Cbeebies House Party – The Lowry

The moment you enter the theatre space at the Lowry, for the Cbeebies House Party, you are immersed in the world. The set is colourful, with huge jellies flanking the stage, an intriguing door and a screen playing fun party songs – the perfect way to keep wriggling children patiently waiting for the start.

Our party was hosted by Cbeebies presenters Rhys Stephenson and Evie Pickerill who are two of my absolute favourites. I was worried that the magic might be lost on stage but actually they completely blew me away. The speed at which Rhys ran around the theatre, ensuring that he said hello to the children in the upper tiers as well as in the stalls, was incredible! Evie is an absolute delight to watch on stage – her energy and enthusiasm doesn’t waver for a second and it’s clear that she was made to do this.

I loved that both presenters came out to the audience at different points and spoke to the children – it felt really special.

BSL interpretation was provided by Emma Jane Mansfield, and it was really nice to not see the BSL Interpreter shunned at the side of the stage but seamlessly integrated into the party. Emma Jane’s energy was incredible, and it was impossible not to watch her and grin.

The hosts were joined by a variety of guests, both on the screen and on the stage – Dodge, Justin Fletcher, Hey Duggee and Mister Maker.

Mister Maker felt like a random choice for the show. Don’t get me wrong – he was fantastic, a lot of fun and the children loved him. However I feel as though his show hasn’t been on the channel for a long time (there was a brief stint of Mister Maker at Home in 2020-2021) and a lot of the children in the audience didn’t recognise him in the same way as Justin and Duggee. That said, straight after watching the show, my boys asked to watch some old episodes of his show, so he’s got some new fans.

Justin demonstrated why he’s been so popular for so long – his clowning skills are second-to-none and he really commands the space.

Of course, Duggee was a crowd favourite and the bedtime story was a really lovely touch.

The show was super interactive and engaging in a way that isn’t always achieved in children’s theatre. There were no lulls, no moments of boredom, or anything that felt like it was just filling time. One minute the children (and the more fun grown-ups amongst us) were helping Mr Maker paint on the giant screen, the next we were all bopping along to the absolute tune that is “The Stick Song” with Hey Duggee.

Every time the party box was opened, (a huge, impressive set piece) streamers were released which were a lot of fun. (Just a note – if your child is sensitive to noise and other sensory input, check that the show will be suitable for them. Mine loved the regular bangs of the streamers, and the odd moment with a water squirter, but I know that that wouldn’t have suited every child.)

The way the show incorporated the digital and physical was really creative and worked well for Cbeebies jumping to the stage.

If I’m being picky, I would have liked to have had at least a line that explained the motivation for the party. Was it a birthday party? Just for fun? It wasn’t entirely clear, but that’s most likely me as a grown up trying to find logic in whimsy. My only other tiny criticism was that the bubbles were underwhelming. In a show where streamers were released around 6 times, and HUGE balloons were thrown around the audience, the very small amount of bubbles released during a song about bubbles (in an audience that famously LOVES bubbles), was a little disappointing. Perhaps there were reasons for that, but that was the only moment I felt was a little flat.

Overall, an absolute delight of a show, for parents and kids alike!t.

Reviewer: Codie Wright

Reviewed: 29^th August 2025

North West End UK Rating: