Balamory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Balamory | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Children's |
| Developer(s) | Balamory Ltd |
| Starring | Julie Wilson Nimmo Miles Jupp Kasia Haddad Buki Akib Juliet Cadzow Andrew Agnew Rodd Christiansen Mary Riggans Kim Tserkezie |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom; Scotland |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Jameson, Balamory Ltd |
| Running time | 20 minutes approx. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One, BBC Two, Cbeebies |
| Picture format | 16:9 Widescreen |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Balamory is a Scottish live action television series on British television (BBC One, BBC Two and CBeebies) for preschool children based around the small (fictional) island community of Balamory in Scotland. It was produced between 2002 and 2005, with 254 episodes (Including a DVD-exclusive Christmas episode) made.
The series was created by Brian Jameson, and is mostly filmed in the Scottish port town of Tobermory in Mull, with the exceptions of scenes in the nursery which are filmed at a television studio in Glasgow, and Archie's castle (which is in fact at Fenton Tower in North Berwick).
The series can now be seen in the United States on the Discovery Kids channel. It was also shown for a brief time on TLC.
Contents |
[edit] Main characters
Other than Suzie Sweet and Penny Pocket, who share a building, each main character has their own house in the town, and each house has a distinctive colour (which is the same as the clothes they wear; except for Penny Pocket, who lives in the Red House but wears blue, and PC Plum, who lives in the White House but wears a police uniform). They also have their own songs which they often sing during their appearances in the programme.
| Character | Actor | Role | House | Songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Hoolie | Julie Wilson Nimmo | Nursery schoolteacher | Green house |
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| Archie | Miles Jupp | Inventor | Pink castle |
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| Josie Jump | Kasia Haddad; previously Buki Akib | Fitness instructor | Three-story yellow house |
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| Edie McCredie | Juliet Cadzow | Bus driver | Blue garage/house |
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| PC Plum | Andrew Agnew | Policeman | White police station |
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| Spencer | Rodd Christensen | American painter/musician | Orange house |
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| Suzie Sweet | Mary Riggans | Shop and café operators | Red building |
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| Penny Pocket | Kim Tserkezie |
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There was also another character which was planned for the show, but was not included. Following the lead of popular childrens programmes such as 'Dora the Explorer' and 'Fifi and the Flowertots', there was going to be a 'bad' or 'mischievous' character, designed as a deterrent to bad behaviour.
The planned name for this character was allegedly Millie Mischief, but the plans for this 'bad' character were cancelled by the producers as it was ' a bad influence'
[edit] Typical episode
A typical episode begins with Miss Hoolie opening the nursery and telling the audience what the weather is like in Balamory today, and then meeting one of the other main characters who has a "problem" that can be solved by visiting another main character. The main character with the problem sings and dances to a calypso-style song to decide which of the coloured houses "is the one for me" (i.e. is the one where the helpful character lives), and then makes a procession of visits to various characters until the problem is solved. For example, Josie Jump is looking after her neighbour's rabbit and needs to know how to look after it, so she goes to visit PC Plum who advises her to feed it some vegetables. Josie then decides to go to Pocket and Sweet to buy some rabbit food, then takes the rabbit to the nursery so the children can play with it.
At each visit, the progress of the story to date is summarised by drawing a rainbow of balloons in the air with the hands. The balloons burst to reveal a flashback summary of today's "story in Balamory" narrated by the visitor. The entire story is also summarised at the end of each programme by Miss Hoolie.
Each episode of Balamory contains at least four songs;
- Opening song (What's The Story In Balamory?)
- Miss Hoolie Song (Nursery Song or a Day Off song depending on if it is a working day or a day off)
- Which Coloured House Are We Going To?
- One or more character songs
[edit] Audience
As sometimes occurs with programmes aimed at pre-schoolers, Balamory has also attracted a somewhat more aged viewership in the form of university students and other "grown-ups" keen to spot innuendo (perceived or otherwise) and story-lines more commonplace in adult soap operas. (Indeed, the shows creator had intended it as a "soap opera for children" [1].) Another classic example of this phenomenon is Teletubbies.
There is an unspoken sexual tension between Miss Hoolie and PC Plum, something played upon in several episodes; for example, the pair share a kiss during a wedding. Further innuendo is implicit in the "friendship" between PC Plum and Archie The Inventor, who wears a kilt and pink jumper and lives in a pink castle. The two hold hands in one episode; in another, Archie makes an arguably loaded comment, possibly referring to Plum's sexuality ("Ah yes, he's in Venice visiting his..." (with raised eyebrows) "...'Policeman Chum'."). Another episode involving a pantomime horse leads Archie to say (to Edie McCredie) "You go in the front and I will take up the rear". In one episode, PC Plum is very excited because "Constable George", a Canadian Mountie, is visiting. The Mountie says "I can't wait to mount up and take a ride around your territory", before the two of them head off for a patrol of Balamory on a tandem, PC Plum in front.
In PC Plum's Theme Tune, he states that "If you call on me, we can make a cup of tea, I'll tell you all about the bees, and birds, and mice". The "Birds and Bees" is a popular euphemism for teaching kids about sex.
The show can also be seen in a humorous light. The characters in Balamory are somewhat naive and light-hearted; often appearing to be children trapped in adult bodies with adult roles. The entire storyline often revolves around problems which seem obvious and simple to older viewers.
[edit] Music in Balamory
There are many songs in Balamory, mainly sung by the actors. These songs are used consistently throughout the series when characters or circumstances are introduced to the episode. In the run starting from October 2004, new songs were introduced. These songs are longer and take up more time in the episode, so the old versions are still used often.
In addition to the character-specific songs mentioned above, there are many more general songs:
- What's The Story In Balamory?
- Coloured House Song (several slightly different versions, depending on who is singing it)
Some of these songs are available on a CD named Balamory: Strike Up The Band.
[edit] Trivia
- Balamory is frequently parodied on the programme Dead Ringers. Sketches include CSI: Balamory, the declaring of Balamory North in the 2005 UK General Election and the depressing 'real' drama, Balamöry.
- In the Christmas Eve 2005 episode of Little Britain, Andy Pipkin ignores Lou Todd while watching Balamory and singing along with the theme tune.
- In Tooth and Claw, a 2006 episode of the sci-fi series Doctor Who which is set in 1879 Scotland the Tenth Doctor pretends to be a "Doctor James McCrimmon of the township of Balamory".
- The show has quite a few similarities to The Singing Kettle. They are both Scottish. The Singing Kettle asks which coloured kettle they open, whereas in Balamory they ask which coloured house they are going to. In one episode of Balamory, Miss Hoolie had a problem with a singing kettle, which could be interpreted as a friendly shot across the bow of the good ship Singing Kettle.
- Very few episodes feature actors other than the main characters and the children. Terry Wogan made a guest appearance in one episode (The Game Show) as a television director. Keith Floyd also appears in Suzie Sweet's song "Suzie's Cookin'"
[edit] Episode guide
- Season One Episodes
- Season Two Episodes
- Season Three Episodes
- Season Four Episodes
[edit] References
animated by Cosgrove Hall Films - animated stories from the book,poems,play theatre and novel
