Kay Benbow dead: Tributes paid to legendary CBeebies leader who died aged 63

Tributes have been paid to Kay Benbow, the former controller of CBeebies, who died at the age of 63. Benbow began her BBC career in 1988 working for BBC Children's, before moving to CBeebies in 2002 and becoming the channel's second controller in 2010.

During her tenure, Cbeebies won the BAFTA Children's Award for Channel of the Year four times - 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016. She also spent almost 30 of her more than 35 years in the children’s content industry at the BBC, though in more recent years served as a kids’ TV specialist on shows such as The World According To Grandpa.

A statement from the BBC said: "Everyone in the BBC Children's & Education department is incredibly sad to hear the news that Kay Benbow has passed away. Our most sincere condolences go to Kay's husband Ian, their sons and to the wider family.

"As the controller of CBeebies, Kay was known across the whole kids' media sector for her passion and commitment to providing young children with the very best content. She was pivotal in taking CBeebies programmes into new and original areas, never afraid to stretch preschool minds into unthought-of territory – such as ballet, Shakespeare, mathematics, science and the joys of the annual live Christmas show.

"Kay will be deeply missed by a huge number of current and previous BBC colleagues, a testimony to the many lives she touched in addition to her service to the audience. She was an extraordinary person and did so much for CBeebies and young children across the UK."

Kay spearheaded the creation of the preschool-oriented channel's initial drama, a revised version of Topsy and Tim, which premiered in 2013. She also championed the implementation of creative programmes aimed at educating both parents and children, such as Get Well Soon, which explained childhood diseases. Notably, this endeavour spurred the growth of television personality Dr Ranj, who had his debut in 2015. Paying tribute, former CBeebies executive producer Michael Carrington, who preceded Benbow as the channel's controller said: "During my tenure as controller of CBeebies at the BBC, Kay served as head of production, and I had the privilege of witnessing her exceptional talent, dedication and warmth first-hand.

"Her passion for children's programming was evident in every project she undertook, leaving an indelible mark on the industry and audiences. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Kay's kindness and unwavering support left a lasting impression on me. 'Her leadership and guidance were invaluable, and her presence will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her."

Stuart Rowson, a former BBC Children's colleague now in charge of Lucky Socks Media, also paid tribute. He posted online: "Kay was a legendary leader of CBeebies and affectionately known as the Queen of Beebies by some of those still within BBC Children's, several years after her departure."

Kay left the BBC in 2017 and became a children's media content specialist. In the following seven years, she would go on to work on shows for CBeebies and Milkshake! She said at the time she would "leave with pride, knowing that CBeebies is in great shape, is loved by the audience and will go from strength to strength."

In 2017, The University of Sheffield awarded Kay an honorary doctorate for her contributions to children's broadcasting. In her final wave of commissions, she delivered a 50-minute special presentation of The Tempest in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Lochside, a preschool drama set in rural Scotland, and Junk Rescue, an arts and crafts show about recycling.