| Tots TV | |
|---|---|
Tilly, Tom and Tiny outside their secret house. |
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| Format | Children's television series |
| Developed by | Ragdoll Productions |
| Starring | Claire Carre Veronique Deroulede Andrew Davenport Robin Stevens |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English, French, Spanish |
| No. of episodes | 276 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV Network (CITV) |
| Original run | 3 January 1993 – 27 April 1998 |
Tots TV is a television show, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central (later owned by Carlton Television) (Both Ragdoll and Central also produced Rosie and Jim and Ragdoll independently produced Teletubbies for the BBC). Tots TV was also broadcast in the USA on PBS from 3 January 1993 to 27 April 1998. It features three ragdoll friends: Tilly, a French girl, with red hair, who speaks in basic French (in the U.S. broadcast, she speaks Spanish, and in France, she speaks English), Tom, a blue haired boy with glasses, and Tiny, the youngest Tot, who is smaller than the others and has green hair. The show won two BAFTA awards for its Producer Ann Wood and Director Vic Finch. In September 1999 Tots TV moved to Carlton because Central Television was going to be replaced by the network.
The show was written by Robin Stevens and Andrew Davenport who also played the characters Tom and Tiny in the show. Tilly was played by two people: Claire Carre, who wrote along with Robin Stevens, the episode "Melon Chase" and Veronique Deroulede. It was originally shown on ITV's children's television strand, Children's ITV; it heralded an era the broadcaster abandoned much programming for older children. The show was later broadcast in the UK on CBeebies, the BBC's children's television station on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Contents |
Every episode begins with an animated illustration of the tots' house, which fades into the real version; both are set to the theme tune.
Often but not always the Tots will go out to explore an everyday area on the human world. This often involves them helping out a young child. This also sometimes involves them using their magic bag (Sac Magique) which they always take with them, Tiny always carries it and Tilly always operates it. When asked to help, it always produces an item to help them in the situation. In some of the episodes they go out and watch 'Jane' find out about different animals. A few episodes starred a man called Jack who would set up some sort of play area for some children, the tots would secretly watch him and the children play.
In one episode, the tots visit a glass blowing studio, where they watch a glass duck being made. Another episode shows the tots visiting an animal park.
In some episodes the Tots do something in their house - the secret house. Because the full titles feature the tots leaving the house, they are altered for such episodes. Sometimes these episodes feature one of the tots reading the other two a story. These episodes always feature the reading tot preparing to read using dolls of the characters in the story. Apparently the other two are unaware they are preparing to read a story because they always ring them up on their personal phone to ask if they want to listen to a story, despite the fact they all live in the same house. In some of the episodes the tots find an object such as a ball or a trumpet, which sometimes causes havoc. Whether the tots are in their house or out somewhere, they usually sing a song at some point.
If the episode was a full-length double-bill (sometimes the 1st half with Jane or they go out on an adventure and the second half an adventure in the secret house) in the earlier episodes with Jane, they are joined with a 2 minute animation of a 'Noah's Ark' story (based on the toy Noah's ark in the secret house) or an animation of a picture that a viewer had sent in to the program.
Over a few episodes the Tots go to America and show them exploring the country. One of the places they visit is a diner. They also go to an apartment complex where outside lots of children dance hip-hop. There are 3 groups, each wearing matching coloured t-shirts. They also see a saloon. When they return to their house it is covered in dust.
An hour long special was made where Tilly, Tom and Tiny go on a big adventure to find treasure by sailing across the sea in a pirate ship. The tots sail to an island where they find treasure. The treasure is accidentally dropped in the sea after Tom let Tiny steer the pirate ship.
Central Television 1993 - 1997 Carlton Television 1997 - 1998
Episodes Included:
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