Thank you.
Hello and welcome to The Week Junior Show.
I'm Bex and I'm joined by writers Eve and Joe from The Week Junior, the magazine making sense of the world for 8 to 14 year olds.
This week the team will be talking about the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, a rare book about Vikings and a very cool pair of glasses.
There'll also be a big debate about whether schools should teach more languages.
Make sure you're listening closely, because at the end of this episode we'll be asking you a question about what you've heard.
And if you answer it correctly, you could win a prize.
But more on that later.
In this week's issue of the magazine there's a story about a spectacular new circus show on the entertainment page.
And it got me thinking, what is a circus skill you'd like to learn?
Eve, how about you?
I would really love to learn how to juggle.
My dad has some juggling balls randomly.
I don't know why.
But I've always thought it'd be really cool, but I just can't.
I don't know, maybe my hand-eye coordination isn't quite there, but I just can't do it.
But I would love to learn.
It would be really fun.
So yeah, if anyone knows, please teach me.
I weirdly found some juggling balls at home this week and I did try to learn.
It did not go well.
They were all over the shop.
Jo, how about you?
It's probably quite a silly one to say, as I'm not the biggest fan of heights, but if I could get over that, then the trapeze looks quite fun.
For listeners.
The trapeze is a short horizontal bar that dangles down, and acrobats use it for swinging and doing tricks.
And I can imagine you'd feel quite free sort of whizzing, flying through the air like that.
Yeah, you would literally be flying.
That'd be quite cool.
Yeah, I like that one.
I'm a similar vein.
I was going to say the cannonball, but I don't know, like just being stuffed into a cannon and just shot out.
I don't think that's a skill to learn.
I don't even know if circus is...
It'll do it.
So let's say the tightrope.
I think walking on a tightrope is a real skill when you're like high in the air.
You've got just one basically piece of wire, I guess to walk on and you have to make it to the end safely.
I think that in itself would be something quite impressive, but I've tried to do similar things in the past and let's just say it's not gone well, but that's fine.
That's why I learned these skills.
If you want to tell us what circus skill you would like to learn, we'd love to know.
Please do send us an email at hello at theweekjuniorcouk or leave a voice note at funkidslivecom.
Slash theweekjunior.
Just grab a grown-up, look for that big red button and record your voice.
Then, if your voice note is played out next week, you could win a Week Junior roving reporter badge.
Now, last week we asked listeners what their favourite April Fool's prank is, and we've got a message here from Maddie.
Hello, my name's Maddie.
My mum just subscribed me to the magazine and my favourite prank is to draw smiley faces on everything in the fridge.
Bye!
Spreading joy, Maddy.
I love that.
You know what?
I might start doing that myself.
That's such a good one.
Love that.
We also had a message here from Niall.
Hello, my name is Niall and I'm seven years old.
My favourite prank is blowing up a balloon and putting it on someone's bottom and making it look like they farted.
Bye bye, I love your show.
Oh, Niall, that's a really good one.
Thank you for loving the show.
But thank you even more for giving us that glorious idea for a prank.
I might use that one as well.
Excellent.
Oh, man, I'm enjoying these.
Come on, then.
We've got one from Stella.
Hi Week Junior.
My name's Stella and I'm from Geneva in Switzerland, and my favourite prank is when at school everyone brings to school paper fish and you stick them on each other's back, and it's very funny when you get one.
And it's called Le Poisson d'Avril.
And once my friend put it on the teacher and the whole class was laughing.
Bye, Vic Junior.
I love your show.
An international April Fool's.
I have heard of the Poisson d'Avril, but thank you for bringing it to attention there, Stella.
I've never heard about that in real life.
I've just read about it in books.
That's so cool.
And finally, we had a message here from Hamish.
Hello, my name is Hamish and my best April Fool's joke that I've done to my sister is that you get a cup and you fill it a tiny bit with water, and then you get a cloth or a towel and you put it over your cup.
And then you say abracadabra do bully do or whatever, something like that.
And then you say that you could drink it without taking the cover off.
And then you do that.
And then you tell them to take the cover off.
And they would take the cover off.
And then you quickly drank it.
And then you'd say, April Fools!
Bye!
Love your show.
I get the magazine every week.
Thank you, Hamish.
I had no idea where that was going.
