Tweenies
| Tweenies | |
|---|---|
 Tweenies Logo |
|
| Format | Children's |
| Created by | Will Brenton Iain Lauchlan |
| Developed by | Tell-Tale Productions for BBC Television |
| Starring | UK Body actors Samantha Dodd Simon Grover Jenny Hutchinson Angela Reynolds Voice/Animatronics Justin Fletcher Bob Golding Coleen Daley Emma Weaver |
| Opening theme | "Are you ready to play?" |
| Ending theme | "Are you ready to play?" (Instrumental version with added piano) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 390 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Judy Whitfield Clare Elstow |
| Producer(s) | Kay Benbow Robin Carr Iain Lauchlan Will Brenton Karl Woolley |
| Camera setup | Davy Johnson |
| Running time | 20 minutes |
| Distributor | BBC |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC (1999-2003) |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| First shown in | CBBC |
| Original run | 6 September 1999 – 24 September 2003 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Tweenies is a British television programme aimed at young children, originally broadcast on the BBC's CBBC programming block. Episodes of the programme have repeated on the CBeebies channel since 2004.
Contents |
Overview [edit]
The idea for the programme came from Iain Lauchlan and Will Brenton, a pair with a track record of being involved in BBC children's programming. Together with Karl Woolley and Helen Cadwallader they set up Tell-Tale Productions at Elstree Film Studios in Hertfordshire. Iain Lauchlan was a presenter on Play School, Fingermouse and Playdays, meeting Brenton, a director, writer and also a presenter, during the latter. Together they started producing two of the Playdays strands before forming their own production companies Tell-Tale Productions and, more recently, Wish Films. They also created The Fun Song Factory, Boo!, BB3B!, Jim Jam and Sunny, Basil Hair The Squirrel and Entertainment Right's The Magical Lives of Toys.
Tweenies was a production of Tell-Tale Productions in association with the BBC. Animation for the show was produced by A Productions, an animation studio based in Bristol, England, with Ealing Animation providing some animation in a few early episodes. Computer animation for the series was provided by Clockwork Digital, with Ben Mars animating Mungo, the computer creature who appears in some later episodes.
The program is no longer in production, although merchandise can still be bought from retailers, and DVDs of the program are also available.
The characters are well developed and children are able to predict what their responses might be. The mixture of story, song and creative activity provides excellent opportunities for children to learn through play. Music plays an important part in the programme and children are encouraged to join in with songs and actions.
The programme is set in a playschool attended by the four Tweenies themselves: Bella, Milo, Fizz and the youngest, Jake. They are in the care of two adults, Max and Judy, and two dogs - Doodles & Izzles
The show includes a "Tweenie Clock", with five circular lights arranged in a pentagonal shape with the lights denoting "news time", "messy time", "song time", "telly time" and "story time". "Surprise time" is a special time determined when all five lights glow. A button at the center of the clock is pressed to select the activity that will be undertaken next.
It is currently no longer being shown on CBeebies, the BBC's channel for young children. Like a number of other CBeebies programs, a live stage version of the show has toured in the UK. The most recent tour, Top of the Tots, toured the British Isles during 2009, the series' 10th anniversary. In addition, the tour also played several shows in Hong Kong in late September and early October 2009. The Tweenies are also regulars on the annual CBeebies Live tours around the British Isles. Between 2003 and 2006, there was also a live version of Tweenies shown regularly at Alton Towers in the Cred Street section aimed at younger children, which was removed in favor of Bob the Builder. In 2000, Tweenies won two awards: Best PreSchool Educational Program and Best Live Action PreSchool Program.
The original prototypes for the Tweenies characters were designed by Sally Preisig of Mimics Productions; they were later re-scaled into two sizes for the characters shown on the series. In addition, Sally also designed the character costumes and was co-constructor/developer for the Tweenies' full-size puppets. The costume fabric comes from the UK and was imported and dyed into their present colors; it is about the same thickness as fleece jumpers.
