BBC accused of rewriting history in CBeebies show which appears to teach children that Gibraltar is part of Spain

The BBC has been accused of rewriting history in a CBeebies programme which appears to teach children that Gibraltar is part of Spain.

In the episode of Go Jetters, broadcast in July, animated explorers Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz learn about the migration route of birds from Europe to Africa.

A voiceover says the animation characters are heading for the Strait of Gibraltar, which borders both Spain and Gibraltar, to watch a flock of storks take to the skies.

But later in the programme Lars says they are flying from "Spain to Africa", making no distinction between Spain and Gibraltar.

Friends of the British Overseas Territories, which promotes their culture and history, has criticised the BBC for "failing to educate" the next generation.

Ben Brickley, a spokesman for the charity, said: "We are disappointed to hear that the BBC, which is a public service British broadcaster, has failed to identify the Rock as an integral part of our British family.

"The BBC has let its guard down and failed in educating the next generation about our far flung, diverse and fascinating Overseas Territories."

The BBC declined to comment when contacted by The Telegraph.

Britain has 14 overseas territories, which include Bermuda, Montserrat and Anguilla. Citizens have the right to hold a British passport and are entitled to consular assistance and protection from UK diplomatic posts.

Gibraltar, known to locals as "The Rock", is a peninsula attached to southern Spain and has a population of around 30,000.

It was captured by Britain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, which was triggered by the death of childless King Charles II of Spain.

In 1713, Gibraltar was ceded to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. It was reclassified from a "crown colony" to a "British overseas territory" in 2002, the same year Gibraltar residents rejected shared sovereignty with Spain in a referendum.

However, Spain has claimed sovereignty over Gibraltar and the centuries-old dispute has caused significant political tension.

Britain's exit from the European Union has raised questions about Gibraltar's future, as it voted overwhelmingly to remain (96 per cent).

Last year Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country would revive its bid for shared sovereignty over Gibraltar once Brexit was delivered.

“We are going to resolve a conflict that has been going for over 300 years,” Mr Sanchez told a news conference after an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.

Theresa May, then Britain's Prime Minister, said that "Gibraltar is British" and that her Brexit negotiations were also on behalf of the territory.

The CBeebies channel, launched in 2002, is run by the BBC. Aimed at children up to the age of six, it streams animation, drama, entertainment, factual and live action shows for 13 hours a day.

Go Jetters has been running since 2015 and is now in its third series.

It follows the adventures of "four plucky international heroes" as they travel the globe together "saving the world’s most famous landmarks from the mischievous meddlings of their nemesis, Grandmaster Glitch".

CBeebies faced criticism three years ago when presenter Chris Jarvis was said to have used a four letter swear word beginning with 'c' instead of the word 'kite' in an episode of Show Me Show Me.

A concerned mother shared a video of the alleged blunder on social media and it went viral.

In response to the claims, CBeebies published a statement on its official Facebook page, reading: “It’s a kite everyone, kite! We make shows for your little ones so it’s always going to be kite.”