The effect of the cladding on the emission properties of doped plastic optical fibres has been analyzed by using the side‐illumination technique. For that purpose, the photoluminescence spectra of cladded and uncladed plastic optical fibres, both with the same doped core material, have been compared. In particular, we study the dependence of the emitted intensity on the launching angle and on the propagation distance. We also analyze the angular distribution of the emitted light as a function of the propagation distance through the fibres. Using this information, we have characterized the optical losses in both kinds of optical fibres. The study has been performed in plastic optical fibres doped with a conjugated polymer. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)