On 20 January 2013, the programme caused controversy after the 2001 episode titled "Favourite Songs",[1] featuring a skit of Max dressed and acting like BBC personality Jimmy Savile, who after his death was implicated for sex and abuse crimes against children and teens on BBC grounds, was broadcast on CBeebies at 8:40 am.[2] The BBC announced that "Favourite Songs" would permanently be removed from viewing in the future, and published an apology.[3] Due to this incident the tweenies was aired on CBeebies for a further week and then taken off air. The final episode to air was Digger on the 1st February 2013.
Characters [edit]
The Tweenies consist of Bella, Milo, Fizz, Jake, Doodles, Izzles, Max, Judy, and are sometimes joined by Max's sister Polly. Other characters have appeared occasionally, including Milo's Uncle Mickey, Jake's mother, Fizz's father and Bella's Granny. There have also been several animated characters.
All of the four main characters first appeared in the 1998 pilot Tweenie Band.
The Tweenies are played by one set of actors, while the voices are provided by other actors. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the following actors and voice talent were in the show from 1999 to 2003.
Bella [edit]
Bella is a character from BBC, Noggin; now Nick Jr., and CBeebies programme The Tweenies. She was acted by Tasmin Heatley, her voice was Sally Preisig and then Emma Weaver.
- Appearance
Bella is blue, she wears a red bow, red t-shirt with yellow flowers, yellow dungarees, she has yellow stockings and red boots with the Tweenies logo on.
- Personality
Bella is the tallest Tweenie (5 2/3) and sometimes she causes things to go wrong. An example is when she puts the puppet in the wrong leg in the episode It Wasn't Me.
Milo [edit]
Milo is a character from BBC and Cbeebies programme Tweenies. Milo has been acted (in order) by C.H. Beck, Matthew Lyons and Kate Ryan, while being voiced by Bob Golding.
- Appearance
Milo is purple with little black spikes of hair. He wears a light blue jacket, blue cut offs and white boots with Tweenies logo on.
- Character
Milo is energetic and boisterous, but friendly and cheerful. He is 4 years old. Milo sometimes says stuff he shouldn't have said and can blow a huff when annoyed and then be told off by Bella.
Fizz [edit]
She was acted by the first Jenny Hutchinson, and then Angela Reynolds. Her voice is provided by Coleen Daley.
- Appearance
Fizz is yellow with red hair with beads. She is 4 years old. She wears a pink dress with white flowers. She has pink stockings and pink boots with the Tweenies logo on.
- Likes
Fizz's best friend is Bella, Her favourite colour is pink, Loves doing ballet and dressing up as a princess, playing with the dolls.
Jake [edit]
He was acted by first Samantha Dodd, and then Esther Collins. His voice is provided by Justin Fletcher, who stars in another CBeebies programme, Tikkabilla.
- Appearance
Jake is orange with a tall blond mohican. He wears a dark blue t-shirt with yellow circles, blue shorts. He has yellow stockings and blue boots with the Tweenies logo on.
- Personality
Jake is the youngest Tweenie (2, nearly 3) and sometimes shows signs of being homesick. He cries often and has a weird imagination. In the clip show Sleeping, he is sent to bed for having a tantrum and sulks in his room, while reminiscing about the episodes Leaky Beanbag and Prickly Fizz. He often gets words mixed up.
- Likes
Jake's best friend is Milo, and the two play football together. Jake's favourite colour is green. Like many young boys, he likes fast motor cars, dragons, and adventures.
