BBC Rolls Out Fitness Programming Amid Lockdowns

The BBC is launching a series of programs featuring stars from the world of sport and entertainment to help the U.K. stay active during lockdowns due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

BBC Breakfast: Lockdown Life on BBC One is a weekday segment in which stars provide tips to keep the body and mind active. Celebrity fitness guru Joe Wicks, Mr Motivator, rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield, Olympian Adam Peaty and Premier League footballer Tyrone Mings are taking part in the series. CBeebies’ Maddie Moate and Greg Foot will also join BBC Breakfast regularly to offer advice for homeschooling and fun activities to try. The segments will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Breakfast social media channels.

Morning Live on BBC One sees presenters Gethin Jones and Kym Marsh joined each day by a Strictly Come Dancing professional who offers a new spin for the nation’s fitness regimes. The program aims to raise viewers’ heart rates and spirits with fun and easy-to-follow daily routines for the whole family. Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel-Horwood, Oti Mabuse, Gorka Márquez, Janette Manrara, Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Amy Dowden, Anton Du Beke, Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Graziano Di Prima, Karen Hauer, Luba Mushtuk, Neil Jones and Nadiya Bychkova will all participate.

Mark Wright will bring fitness to secondary kids, leading fitness sessions on BBC Two, iPlayer and other platforms on weekday mornings. He’ll be joined by a roster of celebrities as they encourage the nation’s teens to keep active this lockdown.

Wright said: “When I started training on Instagram during the first lockdown, I could not believe how many people joined in with me—to make even a small positive difference was so rewarding. To continue this journey and team up with the BBC to help motivate teens to get healthy and to get moving is something that I’m really proud to be a part of.”

The BBC Sport website has a dedicated Staying Active in Lockdown section that has a range of advice for staying active, including guides to working out at home and new fitness activities to try in 2021. The Couch to 5K app is also available to download via the BBC Sport website. The app is a nine-week long program to encourage novice runners to work up to completing a 5K.

5 Live Sports Extra will replay a series of exercise programs designed for the older generation in a partnership with Sport England. 10 Today, which will also be available via BBC Sounds, is a collection of ten 10-minute exercise programs designed to get older people more active in their homes.

At CBeebies, little ones can watch Oti’s Boogie Beebies, Let’s Go for a Walk and Andy’s Wild Workouts, all available on BBC iPlayer. Further, primary school students can catch a daily Super Mover session each morning by tuning into BBC Bitesize Daily on CBBC. How to Be Epic @ Home on CBBC includes dance moves and other skills that can be learned from home, and BBC Bitesize online has infographics and videos available for secondary PE students to learn more about the theory behind exercise. The website also features interviews with sports stars about how they got into their sporting careers.

Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief content officer, said: “Now more than ever it’s so important to stay active and healthy. Our range of BBC fitness programming is suitable for viewers of all ages and will provide vital support to parents and children in lockdown, as well as creative ideas to keep moving and stay fit from home.”