The Roly Mo Show

The Roly Mo Show was a CBeebies children's television series featuring a cast of puppets; it is a spin-off from the Fimbles show and was created by Novel Entertainment. The series consisted of 100 episodes, each of 15 minutes in length.

The series was broadcast between 13 June 2004 and 8 April 2005. The protagonist is Roly Mo, voiced by Wayne Forester, a green and purple striped mole who lives underground and likes to read books. Roly Mo was a regular storyteller character in the better known Fimbles show, and The Roly Mo Show draws heavily on this. The show is noted for its particularly gentle and pleasant characters and plots.

A show called Christmas Storytime aired on the CBeebies channel in 2007. The show displays similar characteristics to Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House.

Format

Each episode follows a general format.

• It starts with Little Bo and Bessie Bird (Norman) visiting Roly Mo after school. She hangs up her rucksack and hat and goes down the slide into the main part of Roly's house.
• One of the characters has a problem; this is the main plot element throughout the episode.
• Someone reads a story from Roly Mo's library, preceded by the "Inside a book" song. Most of the time this is Roly, although sometimes this is Little Bo, Rockit, Yugo and Migo or a combination. The story is related to the problem and often gives an idea for its solution.
• Little Bo looks in her 'Busy Book', starting the segment of an animated Fimble solving an educational puzzle.
• The problem is solved, often with a song.
• The show closes with voice-overs during the credits, and is often humorous or providing further closure.

Other characters

• Little Bo - a younger and highly intelligent mole. Little Bo has pink and purple stripes, and is Roly's niece. Little Bo is voiced by Tamsin Heatley.
• Yugo and Migo - Yugo and Migo are Snoots; orange and yellow fox-like characters. Yugo is striped and Migo is spotted. They are slightly dim and manic, and probably created for the amusement of younger viewers. They have been referred in the TV series Horrid Henry only once.

Catchphrases

• "I'll be back in a Roly Mo!"
• "It's been a Roly Moly day!"
• "Lets roll like Roly Mo!"
• "Story-time with Roly Mo! Our favourite time of day!"

• Migo: Yugo!
  Yugo: Migo!!
  both: We-go!!! AMIGO!!!!
  (brief burst of Mexican-style music)
  both: Let's A-GO-GO!

Transmissions

Other media

Roly Mo has been referred to many times in the TV series Horrid Henry.

On 28 December 2007, Roly Mo appeared in a special puppet edition of The Weakest Link. The show, which was presented by Anne Robinson was aired at 6pm on BBC One. He was voted off in the fifth round in the show. Prior to the fourth round, at Anne's and the audience's request, he led the other puppets in a rendition of his "Inside a Book" song.

Awards

• Royal Television Society Educational Television Awards 2004

• Nominated for Best Early Years Programme^[1]

• Royal Television Society Educational Television Awards 2005

• Nominated for Best Schools Programme - 0-5 Years (for the episode Imagine)^[2]

External links

• CBeebies - The Roly Mo Show at bbc.co.uk
• Educational content of The Roly Mo Show

References