The Week Junior Show

A rug factory in Rangpur, Bangladesh, has been named the world’s best new building outside the UK, and Bex, Eve and Joe talk through why the Green Field Factory by Nakshabid Architects won the RIBA International Prize, from its courtyards, ponds and gardens to a rooftop daycare centre for the children of the more than 5,000 people who work there.

There’s also Mont Blanc shrinking by more than a metre in the past year, audiobook trainers that open Spotify with a tap of your phone for Real or Rubbish, Sgiath the Labrador, who sniffs out sea squirts, crowned Animal of the Year as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether schools should scrap screens.

Plus who the team would make out of cake after a baker’s model of the Princess of Wales, the results of the data centres debate, a painted pen pot and a cardboard bed den from the inbox, Helen Parry’s A Scrap of Moss and Magic as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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South African lawyer Navi Pillay has won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work on human rights and international law, and Bex, Eve and Dan talk through her life’s work, from defending people who fought against apartheid to six years as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and how she found out she’d won at the same time as everyone else.

There’s also the Atlantic puffin, barn owl, buff-tailed bumblebee and hedgehog being picked by the public for the next Bank of England banknotes, a pool party in Nevada crashed by 296 puppies for Real or Rubbish, a 150-year-old “bendy” wych elm in County Down crowned UK Tree of the Year as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether more data centres should be built.

Plus what joy means to the team for The Week Junior’s Christmas cover competition, Stevie from Science+Nature with a spooky quiz on tarsiers and glowing scorpions and a call for your questions about time for Jim Al-Khalili, home-sewn trousers for a teddy bear and a reader in a vintage tram in Milan from the inbox, Girl with a Sabretooth Tiger by Jasbinder Bilan as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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The WWF’s new Living Planet Report is called The Science of Hope, and Bex, Eve and Stevie talk through what it found, including wild tiger numbers rising by more than 70% since 2010, and what we can all do to help nature recover.

There’s also Dutch porridge maker Gina Saarberg winning the Golden Spurtle in the Highlands, a government investigation into why the UK keeps flopping at Eurovision for Real or Rubbish, a tiny chihuahua called Comando joining Mexico’s National Guard as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether it’s okay to boo sports stars.

Plus Week Junior editor Vanessa on the hunt for the magazine’s first ever Word of the Year, a very human-looking carrot and a papier-mâché bowl from the inbox, The Week Junior Real or Rubbish? as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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It was The Week Junior Book Awards this week, and Bex, Eve and Stevie talk through the big night, including Jack Mackay’s spooky story Gloam winning two trophies and the books they each helped to judge.

There’s also new shoots sprouting from the stump of the Sycamore Gap tree, a hotel shaped like a Poké Ball for Real or Rubbish, a BAFTA Young Presenter as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether pets should have birthday celebrations.

Plus Dan from Science+Nature on the Dream Machines competition to design the car of the future, a conker family and a seagull postbox topper from the inbox, Half-Asleep Chris’s The Unordinary Book of Ideas as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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This week, as part of the Be Hope Podcast Takeover, we talk to guerilla gardener and nature rights campaigner Kalpana Arias about her work and what makes her feel hopeful.

We also talk about new social media rules in the EU, a scheme to encourage more people to read in Singapore, and whether e-scooters should be banned.

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The boss of AI company Anthropic has said that powerful artificial intelligence should be developed more slowly and checked more closely, and Bex, Eve and Dan talk through why more than 70 UK politicians are also asking for new rules on AI.

There’s also scientists in Switzerland wrapping melting glaciers in blankets of sheep’s wool, a marathon in Canada that may have been too long for Real or Rubbish, some fun facts about the new Shaun the Sheep film, and a big debate on whether dogs should be banned from beaches.

Plus editorial assistant Kaye’s last visit to the inbox, Harry Woodgate’s Cinnamon Crumb, Baking Detective: The Great Cake Caper as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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France has brought in new rules that make ultra fast fashion companies pay a fee on every new item of clothing they sell there, from 43p for an item of underwear to £10.28 for a jacket, and Bex, Eve and Martha talk through why cheap, quickly made clothes create so much waste.

