by comedian Alexander Armstrong, the short programme – due to launch on Facebook on Thursday – sees Duggee, the large, lovable dog, juggling the challenges of working from home, video calls and homeschooling alongside everyday parenting responsibilities.
It concludes by presenting mothers and fathers with a “Parenting in 2020” badge, rewarding them for their hard work, as well as serving as a reminder they are not alone in the challenges they face, the creators said.
Simon Clarke, from BBC Studios, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve been able to offer content that resonates with parents – from makes and bakes, helping their children earn their ‘hand washing badge’, fun facts and quizzes as well as some light reprieve such as our Friday riddles and recent ‘guess the movie’ poster strand.
“Seeing all the comments, conversations and pictures of family activities shared by parents has been a real tonic for us at Hey Duggee HQ and we salute you parents of 2020.”
Facebook parenting groups have in excess of three million members across the UK, the social networking giant said, adding that more than a million people joined one after the first lockdown began in March.
Kate Dyson, founder of The Motherload, one of the largest Facebook parenting communities in the UK, said: “The subjects covered in this special episode certainly resonate with what we’ve all been going through and we’re all extremely proud to wear our ‘Parenting in 2020’ badge.”
Steve Hatch, vice president of northern Europe at Facebook, said he hoped the one-off episode would bring “some light relief” to parents.
He said: “This year has shone a bright light on the power of connecting with others online when it’s not been possible in person, and how simply knowing we’re not alone can help us through the most challenging of times.
“We teamed up with the creators of Hey Duggee to give something back to parents and we hope this one-off episode brings some light relief to all the mums and dads courageously navigating parenting in 2020.”
The episode can be viewed on the official Hey Duggee Facebook page on Thursday at 1pm.
