Augustus and His Smile: a CBeebies Bedtime Story with Vicky McClure
A three-minute bedtime story that scores 90 for settling wound-up energy and 95 for lifting a flat mood.
Vicky McClure reading Augustus and His Smile, CBeebies' bedtime-story format at its most polished. Yellow-to-green scores 90 and blue-to-green 95, close to the top of this whole batch, with red-to-green (meltdown recovery) at a strong 75 too. Comfort rating is a perfect 100, there's nothing flagged sensory-wise at all, and at just over three minutes it slots straight into a bedtime routine without a fight over 'one more'.
At a glance
Will it actually calm them down?
Settles wound-up, windy energy
Lifts a flat, rainy-day mood
Strong pick for meltdown recovery tooScores measure how reliably this video moves a child toward a settled, regulated state. In the Piko app, kids tell us their weather and we do the matching automatically.
Which kids will love it?
Why it works
At a pacing score of 95 and an 8.5-second average shot length, this is properly unhurried, exactly what a bedtime story should be. It runs just over three minutes with a natural endpoint and no cliffhanger, short enough to fit into even the most resistant bedtime routine.
The regulation numbers are among the strongest in this batch: yellow-to-green (wound-up to settled) 90, blue-to-green (flat to lifted) 95, red-to-green (meltdown recovery) 75. There are no sensory triggers flagged at all, and it's rated safe for ASD, PDA and anxiety, plus specifically good for sensory-avoiding children, though it isn't flagged as ADHD-friendly, worth knowing if that's a particular consideration.
The play-style engine reads it as Dreamers-led (100 at ages 4-5, a rare perfect score), with Companions (95) and Entertainers (75) close behind: a soft, story-led, deeply comforting watch. It's flagged babyish for over-8s with a high rejection risk, so it's one for the younger end of the bedtime routine.
When to reach for it
- The bedtime story itself. Yellow-to-green scores 90 and blue-to-green 95, with a natural endpoint at just over three minutes.
- After a big meltdown. Red-to-green scores 75, backed by a calm presenter and zero sensory triggers.
- A poorly day on the sofa. Comfort rating is a perfect 100.
Sensory & SEN notes
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Questions parents ask
Is this a good choice for the actual bedtime story slot?
Yes, that's exactly what it's built for. Yellow-to-green scores 90 and blue-to-green 95, with a natural endpoint, no cliffhanger, at just over three minutes long.
What age is 'Augustus and His Smile' for?
It peaks at ages 4-5, with Dreamers scoring a rare perfect 100, Companions 95 and Entertainers 75. It's flagged babyish for over-8s with a high rejection risk, so it's one for the younger end of the bedtime routine.
Is it suitable for a child with ADHD?
It's rated safe for ASD, PDA and anxiety, but it isn't specifically flagged as ADHD-friendly in our data, worth knowing if that's a particular consideration for your child.
Any sensory concerns?
None flagged at all, no audio or visual triggers, and it's rated good for sensory-avoiding children specifically.
40+ checks per video, with a final pass from the review desk · Scored 11 July 2026 · We do not host videos; playback is via YouTube's official embed.