Visually Signed PAW Patrol Season 7 is coming to Channel 5 — here's everything you need to know
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I wanted to put together a proper, detailed write-up on this because it's genuinely brilliant news for Deaf and hard of hearing families across the UK, and I think it deserves more than just a quick mention. Channel 5 has confirmed that Visually Signed PAW Patrol is returning to the channel — and this time, they're doing the whole of Season 7.
For anyone unfamiliar, visually signed content means the British Sign Language (BSL) signing is embedded directly into the picture of the programme itself, rather than sitting in a small interpreter box in the corner of the screen. This makes it far more accessible and natural for BSL users to follow, particularly younger children who are still developing their language skills. It also means the signing travels with the programme on any platform, any device, and any recording — no specialist setup required.
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There are around 150,000 BSL users in the UK, with a significant number of those being children and young people. For Deaf families, finding signed content on mainstream television — not tucked away on a niche streaming service, not behind a paywall, but on a proper free-to-air channel at a reasonable broadcast time — has historically been difficult. Children's signed programming in particular has been sparse.
Having an entire season of a popular, well-known children's show broadcast in a visually signed format on Channel 5 is a genuinely meaningful step forward. PAW Patrol is a programme children already know and love, which means signed viewers are engaging with content on the same level as their hearing peers, rather than being offered something separate or lesser. That matters enormously from both an inclusion and a childhood development perspective.
Channel 5 has previously included signed children's content in its schedule, but committing to a full season — broadcast every morning across the week — shows a greater level of investment in accessible programming than we've typically seen from mainstream UK broadcasters. It sets a precedent worth celebrating and, hopefully, building on.
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No catch here: This broadcasts on the standard Channel 5 linear channel. If you can watch Channel 5 normally — through Sky, Virgin, Freeview, Freesat or EE TV — you can watch and record these signed episodes exactly as you would any other programme.
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The early morning timeslot
The 5:35am slot is worth acknowledging directly, because I know it will be the first thing a lot of people comment on. It's early — there's no getting around that. For families with young children who are awake at that hour it may work perfectly well, but for many households it simply won't be a practical watch-live time. This is where recording becomes not just useful, but essentially essential for getting the most out of this run of signed programming.The good news is that every major TV platform in the UK supports recording from the standard TV guide, and there's no technical reason why these episodes should be any harder to record than anything else on Channel 5. Below I've gone through every platform in detail, including some tips that aren't always obvious.
Recording guide by platform
Sky Q
Open the TV Guide and navigate to Channel 5 on Monday 11th May at 5:35am. Highlight the PAW Patrol listing and press the red R button or the dedicated Record button on your Sky Q remote. The episode will save to your Recordings library, accessible any time from the home screen. Sky Q recordings do not expire unless you manually delete them or run out of hard drive space, so you can build the full signed season over time without any urgency. If you want to set a series link so every future signed episode records automatically without you having to manually schedule each one, highlight the programme, press the Options button, and select "Series Link" from the menu. Worth also checking your Sky Q storage before the run starts — children's programming is relatively small in file size, but if your box is already packed with films and sport, freeing up a bit of space first is sensible.
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Virgin Media (V6 / Stream / Older TiVo)
Press the Guide button on your Virgin remote and scroll to Channel 5 at 5:35am on Monday 11th May. Highlight the PAW Patrol listing and press the Record button. Depending on which Virgin box you have, you may be presented with the option to record just this episode or to set up a series recording for all upcoming signed episodes — if that option appears, it's worth taking it to save you setting recordings each morning. Virgin TV recordings are stored on your box's internal hard drive and are accessible from the Recordings section of your home menu. On older Virgin TiVo boxes the process is identical — Guide, Channel 5, highlight the programme, press Record.
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EE TV (Box Pro / Box Edge)
Open the TV Guide on your EE TV remote and navigate to Channel 5 at 5:35am. When you have "Visually Signed PAW Patrol" highlighted in the guide, press the R button on your EE remote to schedule the recording. Your EE TV box saves recordings directly to its internal hard drive, and the episodes will appear in your Recordings library once captured. If your EE box supports series recording (Box Pro and Box Edge both do), you should be offered the option to record all upcoming episodes in the series at the same time — this is the most convenient approach given the early timeslot. One thing to keep in mind: EE TV boxes have varying amounts of onboard storage depending on the model and how long you've had the box. If you regularly record a lot of content, it's worth checking your available storage before the season begins. Children's programming typically runs to around 300–500MB per episode at HD quality, so a full signed season shouldn't take up a significant amount of space.
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Freeview (with a recording box)
Standard Freeview televisions without an attached recorder cannot save programmes — you'll need a dedicated Freeview Play recording box to capture these episodes. Compatible devices include the Manhattan T4-R, Humax Aura, Humax FVP-5000T, and various other Freeview Play recorders. These connect to your TV via HDMI and use a standard TV aerial signal. Once your recording box is set up and tuned in to Channel 5, open the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), find "PAW Patrol (Visually Signed)" on Channel 5 at 5:35am, and press the Record button on your remote. Most Freeview Play recorders also support series links, so check for that option when you set the first recording — it may allow the box to automatically record every future signed episode in the run. Internal hard drives on Freeview Play boxes typically range from 500GB to 2TB, which is more than adequate for a children's programme run.
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Freesat (Recordable boxes)
Freesat 4K Recordable TV Box and older Freesat+ recording boxes can all capture these episodes through the standard TV Guide. Open the guide, navigate to Channel 5 at 5:35am on Monday 11th May, highlight "PAW Patrol (Visually Signed)", and press the Record (R) button on your Freesat remote. If a series recording option is available, select it so that every episode in the signed run is captured automatically each morning. Freesat recording boxes use built-in hard drives and do not require a broadband connection to record live broadcasts, making them particularly reliable for early morning recordings.
Note for standard Freeview TV owners: If you watch Freeview through a television that doesn't have a built-in hard drive or an attached Freeview Play recorder, you cannot record these episodes directly. You would either need to watch live at 5:35am or invest in a Freeview Play recording box. These are widely available from retailers and typically cost anywhere from £80 to £200 depending on storage capacity.
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A note on why we should keep supporting this
Every time signed programming appears on mainstream television and is watched, recorded, and talked about positively, it sends a signal to broadcasters that this content has an audience and that investing in it is worthwhile. Conversely, if these episodes air to negligible viewing figures because the timeslot makes live viewing impractical and nobody has recorded them, it becomes harder for commissioning teams to make the case for more signed content in future schedules.Share this information with anyone in your network who has Deaf family members or who works with BSL-using children. The more awareness there is around this run, the better — both for the families who will directly benefit from it and for the longer-term case for accessible children's broadcasting in the UK.
Quick summary
Channel 5 · Free to air · No subscription needed
From Monday 11th May 2026 · Daily at 5:35am
⏱ One signed episode per day · Approx. 10 minutes each
Full Season 7 of PAW Patrol in Visually Signed format
⏺ Recording recommended — Sky Q, Virgin, EE TV, Freeview Play & Freesat all supported
If you have any questions about recording on a specific platform or box model not covered above, post below and I'll do my best to help. Enjoy the signed PAW Patrol run — this is exactly the kind of mainstream accessibility commitment we should be celebrating.