Viewers of BBC’s Newsround have long wondered why the presenters hold Nintendo Switch controllers during the show – and it turns out they have a vital purpose
There’s a very good reason why presenters of BBC’s Newsround always hold Nintendo Switch controllers.
The daily news programme is designed to bring news and current events to children in a way that is both informative and engaging for young viewers. It airs on CBBC during the week, and on Saturdays, it is also broadcast on BBC Two.
But if you’ve ever tuned into the news programme, you might have noticed one bizarre detail – the presenters are often seen holding Nintendo Switch controllers called Joy-Cons in their hands. They’re not getting ready for a round of Mario Kart, though, as one presenter recently shared why they use the controllers in a social media post.
Emma-Louise Amanshia, who has been a presenter on Newsround since 2024, posted a video on TikTok in which she explained what the Joy-Cons are used for, as they serve a vital purpose for all the show’s hosts.
She explained that their primary function is to move the script on the autocue that they use to deliver the news to the nation’s young people.
Instead of the script moving at a set speed as it does on some other live broadcasts, the Newsround presenters can scroll through the script at their own pace, and they use the Joy-Cons to do that.
Emma-Louise noted: “Sometimes people ask why we hold a Nintendo Switch controller on Newsround, which is such a fair question because it is weird. Basically, we use this to control the words. I’ll be sat here on the sofa and there’s a script in front of me, and this is what I use to go up and down.”
The buttons underneath the joystick allow her to do other functions, such as go back to the beginning of the script, and praised “someone smart” for essentially turning the Joy-Con into a remote control.
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Commenters on the video asked why the script had to be controlled with Nintendo Switch controllers instead of a regular remote.
While Emma-Louise didn’t answer this question, other commenters pointed out it was likely because Joy-Cons are quite small to hold, so they’re less distracting, and they’re also something that is instantly recognisable to many children.
One person said: “The size and shape make it convenient to hold, and they’re a lot cheaper than industrial equivalents designed for professional use. Plus, it’s a kids’ show, so it’s something the audience will recognise.”
Other commenters gave further information, as they told confused viewers that it wouldn’t be too difficult to program the Nintendo Switch controller to work as a remote for the autocue. They noted it could be done with any controller, not just one for the Switch, as they can be connected to the autocue software using Bluetooth.
There were also plenty of comments from people who were not Newsround viewers and had stumbled onto Emma-Louise’s video naturally. They were baffled to discover the children’s news programme was still running, as they used to watch it when they were children some 20 years ago.
When is Newsround on TV?
Newsround is broadcast on CBBC once a day at around 7:45am. The programme consists of an eight-minute news bulletin on weekdays and a six-minute bulletin on weekends. In addition to the CBBC broadcast, Newsround is also shown on BBC Two on a Saturday morning, and all the bulletins are available for 24 hours on BBC iPlayer and the Newsround section of the CBBC website if you miss the morning airing.
There are currently seven Newsround presenters: Ricky Boleto, Jenny Lawrence, De’Graft Mensah, Shanequa Paris, Nina Blissett, Otis Holmes, and Emma-Louise Amanshia. The programme has acted as a springboard for presenters to eventually move into mainstream news programming and other presenting jobs, with former presenters including Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Jake Humphrey, and Helen Skelton.
Newsround has been a staple of BBC programming since 1972, when it was known as John Craven’s Newsround. It was the first programme of its kind aimed at children between the ages of five and 15, and it has continued to be a vital tool for bringing news and current affairs to children in a way they can understand.
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