...by reading and signing a bedtime story

 Rob Delaney is to become the first person to both read and sign a CBeebies Bedtime Story,

The comedian and co-creator of Channel 4’s Catastrophe will be reading Ten In The Bed by Penny Dale, while signing in Makaton.

He learned the language to help communicate with his son Henry, who died earlier this year at the age of two and a half.

He said: ‘My family loves to read together so naturally we're fans of CBeebies Bedtime Stories. I am beyond honoured to be the first person to read and sign a book using the Makaton language. 

‘Our family learned Makaton to be able to communicate with our son Henry, who couldn't speak due to a tracheotomy. We're sad Henry isn't here to see it but we're happy other families will get to enjoy a story told in Makaton.’

Delaney – who already voices the Bitz & Bob animation on CBeebies  – previously credited the singing duo Singing Hands for helping him and Henry learn the language.

He has tweeted: ‘Singing Hands  were prob my son Henry’s favorite thing in the world. They combine songs & the Makaton language of signs/symbols for ppl for whom speaking efficiently is difficult or impossible. I love them forever.

‘Some of Henry’s cranial nerves were (necessarily) damaged or severed by the surgery to remove his first tumor. Thus he needed a tracheostomy, making speech impossible. 

‘He was cognitively & emotionally smarter than me though & Makaton let us communicate. There are plenty of wonderful ppl working toward cures for cancer but I wonder what’s up in the world of cranial nerve repair. Any youngsters want to figure that one out, there will be a lot of grateful ppl.’

Delaney’s episode of CBeebies Bedtime Stories airs at 6.50pm this Friday, Children in Need day.

Published: 13 Nov 2018