Teletubbies is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on their bellies. Recognised throughout popular culture for the uniquely shaped antenna protruding from the head of each character, the Teletubbies communicate mostly through gibberish and were designed to bear resemblance to toddlers.
The series rapidly became a commercial success in Britain and abroad. It won multiple BAFTA awards and was nominated for two Daytime Emmys throughout its run. A single based on the show's theme song reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1997 and remained in the Top 75 for 32 weeks, selling over a million copies. By October 2000, the franchise generated over £1billion () in merchandise sales.
Though the original run ended in 2001, a rebooted series was green-lit in 2014. The reboot premiered on CBeebies in the United Kingdom and on the Nick Jr. Channel in the United States. The reboot ran for 120 episodes, with the last episode airing on the Nick Jr. Channel on 17 August 2018. In 2022, a new version of the show premiered on Netflix for American audiences.
Plot The programme takes place in a grassy, floral landscape populated by rabbits with bird calls audible in the background. The main shelter of the four Teletubbies is an earth house known as the "Tubbytronic Superdome" implanted in the ground and accessed through a hole at the top or an especially large semicircular door at the dome's foot. The Teletubbies co-exist with a number of strange contraptions such as the Voice Trumpets and the group's anthropomorphic blue vacuum cleaner ("Noo-Noo"). The show's colourful psychedelic setting was designed specifically to appeal to the attention spans of infants and unlock different sections of the mind while also educating young children of transitions that can be expected in life.
An assortment of rituals is performed throughout the course of every episode, such as the playful interactions between the Teletubbies and the Voice Trumpets, mishaps caused by the Noo-Noo, the footage of children displayed on the screens on the Teletubbies' stomachs, and the magical event that occurs once per episode. The event differs each time; it is often caused inexplicably and is frequently strange yet whimsical. Each episode is closed by the Voice Trumpets and the narrator. The disappointed, reluctant, but obedient Teletubbies bid farewell to the viewer as they go back to the Tubbytronic Superdome while the Sun Baby sets.
Characters
Main characters
Tinky Winky (portrayed by Dave Thompson and Simon Shelton, and voiced by Mark Heenehan in the original series and played by Jeremiah Krage in the revival series) is the first Teletubby, as well as the largest, oldest and leader of the group. He is covered in purple terrycloth and has a triangular antenna on his head. He often carries a red bag. Dipsy (played by John Simmit in the original series and by Nick Kellington in the revival series) is the second Teletubby. He is green and named after his antenna, which resembles a dipstick. Dipsy is the most stubborn of the Teletubbies, and will occasionally refuse to go along with the others' group opinion. His face is notably darker than the rest of the Teletubbies, and the creators have stated that he is of African descent. He often wears a large hat with a black and white pattern. Laa-Laa (played by Nikky Smedley in the original series and by Rebecca Hyland in the revival series) is the third Teletubby. She is yellow and has a curly antenna. Laa-Laa is very sweet, likes to sing and dance, and is often shown looking out for the other Teletubbies. Her favourite toy is an orange rubber ball. Po (played by Pui Fan Lee in the original series and by Rachelle Beinart in the revival series) is the fourth Teletubby, as well as the shortest and youngest. She is red and has an antenna shaped like a stick used for blowing soap bubbles. Po normally speaks in a soft voice and has been stated by the show's creators to be Cantonese; she sometimes speaks the language. Her favourite toy is a blue and pink scooter.
Supporting characters Noo-Noo (operated by Mark Dean in the original series and Victoria Jane and Olly Taylor in the revival series) is a sentient vacuum cleaner who acts as both the Teletubbies' guardian and housekeeper. He hardly ever ventures outside the Tubbytronic Superdome, instead remaining indoors and constantly cleaning with his sucker-like nose. He communicates through a series of slurping and sucking noises. He occasionally misbehaves and sucks up anything from tubby toast to blankets, which prompts the Teletubbies to call him "Naughty Noo-Noo" and give chase. He was blue in the original series and had orange, pink and yellow stripes in the revival series. The Voice Trumpets (voiced by Eric Sykes, Toyah Willcox, John Simmit, Gary Stevenson, Alex Hogg, Alex Pascall, Tim Whitnall and Rudolph Walker in the original series, Sandra Dickinson, Toni Barry, and John Schwab used in the US series from PBS, and Fearne Cotton, Jim Broadbent, Antonia Thomas, Teresa Gallagher, David Walliams and Rochelle Humes in the revival series) are several devices resembling periscopes that rise from the ground and interact with the Teletubbies, often engaging in games with them and serving as supervisors. They are the only residents of Teletubbyland who speak in complete sentences. The Sun Baby (played by Jess Smith in the original series and Berry in the revival series) appears at the beginning and the end of each episode. She acts as a wake-up call for the Teletubbies. Numerous rabbits are found throughout Teletubbyland, and are depicted by several Flemish Giant rabbits. The Teletubbies enjoy watching them hop and play. The rabbits are the only type of Earth animal found in the land, and take residence in rabbit holes and bushes. They are hardly ever seen in the magical events, apart from the Lion and Bear (edited sketch). The Tubby Phone (voiced by Jane Horrocks) is a character in the revival series. Tubby Phone has the ability to make "Tubby Phone dance" and Teletubbies dance after they push the button on the phone. At one point, it has the ability to make Tubby photos. The Tiddlytubbies (voiced by Teresa Gallagher) are baby Teletubbies appearing in the revival series. Their names are Mi-Mi, Daa Daa, Baa, Ping, RuRu, Nin, Duggle Dee and Umby Pumby. The Tiddlytubbies would get their own spin-off animated web series in 2018.