There’s also a blue plaque for fossil hunter Dorothea Bate, one of the first women to work as a scientist at the Natural History Museum, a story about 10 Downing Street being rented out to holidaymakers for Real or Rubbish, and a big debate on whether alligators should be hunted in Louisiana.

Plus Science+Nature editor Dan on the megalodon and the magazine’s winning photo, two astronauts completing the sixth all-female spacewalk as heroes of the week, Freddie Kölsch’s Spindlewood as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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Flash floods hit communities along the border between Nepal and Tibet on 26 August after a glacier collapsed high in the mountains, and Bex, Eve and Joe talk through the rescue effort and the aid arriving from around the world, including a £5 million package from the UK and 68 tonnes of supplies from India. There’s also the 360-tonne castle tower in Hirosaki, Japan, hauled back to its original position by 1,800 volunteers pulling on ropes and rollers, a giant hairball loose in New York for Real or Rubbish, Barnsley Youth Choir as heroes of the week after being crowned double world champions in Sweden, and a big debate on whether humans will ever find alien life. Plus the Bayeux Tapestry going on display in London, Catherine Rundell’s The Neverfear as Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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The Food Standards Agency has warned young children, older people and pregnant women to avoid runny eggs in cafes and restaurants after an outbreak of salmonella, and Bex, Eve and Joe talk through the advice. There’s also a queue forming at the summit of Snowdon, a Spider-Man screening in Colombia emptied by a foul smell, 11-year-old museum curator Anderson Taylor as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether UK airports should get bigger. Plus the breakthrough shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie on this week’s Book of the Week, Jamaal Target: Phantom Agent, and your chance to win a copy.

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A total solar eclipse passed over Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, and Bex, Eve and Martha talk through what happened, including Eve’s trip to Spain to see it. There’s also an 18-year-old in Belgium who uncovered £7.5 million of gold while doing a summer job on a building site, robot cleaners for hire in San Francisco, trainee volunteer firefighter Talara as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether there’s too much football. Plus the audiobook shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Catherine Doyle on this week’s Book of the Week, Believe, and your chance to win a copy.

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A new defence agreement has been signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and Bex, Joe and Dan talk through what it means. There’s also a woman in Italy whose winning lottery ticket was rescued from a bin lorry, pufflings being saved in Iceland, Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt as hero of the week, and a big debate on whether cars have got too big. Plus the picture book shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Rashmi Sirdeshpande on this week’s Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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The Commonwealth Games have come to a close, and Bex, Joe and Stevie look back at what happened. There’s also a hero rescue dog retiring, a nine-year-old author, and a big debate on whether it’s wrong to farm octopuses after a Spanish company dropped plans for the world’s first octopus farm. Plus the STEM shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, Pamela Butchart on this week’s Book of the Week, and your chance to win a copy.

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The Prime Minister opens a second Number 10 in Manchester, and Bex, Joe and Stevie explain what it means for where power sits in the UK. There's also a campaign asking museums to let children be as loud as they like, a big debate on whether it's ever good to be bored, and a giant mirror in space that could turn night into day. Plus the poetry shortlist for The Week Junior Book Awards, the Science+Nature Scavenger Hunt, and your chance to win this week's book.

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The UK has a new Prime Minister. The team explains who Andy Burnham is and how he landed the top job so quickly. There's also the Queen's surprise Christmas present for every Year 6 pupil, an electric guitar that may – or may not – have been made from the burned wood of Notre Dame, and a debate on whether pets should be allowed everywhere. 

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This week, the Bayeux Tapestry arrives in the UK for the first time in nearly 1,000 years, a famous elephant seal called Neil causes a stir in Tasmania, and the team debates whether schools should close during heat waves. Plus a baffling case of crabs in a garden shed, the new Children's Laureate, and your chance to win this week's book.

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It's the Hope Issue! Bex is joined by Eve and Joe from The Week Junior.

Joe reveals how a potato-shaped sea creature from Antarctica could one day help scientists treat skin cancer, and Eve explains how thermal-imaging drones are being used in Germany to rescue baby deer hidden in tall grass.

There's also a big debate — should adults have screen-free days? — and a special visit from Editor Vanessa to mark the International Day of Hope.

