The BBC appears to have bowed to mounting pressure from parents to keep its children’s channels on air by indicating the future of the CBeebies is safe.

More than 130,000 have signed a petition calling for the channel, which is home to family favourites Bob The Builder and Mr Tumble, to be saved.

Director-General Lord HallBBC director-general Lord Hall (Anthony Devlin/PA)

It was launched after BBC director general Lord Hall warned that budget cuts mean it is inevitable services will be reduced or closed.

But addressing MPs at the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, Lord Hall said: “We don’t have proposals to take CBeebies and CBBC, as channels, out of the environment.”

Twirlywoos Twirlywoos (Ragdoll Productions/BBC)

His comments come after parents who were worried that the channel faced being axed from televisions launched a petition to save it.

The petition states: “The BBC are considering axing the CBeebies channel as a cost-saving measure.

WaybulooWaybuloo is another CBeebies programme (The Foundation TV Productions Limited/Decode/Blue Entertainment 2009)

“CBeebies plays a significant role in the lives of most parents with little ones, providing both education and entertainment, and affords parents time to do something else (cooking dinner for example!) while their little one is relaxing watching CBeebies.

“Please sign this petition so the BBC know the value of this channel, and #savecbeebies.”

Dunceton the Brain, Bobby the Banana, Gordon the Gopher, Otis the Aardvark, Ed the Duck, Dodge T Dog, Hacker T Dog, Emlyn the Gremlyn, Oucho T Cactus Dunceton the Brain, Bobby the Banana, Gordon the Gopher, Otis the Aardvark, Edd the Duck, Dodge T Dog, Hacker T Dog, Emlyn the Gremlyn, Oucho all gather to celebrate CBBC Presentation’s 30th BirthdayCBBC’s famous puppets (Lucy West/BBC)

CBBC celebrated its 30th birthday last week by reuniting well-loved presenters such as Phillip Schofield, Andi Peters, Zoe Ball and Andy Crane with their puppet sidekicks.