Release On 31 March 1997, the first episode of Teletubbies aired on BBC2 on the CBBC programming block. It filled a time slot previously held by Playdays. This schedule change initially received backlash from parents, but the show was not moved. The programme's unconventional format quickly received attention from the media, and it was attracting two million viewers per episode by August. In February 1998, The Sydney Morning Herald noted that it had "reached cult status" in less than a year on the air.
Teletubbies has been aired in over 120 countries in 45 different languages. In the United States, the series airs on Nickelodeon's sister channel, the Nick Jr. Channel. Episodes were also released through the Nick Jr. mobile application and on-demand services. The original series returned to the United States on 25 May 2016, when every episode was added to the Noggin streaming service, including episodes that had never aired in America before. It aired on PBS Kids in the United States from 6 April 1998 to 29 August 2008, after acquiring the show from BBC in 1997. BBC Studios channels carry the series in most of Africa, Asia and Poland. A Spanish dub airs on Clan in Spain. In Greece, the series airs on Nickelodeon Greece. NPO Zappelin carries the show in the Netherlands and MTVA airs it in Hungary. In Australia and New Zealand, the series airs on CBeebies Australia and ABC Kids. In New Zealand alone, the series first aired on 16 March 1998 on TV3 two times a day, in the morning and afternoon slots for children. Bettina Hollings, its director of programming, had spent a day at the filming location in September 1997 and had even owned a set of soft toys of the main characters.COURSE, S. (1998, Mar 15). Psst! Wanna buy a Teletubby? Sunday News JimJam's Benelux feed airs the series and Ultra airs it in Serbia. Teletubbies also airs on SIC in Portugal and e-Junior in the Middle East. In Singapore, the series aired over-the-air on Premiere 12 six days a week, attracting by mid-1998 an audience of 78,000 viewers, and twice a week on cable, on the Eureka Learning Channel. The series also gave a notable subscription drive for Singapore Television Twelve's magazine, owing to Teletubby plush toys sweepstakes.
A redubbed version of the 2015 reboot premiered on Netflix on 14 November 2022 featuring Tituss Burgess as the narrator. Julia Pulo serves as the host of the show's Tummy Tales segments. The series consisted of 26 12-minute episodes.
Production The show was created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport after the BBC requested their pitch for a show aimed at preschoolers. Inspired by Davenport's interest in astronauts, specifically Apollo 11 and the first Moon landing, as well as their concern about "how children were reacting to the increasingly technological environment of the late 1990s", the two put together a pitch which the BBC picked up.
Finding a shooting location was a challenge, as they wanted to film the production outside but were unable to locate a place "with a suitable bowl-like dip". They ended up filming on a farm in Wimpstone, Warwickshire, where they had previously shot Tots TV. Due to problems with a previous television show shooting at the location, the shooting was protested by the locals, although they calmed down after being assured that "it was a low-key children's programme and no one would be aware of the filming". After the show took off, though, its popularity caused the land to be overrun by the press. In 2013, due to the continued trespassing, its owner, Rosemary Harding, had the location filled with water and turned into a small pond: "People were jumping fences and crossing cattle fields. We're glad to see the back of it."
According to Davenport, the press was particularly interested in getting photos of the actors in their Teletubby costumes without their heads on. Eventually, the team took measures to secure their privacy, including blindfolding visitors coming to the set and creating a tent for the actors to change in private.
The artist who originally drew the characters that would become the Teletubbies was the illustrator and caricaturist Jonathan Hills, who also designed digital images for television programmes including Poirot. In 2022 a sample from a collection of original drawings were presented by Hills' widow Lucy on the BBC show Antiques Roadshow. The collection was valued, by expert Mark Hill, at up to £80,000.
Episodes
Promotion Merchandising
Golden Bear Toys distributed the first line of Teletubbies dolls shortly after the programme's debut. They were sold internationally, with talking toys available in multiple languages. Hasbro signed on to develop a new range of products in 1998. In 1999, Microsoft UK released a set of interactive "ActiMates" toys based on the characters. The Rasta Imposta company introduced Teletubbies costumes for children and adults in the same year. Two educational video games featuring the characters were also released throughout the series' run.