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The team share their favourite sports day activities as listeners answer last week's question about music that helps them relax.

Plus:

• Young climate leaders gathered at Tate Modern for the London Climate Action Week Summit, including 11-year-old campaigner Anishwa Kunchala. Plus, over 1,500 children took part in a challenge to turn broken toys into something new.
• A "grumpy" Pallas's cat named Duchess arrives at Edinburgh Zoo to join Akiko as part of a breeding programme.

Real or Rubbish: Have a family of beavers really fixed flooding at an Ealing Underground station? 

The Big Debate: Should schools have sports days? 

Plus the team's heroes and favourite facts of the week, including Harry Kane's World Cup goal record and the surprising name for the person at the end of a tug-of-war team.

Get involved: Send a voice note at funkidslive.com/theweekjunior or email [email protected] to share your favourite sports day activity — you could win a Roving Reporter badge!

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On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would step down as Prime Minister and Labour Party leader. Eve, Joe and Bex digest the latest – plus there’s an interview in this week’s magazine with a music therapist, which made us wonder: what music helps you relax?

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Eve explains new government plans to set a minimum age of 16 for social media platforms as Joe shares the story of Parkrun, which recently hit its millionth ever event since starting in 2004. 

Plus, has a lost gold bar ($17,000!) sparked a real treasure hunt at a Finnish ski resort, or is it all made up? 

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Joe explains the results of Armenia’s recent election, what it means for their relationship with Russia and the EU, and why the country’s foreign policy is in the headlines as Eve shares the incredible story of the couple who visited every RNLI lifeboat station in the UK, raising thousands of pounds for charity – and why lifeboat heroes matter.

Plus, could an art gallery really be displaying paintings by a group of rats? And should there be more public toilets? 

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This episode, Bex is joined by Week Junior writers Eve and Joe to explore the biggest stories from the latest issue, including:

• The Week Junior Book Awards 2026: Find out which books made the shortlist, how judging works, and how YOU can vote for your favourite book cover and Children's Choice Award! Get all the voting details and your chance to win a big bundle of books.
• A Teeny Octopus Discovery: Hear about the newly discovered, golf-ball-sized octopus off the Galápagos Islands, including its remarkable colour and name.
• Big Debate: Is it okay to miss school for sport? With huge sporting events coming up, including the World Cup, the team tackles whether skipping class for sports is a good idea, and your opinions are wanted!

Get involved: Send your voice notes, share your opinions on the big debate, and tell us what you’ve been doing with The Week Junior! Visit funkidslive.com/theweekjunior or email [email protected].

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Join Bex, Eve, and Joe as they discuss some of the most curious, creative, and controversial news stories for 8–14-year-olds. 

Hear them talk about the Chelsea Flower Show, a brand new road called "Pork Pie Way", an inventive but unusual in-car toilet and debate whether beaches should ban sun loungers, and how the rules might affect people, businesses, and the environment

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Bex, Eve, Joe and Kaye are uncovering newly released top secret UFO (or UAP) files from the US government, meeting an unexpected stadium mascot (is a real goose cheering on a baseball team?), and debating whether campfires should be banned after record wildfires.

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Amsterdam bans outdoor advertising for meat and fossil fuel products; meet the UK’s first 'gull ranger'; and the team discusses David Attenborough – the legendary broadcaster’s incredible century and the parties readers held to mark it. 

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This week the team will be talking about the government’s new rules around smoking and vaping, a GIANT tiramisu and an amazing axolotl rescue. We’ll also be having a big debate about whether helium balloons should be banned.

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Bex is joined by Eve and Joe from The Week Junior, the magazine making sense of the world for 8–14-year-olds.

Discover a massive German landscape being turned into sparkling lakes from abandoned coal mines. Plus, Joe tries to stump Bex with the weirdest Real or Rubbish story yet: can mayonnaise really be used to make music?

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The team talk Artemis II's safe splashdown, Daddy Pig's big London Marathon plans, and debate whether all woods should be open to the public. Plus: fairy tale adventures, self-care, and England's plan to change school dinners.

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This week the team will be talking about the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, a rare book about Vikings and a very cool pair of glasses. There will also be a big debate about whether schools should teach more languages.

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