Former rugby league player Rob Burrow will be reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story using ground-breaking technology in a first for the show. Rob, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, communicates via a computer.
He will read the story using an eye-controlled computer, which recreates the words into a version of Rob’s own voice, allowing him to retain his native Yorkshire accent. This is the first time technology like this will be used to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story.
Rob will be reading 'Tilda Tries Again' by Tom Percival about a young girl who finds that one day her world is turned topsy-turvy, nothing feels right and things that were once easy now seem incredibly challenging. Talking about reading the story Rob explained it was important for reading to be accessible for everyone.
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He said: "I used to love reading to my own children as part of their bedtime routine. I was so excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story. Reading and literacy are so important. It doesn’t matter what your disability is, reading is accessible to everyone. Anyone can enjoy reading and develop a love of books and bedtime stories, just like me and my family."
Rob lives at home with his wife Lindsey and their two children Maya, seven, and Jackson, three, and Lindsey is his full-time carer. Lindsey and his children accompanied him into the CBeebies studio, with the children helping to direct the show.
Rob's episode of CBeebies Bedtime Story will air on Saturday, December 3 at 6.50pm. Recently Rob featured in a BBC Two documentary which shows the sportsman and his family bravely dealing with day-to-day life with the condition, with Rob tragically describing himself as a 'prisoner in his own body'.
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