Every new sentence was a twist and turn for me.
Hamish, that was incredible.
The work that goes into that.
And you have to have some showmanship, I imagine, as well, if you're doing that one, Hamish.
Thank you so much to all of the fans of the show and all of the pranks there.
We loved it.
If you want your voice to feature on next week's podcast, we love getting them on the show.
Please send us a voice note to funkidslivecom.
Slash theweekjunior and tell us about what circus skill you'd like to learn.
Now, let's turn our attention back to the magazine, shall we?
Let's see what's been going on in the news headlines this week.
Eve, what are you talking about this week?
So this is from our UK news page, and it was also our cover story as well.
And it's about the new Archbishop of Canterbury officially starting her job.
So Dame Sarah Mullally had a formal ceremony, known as an enthronement, on the 25th of March to officially start her job as the first ever female Archbishop of Canterbury.
This is the most senior position in the Church of England and she acts as the spiritual leader of about 85 million Christians around the world.
And there were around 2000 people at the event, which was held at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent in England.
And the guests included nurses and carers who were invited to honour her previous career as a nurse, which I didn't know about her.
But ahead of her enthronement ceremony, she went on a walking pilgrimage, which is a religious journey. from St.
Paul's Cathedral in London to Canterbury Cathedral.
And it was an 87 mile journey and took six days to complete.
And she was joined by around 100 people who were there for part of or all of the walk to show their support.
And then, on the day of the ceremony, she began with a ritual of knocking three times on the west door of Canterbury Cathedral, and then a group of local school children welcomed her in, before she then took part in the special ceremony.
And I just thought it was really interesting to read about all sort of the traditions of the enthronement ceremony.
I mean, so much I didn't know.
I didn't know it was called an enthronement, for one.
I also love the idea of can you imagine being at school and them saying to you do you want to welcome in the new archbishop?
I know.
You're the one opening that door and being like, hiya, you all right?
That's amazing.
And they're really cool ways of kind of like celebrating the enthronement, right, Eve?
Yeah, definitely.
And I just really love as well that she had nurses and carers at the ceremony.
I think that's really cool to sort of honour her previous career earlier on in her life.
So yeah, I just think it's amazing.
That is awesome.
I love that.
Thank you very much, Anna.
Yeah, it's the big front cover today, so you will not be able to miss it.
Now, Jo, what is another story that you've seen in the news this week?
It's a story from our Around the World pages about Erling Haaland, the footballer who plays for Manchester City, donating a book to the town where he grew up.
Haaland bought the book with his father, who is a former footballer himself, for £100000 in December last year.
It is a 1594 version of a work by an Icelandic poet called Snorri Sturluson and tells medieval stories of Vikings.
They've donated it to the library in Bryna, the town where well, not just Erling they both grew up.
And Erling said, books give so many more people the chance to dream big, see new possibilities and find their path.
I like the story a lot.
I actually saw the story and I was going to mention it.
And I thought, I wonder if Joe is already going to mention it.
And here you are.
And it's just cool to kind of that he's honouring his hometown, right?
Yeah, yeah, it's lovely.
I mean, he's such a superstar now.
And actually, he was actually born in Leeds.
I don't know if people know that.
And then because his father was playing for the team at the time, but he moved back to Norway and grew up there.
But yeah, he's such a superstar now all over the world, all over the media.
So it's nice that he kind of remembers Leeds, where he came from, and remembers where he grew up and is humble enough to sort of look back to his roots in that way and contribute to his tale.
Yeah, that's really cool.
Thank you very much, Joe.
Now, moving on, it's time for my favourite bit of the show, real or rubbish.
This is where I have to hear a story from the magazine and guess if it's true or false, fact or fake news.
So the answer is going to be revealed at the end of the show.
We can have a guess together if you're listening.
Joe, I believe this week you're the one taking charge.
I am indeed.
And the story is about an Italian restaurant in London that has changed its menu.
So every dish costs an astonishing two pounds.
The owner wanted his dishes to be affordable for everyone, even if they're made with expensive ingredients.
So whether it's an elaborate pizza with lots of toppings or a fancy sirloin steak, it's all just a couple of quid.
He said he remembers struggling for money when he first became a chef and now wants to help his customers too.
But what do you think, Bex?
