Olivia Colman to read The Gruffalo’s Child for CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Oscar winner Olivia Colman will read the sequel to the popular children’s story The Gruffalo for CBeebies Bedtime Stories. Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA

Oscar winner Olivia Colman will read the sequel to the popular children’s story The Gruffalo as her CBeebies bedtime story.

The actress, 50, follows in the footsteps of other celebrities including Zayn Malik, Kylie Minogue and Billie Eilish to bring storytelling to life on the BBC.

She has chosen as her book 2004’s The Gruffalo’s Child, by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, which was a Christmas Day film on the BBC in 2011.

The Gruffalo's Child. By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Colman said: “I have loved CBeebies Bedtime Stories with my children over the years, I was so excited to be able to read one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.”

She has been married to Ed Sinclair since 2001 and has three children.

Olivia Colman says she ‘loved CBeebies Bedtime Stories with my children over the years’ (Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

The picture story she will read is about the child of the horned Gruffalo, who decides to leave his safe home to go to find the Big Bad Mouse in defiance of his father.

On her big adventure, she meets Snake, Owl and Fox, and appears to see something resembling the mouse.

Colman first found fame in British comedy Peep Show as the on-off girlfriend of David Mitchell’s neurotic Mark, before going on to critical and commercial success in films.

Olivia Colman and husband Ed Sinclair (Ian West/PA)

In 2019, she won the best actress Academy Award for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite, and has received Oscar nods for her roles in The Father and  The Lost Daughter.

Aside from her TV roles in The Night Manager, Fleabag, Broadchurch and The Crown, Colman has recently been in Paddington In Peru, and Wicked Little Letters.

Her episode will be on CBeebies Bedtime Stories at 6.50pm on Friday, November 8 on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.