Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and Nick Jonas to read CBeebies Bedtime Stories
By Casey Cooper-Fiske, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker and The Jonas Brothers’ Nick Jonas are to read CBeebies Bedtime Stories.
Cocker, 62, will read Wally The World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat, written by Ratha Tep, which follows Wally as he becomes competitive with fellow virtuoso, Wylie, with the story aiming to teach children about handling rivalry and embracing what brings them joy.
The Common People singer said: “Reading stories to my son when he was young was one of the great pleasures in my life. He’s 22 now, a bit old for bedtime stories, so thank you CBeebies for inviting me to experience this pleasure once again.”
Jonas, 33, who has a four-year-old daughter with his wife, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, will read The Ballad Of Cactus Joe by Lily Murray, which follows a cranky cactus and a persistent woodpecker as they embark on a series of adventures.
He said: “We are raising our daughter to embrace all of the culture that is around her, both from India and from the US. It’s really exciting for us as parents to think about the things that we love about our cultures, whether its clothing, food or certain traditions that are important to us.
“Giving her the opportunity to learn about it through books, programmes and spending time with family, where she can really engage and understand where she comes from and her family’s history, has been a really special thing for us as parents.”
Cocker’s episode airs on CBeebies on Friday at 6:50pm, followed by Jonas’ episode on Saturday at the same time, with both episodes available to watch on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
The pair are the latest in a long line of musical stars to read the children’s channel’s bedtime story, including Sir Elton John, Harry Styles, Kylie Minogue, Billie Eilish, Jessie J, and The Last Dinner Party frontwoman Abigail Morris.
Cocker is best known as the lead singer of Britpop band Pulp, famous for songs including Common People, Disco 2000 and Do You Remember The First Time?. Pulp released their first album in 24 years, More, last year.
The band also performed under the secret name Patchwork at the 2025 edition of Glastonbury Festival, 30 years after their headline performance at the festival, when they stood in for The Stone Roses after the Manchester band’s guitarist John Squire was injured in a cycling accident.
The 1995 performance, along with the release of the album Different Class and single Common People, saw the Cocker-fronted band gain nationwide fame.
As a member of The Jonas Brothers, Jonas has had one UK top 10 single and four UK top 10 albums, with their best known songs including Sucker, SOS and Only Human.
They made their first TV appearance on the Hannah Montana show, starring Miley Cyrus, before getting a series of their own, Jonas Brothers: Living The Dream, running from 2008 to 2010, then in 2009 they appeared in their first film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.