Is this true or a cheap lie?
Oh, my.
I've put my script down here because I'm immediately ready to leave the room.
I want to go to this place.
I'm pretty peckish and I fancy lasagna.
So two pounds for a steak.
This is ridiculous, Joe.
Yeah, yeah, £2.
I mean, yeah, it's staggering, especially in 2026 when prices have risen so much.
But yeah, you know, a lovely gesture by the owner.
And is this going to be forever?
Is this certain days of the week, certain times of the week?
There hasn't.
I was looking through the offer and there hasn't.
There isn't any time limit on it at the moment.
I think what I will say is that there are other branches of this restaurant over the country that I don't believe have raised their prices much.
But I mean, I presume that the London branch is the busiest.
So this is the one that's got the most footfall and is potentially going to benefit the most people.
And OK, I'm wondering if that's giving me a clue.
Maybe it's like a really famous brand I know of.
And for some reason, one of their shops in London is doing a two pound deal.
I can't tell.
So is this every meal they're doing is two pounds?
Yeah, every meal, regardless of, like I said, regardless of ingredient choose, regardless of size.
So yeah, really expensive ingredients like for example steak, just prices have been slashed to just two quid.
I mean, just a change in your pocket, really, isn't it?
You could, I mean, you could have an elaborate meal for what, like six quid.
I found a pound on the floor on the way here to the HQ today.
And that's half of a meal now.
I could get half a steak for that.
I am so peckish.
I really want this to be true.
But I have no idea.
I just how can they make any money?
That's my thing.
How can you make money if a meal is two pounds?
And also, how would you get people like me to leave the building?
Because I'd be there. for every meal, to be honest.
So while I'm considering that one, let's talk about our book of the week.
This week, it's Feather Vane by Beth O'Brien.
So here she is to tell us a little bit more about it.
Hi, everyone.
I am Beth O'Brien, the author of Feather Vane, which follows a brother and sister who have grown up learning their mother's magical craft of potioneering.
They're sent to a village called Greeth Under Edge to banish a whole host of chaotic magical creatures.
But when their mum is taken prisoner, the twins are left to deal with this problem alone, and they decide that their only hope is to brew an almost impossible potion.
I very much struggle to choose my favourite of anything, but growing up I read a lot of Roald Dahl books.
I also read and still love rereading the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman and the Harry Potter books by J.K.
Rowling.
All of these definitely sparked my love of stories with magic and magical creatures, as well as mischief and adventure and characters you just can't help but love.
So if any of that sounds like your kind of thing, I really hope you'll enjoy Feathervane.
All right then, if you'd like to win a copy of Feathervane, wait until the end of the show to find out how you can.
Now, we've just been joined by Associate Editor Laura.
Hello, Laura.
Welcome back.
Hello.
How are you?
I'm very good.
How are you?
I'm good, thank you.
Yes.
And what's going on this week in your world?
Oh.
So this week I have been spotting newts, specifically the smooth newt, which is apparently the most common newt.
So there's three types of newt that you can see in the uk, and so it's the smooth newt, which we're going to be talking about, um the palmate newt, which is kind of similar looking actually, except it's got a massive fat webbed foot at the back, um.
And then there's also the great, um crested newt, which is a lot more sort of warty looking and quite a lot bigger.
But we're going to talk about the smooth newt because that's the most common one that you're likely to see.
Although you could see any of them at the moment because at the moment it's breeding season.
So newts, which are amphibious creatures, so that means they can live in water or on land, are making their way to water at the moment because that's where they breed.
So it's a really good time to spot them.
So basically they spend all their sort of the colder months sort of hunkering down in damp, marshy places.
So they might be in sort of woodland or hedgerows or around the sort of banks of ponds and things like that.
And when the weather gets warmer, they head to the water to find a mate.
And yeah, smooth newts are about 10 centimetres long.
And I always think they're kind of like the closest thing that you might get to a sort of little mini dragon in this country.
They're very cool.
So kind of lizard-y looking.
And they're sort of a grey-brown colour with quite a bright orange belly and they've got black spots all over them.
And during the breeding season the males also have this very cool kind of crest which goes all the way down their body and tail.
And April is a really good time to try and spot a smooth newt in a pond.
So you might want to ask an adult to help you out.
