BBC children's presenter reveals staff were handed trays of shots behind the scenes

A former CBBC children's presenter has claimed that staff were handed trays of shots behind the scenes.

Comedian London Hughes has spoken out about the drinking culture behind the children's television brand, which is owned by the BBC.

Ms Hughes, presented the morning show for CBBC for almost 2 years and made regular appearances on Blue Peter and All over the Place. She has also voiced characters for CBBC's comedy, Big Babies.

Speaking in an interview with Telegraph Culture, the 30-year-old said: “I didn’t really drink until I started working on kids’ TV.

“They’d bring round trays of shots at 4pm!”

“Both the Babestation and CBBC jobs were about me trying to get attention from the comedy scene,” she added.

Before working for the BBC Ms Hughes had worked on the cable channel Babestation, hosting the afternoon slot, encouraging viewers to phone the “babes”.

Hughes has since gone on to appear in ITV2's Don't Hate The Playaz, BBC2's Mock the Week and E4's Celebs Go Dating.

Last year, she was nominated Best Show at the Dave Edinburgh Comedy Awards and is currently promoting her show at The Bloomsbury Theatre later this year.

Ms Hughes also opened up about working as a black female comedian and said that one year she auditioned for characters that all “had a name that ended in -sha. Alesha, Tenesha, Ayesha…”

Ms Hughes, whose NBCUniversal pilot with comedy producer Larry Wilmore will shoot later this year, said she was “angry” after watching “black women like Gina Yashere give up on the UK and go to America” because she “should have been our Miranda Hart, our Sarah Millican”.

She added that following one gig in Hull a woman came up to her backstage and said: “We didn’t not laugh because you aren’t funny.

“We didn’t laugh because you’re black. Some people round here don’t like black people’.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “London worked for CBBC a long time ago. This is not a picture we recognise.”