Sesame Street has a long-running tradition of getting celebrities in to shoot the breeze with beloved Muppets like Elmo, Big Bird, the Count, and of course Cookie Monster – who invited actor Claire Danes to explain the Word of the Day with him recently. Danes is light and breezy and a million miles away from her Homeland character Carrie Mathison, the last person you would expect to patiently explain a new word to Cookie Monster. This programme might be for kids but its YouTube channel's Celebs on Sesame Street playlist has gigglesome clips from the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Mindy Kaling, Zachary Quinto and Christina Hendricks – perfect for the parents.

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