But basically, if you go out after dark and shine a torch on a pond, if you've got one in your garden or perhaps nearby, because they're more likely to be active at night
So if you shine a torch, then you might see them And yeah, swimming around there.
And apparently male newts try to attract female mates by sort of doing a little wiggly dance.
And after mating the females can lay up to 300 eggs, which are kind of tiny little grey brown round things.
And they're sort of encased in a clear jelly.
I guess a bit like frog spawn.
But rather than sort of just dumping it, which a lot of frogs do, they carefully wrap their eggs in pond plants, which I thought was quite sweet.
So, yeah, it's a good time to look out for smooth newts.
Oh, right.
Well, tell you what.
The only newts I think I've ever seen that I can remember are in the film Matilda, when they put the newts in the little jug and the Trunchbull drinks.
I imagine, though, Laura, you've actually seen some newts in real life, right?
Yeah.
I was so going to say that, actually.
I was actually going to say that.
And you've just reminded me.
Yeah, because I love that point in Matilda because she puts it in the jug, doesn't she?
And she's waiting to see if it's going to slip out and then the trunchbull freaks out.
I love it.
No.
Well, I have seen I think I've actually seen a great crested newt.
Yes.
But I don't think I've seen a smooth newt.
But they are very cool.
And the great crested ones are quite protected, I think.
So I'm quite lucky to see them.
But no, I've not seen one in a pond, though.
So I would love to see one swimming around.
I've only seen one sort of marching across some paving stones, trying to get away from me, probably.
There's also something quite nice just about saying the word smooth newt.
It's quite a nice thing to say, the smooth newt.
Laura, thank you so much for telling us all about newts.
So much I didn't know there, especially about the wiggle dance.
So thank you.
And hopefully we'll find out some awesome stuff from you next time.
Thanks, Laura.
Bye.
Thanks.
Bye.
Bye.
Now it's time for this week's big debate.
And the question is, should schools teach more languages?
Joe and Eve will go head to head to take a side each on this argument.
But before we hear from them, here's some information that you need to know.
Historian Dr Tessa Dunlop has launched a campaign to get Romanian included as a GCSE option in England schools.
There are 159,000 Romanian speakers in London alone.
Now.
The most common languages that pupils can take at GCSE at schools in England are French, German and Spanish.
Some schools offer Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese and Latin, which is a very old language.
Gaelic is taught in some schools in Scotland.
Welsh GCSE is studied in some schools in Wales.
And GCSE in Irish is taught in some schools in Northern Ireland.
There are also plans to introduce British Sign Language GCSE in England.
So should schools teach more languages?
Eve is team yes.
Joe is team no.
Each of them have 60 seconds to make their case.
Then I'll make up my mind on which side I agree with more.
So let's hear from Eve first, who thinks that schools should teach more languages.
So Eve, I'm going to get up my little clock here.
So whenever you're ready, take it away.
Offering a wider range of languages actually gives students a choice of subjects that they really want to learn.
Imagine having like five different languages that you've sort of done a little bit in.
And then you get to choose which one you want to do for GCSE.
I just feel like that would be so fun, because then the subjects that you've chosen, you're probably more likely to be motivated to study it, because you're the one that chose it.
And a study by Dr Karen Forbes at the University of Cambridge found that the more languages that are offered at a school, the better students grades were in all languages, which is really interesting.
And I think with the example of offering Romanian students in England the chance to study their native language, that shows pupils that their culture is really valued at school.
And there's just so many benefits to learning a language.
It helps boost your memory and improves your concentration.
And so if you can learn more when you're at school, I just think that's a great opportunity.
Excellent stuff.
A great debate there.
But Joe disagrees.
So, Joe, when you're ready, tell us why.
Yeah.
So at school, students are often given the choice over whether they want to learn languages, with many of them choosing not to take GCSEs in language subjects.
So it's all very well offering languages, but that doesn't mean children are going to opt to learn them.
And some schools have reported that some children are reluctant to learn languages because they think it will be more difficult than other GCSE subjects or they feel other subjects will be more beneficial for getting jobs.
And besides, there are plenty of other important subjects that are not yet being taught, that could be introduced.
And there's obviously only so much time in a school day.
It's important to note, too, that there is a shortage of foreign language teachers in the UK.
