Loyle Carner reads CBeebies Bedtime Story ahead of Glastonbury gig

The British rapper is billed to play Glastonbury Festival’s Other Stage on Friday

Mercury Prize-nominated musician Loyle Carner is bringing a touch of Glastonbury magic to CBeebies, kicking off a special week of Bedtime Stories with a reading inspired by the iconic festival.

The London-born artist, 30, will read from Leah Hayes’s children’s book I Touched the Sun, a tale about a young boy’s dream of flying to the sun.

Carner, who is scheduled to perform on the Other Stage at Glastonbury on Friday, said he’d “practised for this every night in my son’s room”.

Reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story is “just a magical thing to do”, he said.

“I know this story inside out – it’s my favourite book, and my son’s and my daughter’s. We read it almost every night."

The special Glastonbury-themed week will feature new stories airing from Friday, alongside recordings from the 2024 festival.

Loyle Carner reads I Touched the Sun with his children ‘almost every night’ (Megan Graye)

Viewers can look forward to readings from The Last Dinner Party’s Abigail Morris on Tuesday, alternative R&B singer Sampha on Wednesday, and The Streets’ Mike Skinner on Thursday.

Carner, who has had two albums shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, recently released his fourth studio album, Hopefully!

He joins a star-studded Glastonbury line-up that includes headline performances from British pop/rock band The 1975, veteran musician Neil Young and his band The Chrome Hearts, and US pop star Olivia Rodrigo.

The rapper’s Bedtime Story will air on Monday at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

Further surprise celebrity readers are expected to be revealed on CBeebies’ social media channels throughout the week.

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