BBC Teach will be broadcasting a Live Lesson from the UK City of Culture for 2025 in partnership with World Book Day on Thursday, March 6.
The team, including Newsround’s Emma-Louise Amanshia, will be hitting the road in the iconic Bradford Stories Bus from the National Literacy Trust, collecting book recommendations from local children.
Schools across the country will join a live reading moment called The Big Live Read, inspired by this year’s theme, ‘Read your way’.
At 11am, Live Lesson presenters, Naomi Wilkinson and Joe Tasker, will be joined at Bradford City Library by former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho OBE. Together, they’ll be exploring different book genres, sparking curiosity and sharing the delight of reading for fun.
Children will also be encouraged to think about a subject they would like to learn more about and how they like to read. And armed with their chosen book, they will read uninterrupted for 60 seconds alongside thousands of pupils across the country.
Alex Harris, Executive Producer at BBC Teach, said: “We’re looking forward to broadcasting from Bradford on World Book Day. This is a huge moment in the school calendar and – together with the World Book Day team – we’ll be celebrating the joy of reading with a 30-minute curriculum-linked lesson for 7-11 year-olds. Roll on 6 March!”
Imran Hafeez, Manager of the National Literacy Trust in Bradford, said: “Our Bradford Stories Bus is a beacon of reading for pleasure and storytelling in Bradford, which makes it the perfect setting for a nation-wide celebration of reading. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of World Book Day 2025 and invite Bradford’s school children on board to share their favourite stories with us for this year’s BBC Teach Live Lesson, inspiring readers across the country with their recommendations.”
Cassie Chadderton, CEO of the charity World Book Day, said: “We’re excited to be in partnership with BBC Teach on this inspiring Live Lesson and the Big Live Read. World Book Day is all about unlocking the fun of reading for all children, encouraging everyone to see it as a sociable and enjoyable hobby. The Live Lesson is going to see children explore books, share recommendations, and find the fun in reading to help to build a lifelong habit of reading enjoyment.”
The Live Lesson will be broadcast on BBC Teach and the CBBC channel. It will be available on-demand once the broadcast ends on both BBC Teach and BBC iPlayer. Schools can email their shoutouts to live.lessons@bbc.co.uk with World Book Day in the subject heading or using the hashtag #BBCLiveLessons. A teaching guide and activity sheets are available to download from the BBC Teach website.
