Podcast · Kids & Family

The Week Junior Show

The Week Junior Show takes you behind the scenes of the award-winning magazine for 8 to 14-year-olds. Each week, Bex from Fun Kids is joined by members of The Week Junior team to discuss their favourite stories, debate the week’s hot topic and discover whether the ‘Real or Rubbish?’ report is…

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest: 2 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026 · 28 min

Book awards and Sycamore Gap’s new shoots

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…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

25 Sep 2026 · 44 min

Turning hope into action

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
18 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Slowing down AI and woolly glaciers

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,…
11 Sep 2026 · 28 min

Fast fashion fees and a fossil hunter’s blue plaque

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…
4 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Nepal flood aid and a castle on rollers

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…
28 Aug 2026 · 28 min

Runny egg warning and Snowdon queues

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,…
21 Aug 2026 · 28 min

Total solar eclipse and hidden gold

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. See…
14 Aug 2026 · 31 min

Lucky lotto ticket and giant cars

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 Aug 2026 · 31 min

Farming octopuses and the missing space pen

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
31 Jul 2026 · 27 min

Number 10 North and noisy museums

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24 Jul 2026 · 28 min

New Prime Minister and pets in restaurants

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17 Jul 2026 · 35 min

The Bayeux Tapestry and Neil the Seal

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10 Jul 2026 · 29 min

The Hope Issue: Drone rescues and robot octopuses

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 Jul 2026 · 30 min

Sports day and beavers in your city

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…
26 Jun 2026 · 30 min

Keir Starmer resigns and changes for free school meals in Wales

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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
19 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Social media ban and Toy Story 5

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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Armenian elections and the case for more public toilets

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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5 Jun 2026 · 31 min

Book Awards and skipping school for sport

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…
29 May 2026 · 30 min

Heatwave and Ronaldo's football boots

This week the team will be talking about a spring heat wave, a rubbish collecting scheme in Germany and whether university education should be free. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22 May 2026 · 30 min

In-car toilets and banning sun loungers

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
15 May 2026 · 26 min

Campfires in the Cairngorms and top secret UFO files

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8 May 2026 · 27 min

David Attenborough's 100th birthday

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 May 2026 · 33 min

Giant tiramisu and an amazing axolotl rescue

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24 Apr 2026 · 31 min

Mayo music and Local and Community History Month

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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17 Apr 2026 · 32 min

School dinners and Daddy Pig's London Marathon

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10 Apr 2026 · 34 min

Artemis II and wiggly bee bums

This week the team will be talking about an incredible mission around the Moon, a stolen sports trophy and a wiggly bum dance performed by bees! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Apr 2026 · 30 min

April Fool's and languages in schools

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
27 Mar 2026 · 28 min

The best pranks, and should museums charge for entry?

This week the team discuss your favourite pranks, share your movie recommendations, and reveal some exciting BTS news. This week's big debate is whether museums should charge for entry plus you share your creative projects and activities. For a chance to hear yourself on the podcast, send in a voicenote at funkidslive.com/theweekjunior See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20 Mar 2026 · 32 min

How hedgehogs hear and Parliament leaving London

This week the team will be talking about cuts to air pollution in cities around the world, changes to video game age ratings, and hedgehogs’ super hearing. There’s also going to be a big debate about whether Parliament should leave London. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
13 Mar 2026 · 28 min

New allergy rules in schools and Basic Income

This week the team will be talking about some of the news featured in this week’s issue, including the government’s plans for allergy rules in schools in England, a rapping world record and a basic income for artists in Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About The Week Junior Show

The Week Junior Show is a English kids & family podcast from Fun Kids. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Fun Kids
Language: English
Category: Kids & Family
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 30 min
Latest episode: 2 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1474948728
Website: funkidslive.com/podcast/the-week-junior-show
Rights: 2026 Fun Kids

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