Cast [edit]
| Character | Description | Actor | Voice/Animatronics |
|---|---|---|---|
| The children | |||
| Bella | Blue-skinned with yellow hair which is usually accompanied with a red hair ribbon. Very bossy attitude. Likes her own way. — the tallest Tweenie[4] | Tamsin Heatley | Sally Preisig (1999–2000) Emma Weaver (2000–2003) |
| Fizz | The younger girl. Yellow-skinned with red hair, sometimes shy. | Jenny Hutchinson (1999–2000) Angela Reynolds (2000) Francesca Anderson (2001–2003) |
Coleen Daley Niamh Walker |
| Jake | Oranged-skinned with a yellow mohican - the youngest and shortest Tweenie. | Samantha Dodd (1999–2001) Esther Collins (2001–2003) |
Justin Fletcher |
| Milo | Purple-skinned with black hair. | C.H. Beck | Bob Golding |
| The adults | |||
| Judy | Pale green-skinned with purple hair, full name Judith Barreth Mak, originated from Ireland | Simon Grover | Sinead Rushe |
| Max | Dark pink-skinned, with white hair, full name Maxwell James Hellmann | Simon Grover | Bob Golding |
| The animals | |||
| Doodles | A red and yellow male dog | Alan Riley | Justin Fletcher |
| Izzles | A purple and yellow female dog | Fiona Watkins | Colleen Daley |
Albums [edit]
Data from AllMusicCharts.com
| Title | Entered Chart (UK) | Peak Position (UK) | Weeks on Chart (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friends Forever | 25 November 2000 | 56 | 4 |
| The Christmas Album | 1 December 2001 | 34 | 5 |
| Everybody Dance | -- | -- | -- |
| Greatest Hits (double CD) |
-- | -- | -- |
Singles [edit]
Data from AllMusicCharts.com
| Title | Entered chart (UK) | Peak position (UK) | Weeks on Chart (UK) | Sent to CBeebies Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | 11 November 2000 | 4 | 23 | Yes |
| Best Friends Forever | 31 March 2001 | 12 | 10 | Yes |
| Do The Lollipop | 4 August 2001 | 17 | 8 | No |
| I Believe In Christmas | 15 December 2001 | 9 | 6 | No |
| Have Fun, Go Mad | 14 September 2002 | 20 | 7 | Yes |
International broadcasts [edit]
- Noggin (USA) - 7 April 2003 – 1 January 2006
- CBeebies (UK) - 6 April 2003 – 1st February 2013
- Living - 24 May 2001 – 10 February 2007
- CBBC (UK) - 13 December 1999 – 6 April 2003
DVDs and videos [edit]
They were released by BBC Worldwide.
- "Are you ready to play?" (1999 VHS also for PC-CDROM)
- Song Time! (1999, VHS)
- Merry Tweenie Christmas (2000, first DVD)
- Party Games, Laughs & Giggles (2001)
- Song Time is Fab-a-Rooney (2001 VHS)
- The Enchanted Toyshop (2002 VHS)
- Song Time 2 (2000)
- Songs & Surprises (2001)
- Tweenies Live! (2000)
- Animal Friends (1999)
- Colours are Magic (2000)
- It's Messy Time (2001 also for PC-CDROM)
- Everybody Panto (2001)
- Doodles' New Friend (2002)
- Tweenies Live!: The Christmas Present (2002)
- Night-Time Magic (2002)
- Animal Friends/Party Games, Laughs & Giggles (2002 DVD)
- Music is Pop-a-Rooney! (2001 TOTPS)
- Let's Play (2003 VHS)
- Jungle Adventure (2004)
- Let's All Make Music (2004)
- Fizz! (2005, final VHS)
- It's Christmas (2005)
- Song Time: The Complete Collection (2006)
- The Ultimate Christmas Collection (2006)
- Messy Time Magic (2008)
- "Practical jokes" (2009)
Many of the above videos have also been dubbed into other languages as well. In addition, several of the Tweenies videos were produced in special versions for retailers with additional footage (for example, the "Party Games, Laughs & Giggles" video distributed at Marks & Spencer stores carried 2 additional segments, adding 10 minutes to the video's running time). Many of the above videos were also released as DVDs under different names.
Awards [edit]
-
- Nominated and won Best Pre-School Live Action[5]
References [edit]
Ocean Spray Sponsorship of Tweenies from August 2003 - March 2005 and Sprite from May 2006 - 31 December 2006
- ^ "CBeebies Schedule page on BBC.co.uk for 20 January 2013". Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "BBC under fire after Tweenies character dresses up as Jimmy Savile", telegraph.co.uk, 20 January 2013
- ^ "BBC receives 216 complaints for Tweenies Jimmy Savile spoof". BBC.co.uk. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ Revealed in episode #147 Giraffes
- ^ "Past Winners and Nominees - Children's - Awards - 2000". BAFTA. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
External links [edit]
- Tweenies at BBC Online
- Tweenies at the Internet Movie Database
- Tweenies at TV.com
- "Tweenies" at MiloPOV