So if you did introduce new languages for pupils to learn...
It's not yet clear who would actually teach them.
Oh, that's an interesting point.
I didn't even think about that.
Of course, we need teachers to learn the languages.
Right.
Okay.
So this is a really tricky one, but I just feel like learning new languages is a great skill to have.
It helps your brain to give you a little bit of a workout, but also it means you can speak to more people.
In fact, I think, for I think, for me personally, I think it's a really good idea to have more languages on the syllabus.
But of course, it's up to our readers and listeners.
So we love your opinions.
You can get involved right now by voting at theweekjunior.co.uk.
You can also email your thoughts to us at hello at theweekjunior.co.uk. or send us a voice note.
Just go to funkidslivecom, slash theweekjunior, scroll down until you see that big red button.
Then grab a grown-up and record your voice.
Then your message could be in next week's episode.
Now, in the last big debate, Kay and Eve discussed whether museums should charge people for entry.
Jo, how did the listeners and readers vote on this one?
Well, 66% said no, museums shouldn't charge for entry.
Okay, that's quite a high percent.
We also had a voice note here from Ava.
Hi, The Witcher Union.
I'm Ava and I agree with Kate, because it makes sure it's fair for everybody, regardless of how much money they have got.
And if museums are free, they will be busier.
Yeah.
OK.
Makes it fair for everybody.
I like that, Ava.
Thank you.
Eve, any more opinions sent in on this one?
Yeah.
So one person said museums are meant to be fun and interesting and lots of people go to them.
But people may start to stop going if they are charged money.
Plus, museums should be for everyone, not just for people who can afford it.
And someone else said I think people should just pay for parking and the stuff they get at the shop, which is very good point.
And someone else said, yes, because otherwise the museums would go out of business.
Oh, we love that everybody got in touch this week.
So thank you very much.
We also love that every week readers of The Week Junior send in lots of messages to the inbox about what they've been up to.
So editorial assistant Kay is here to share some of the messages with us.
Hello, Kay.
Louise and Samuel got in touch to say we live in Accra in Ghana.
Here is a picture of us in traditional Ghanaian clothing, just like in the article in issue 532 about Fugu Day.
Louise said.
I think your readers would find this interesting because I am a child in Africa reading The Week Junior.
That's so cool.
I actually wrote that article.
So I love hearing that.
That's really nice.
And it's so lovely to have international readers of the magazine as well.
Abel sent us a photo of him in the Peak District in Derbyshire.
Abel loves nature and being by water and trees.
He is on his fifth issue of The Week Junior and is so excited to read it each week.
His particular favourite pages are the puzzles, information from around the world and choosing his favourite image that someone has photographed.
Well, I'm glad, I'm really glad you're enjoying the magazine Abel, and it's always nice to hear that.
Newish readers are really getting something out of it.
And I love the picture in the Peak District.
I actually used to live in Sheffield, so I've done a bit of walking in the Peak District.
And I agree, it really is a lovely part of the world.
Thanks so much for sending your messages.
We love hearing what you've been up to.
And don't forget if your voice note is played on the podcast, you're in with a chance of winning a roving reporter badge.
Get in touch with us via hello at theweekjunior.co.uk or via our social media accounts.
Lovely stuff.
Thank you, guys.
Now let's turn our attention back to the magazine this week and the team's favourite stories.
Eve, who's been your hero of the week?
So my hero of the week is Millie Childs, who is 11 years old and has invented a special pair of glasses that help dyslexic people read more easily.
So Millie herself is dyslexic and came up with the idea for the glasses when she was eight.
She found that coloured glasses made reading easier for her, but doesn't like carrying different pairs around.
So because of this, she designed the rainbow glasses, where the lenders can shift between red, green and blue, so the wearer can pick the most helpful colour for them.
And her idea won the McRobert medal in the primary engineer competition.
And she's worked with real engineers to turn it into a working model.
And she said.
The thought that they may one day help other people with dyslexia is something I'm really proud of.
And there's a picture in the magazine of her wearing them and they look really cool as well.
It's such a smart idea.
I can't believe it's not been made before.
So, yeah, well done to Millie.
Now, Joe, what's been your favourite fact from this week's issue?
It's a fact from the circus story on our entertainment pages that was mentioned earlier in the show.
The piece describes the Revelpuck Circus's new show A Glimmer Days Gambit, which is currently on in Stratford London.
But the fact I've gone with is about a circus in the US.
It's called Flotsam, and its performers travel by raft along rivers and perform to towns on the banks, which I thought was really interesting when I first read it.
Yeah, that's really cool.
I didn't know that either.
So lots of cool stuff happening in the magazine this week.
One of my favourite things was something we don't often talk about on the podcast, but near the beginning of the magazine there's a bit called This Week in History.
And this week in history, the National Gallery opened in Trafalgar Square.
And there's a really lovely.
It looks like a kind of like a pencil drawing of the gallery.
If you've been there you will know it's pretty iconic.
You'll recognize it immediately.
I didn't realize um, it basically started off with the collection of one businessman who uh, donated lots of uh, lots of his paintings and then eventually it turned into the national gallery, as we know and love, so very, very cool stuff.
Now it's time for the moment of truth.
We need to go back to today's real rubbish joke.
Can you remind me what the story was, please?
Yeah, it was about an Italian restaurant in London that has changed its menu, so every dish costs only £2, regardless of the ingredients.
But is this true or a lie?
Oh no, Jo, it's really annoying because if it's true, I want to be there right now.
And if it's not true, then I'm furious that you've made me feel so hungry.
The problem I have is that, as somebody who comes from a family of restauranteurs and publicans, I know the cost of putting food together and serving it to people.
So it's quite expensive.
So two pounds, they're not making any money on this.
And I don't understand how they could make a profit because they kind of have to.
But equally, maybe there's a reason they're doing this.
Maybe it's to bring new customers in.
And then eventually people will come for the full price food.
I don't know.
What I do know is I really want a two pound meal right now.
I'm going to say, though, I can't understand it.
I'm going to say the story is rubbish.
It has to be rubbish.
Yeah, I'm going to do it.
Should I do a drum roll?
Yeah.
Yeah, you're right.
It's rubbish.
It is.
It is.
I'm kind of not sure what I've rambled on about today, but in amongst all that I've said, what I know is true is that Moochies, which is in Chelsea in London, has introduced new prices, although it's to make it easier for customers to work out their bills.
The restaurant is charging £10 for a starter and £20 for a main dish.
Wow, very different to £2.
Indeed, indeed, indeed.
It's still reasonable, still reasonable.
I think we should say that on the podcast.
But yeah, I mean, £2 would be something else, really, wouldn't it?
I mean, if any restaurants are listening and they fancy reducing their prices to £2, I'm all for it, but maybe not in this climate.
Absolutely.
Absolutely, yeah.
If I could find a £2 steak somewhere, I'd be out of this door immediately.
Well finally, it's time for Listen Up the bit of the show that gives you a chance to win our copy of the book of the week.
This week, it's Feather Vane by Beth O'Brien.
So all you've got to do is answer a question about something that's been said in this episode.
And if you think you know the answer, crap a grown-up.
And head to theweekjuniorcouk slash, listen up to fill in our online entry form and enter the prize draw before the closing date of the 9th of April at midday.
Congratulations to listener Kotti, who won a copy of Scare B&B in a recent giveaway.
Now the Week Junior team will randomly select one winner from all of the entries with the correct answer.
And if you're under 16, you must have a parent or guardian's permission to enter, and terms and conditions apply.
Find out more at theweekjunior.co.uk slash terms.
So are you ready?
Listen up.
Which footballer donated a book about Vikings to the town of Brina in Norway?
If you know the answer to the question, go to theweekjuniorcouk forward slash.
Listen up to enter the giveaway.
Thank you very much there, Eve.
Right, well, that brings us to the end of the show.
Thank you to Eve, Joe, Kay and Laura.
Next week, we'll be back to discuss more of the fascinating stories happening in the world.
And don't forget to send in voice notes for a chance to have your voice on the podcast and to win a roving reporter badge.
Plus, of course, please do rate, review and subscribe, or follow us.
Wherever it is you get your podcasts.
And if you like The Week Junior show, you'll love The Week Junior magazine.
Head to theweekjunior.co.uk to find out more.
Bye.
Bye.
For five pounds by heading to theweekjunior.co.uk forward slash podcast offer.
