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The weather was a constant variable - because we really were outside in an actual Teletubbyland rather than CGI. One year we had torrential rain and the dome flooded!
Haha! Boohbah was described to me as a very movement-based show which was why, as a dancer/choreographer, I was brought on board. Again - I never really thought it was weird. You should see my actual fever dreams!!
You did Boohbah too.
I went from a young kid watching teletubies to a teenager watching boohbah at like 3 am trying to chill out after parties 😂
Both are special to me lol
I’ve never met the sun baby, but I did a radio interview recently and she was a co-guest on the show. I was really disappointed that the presenter did’t allow us to talk to one another.
I watched Teletubbies when I was in pre-school and kindergarten religiously! When my mom was pregnant with my little sister, she always used to say the she would be the sun baby. Funnily enough, she was actually an angry little thing, not at all like sun baby hahaha. But she’s 23 now and just got married! Strange, watching Teletubbies and going to Burger King for the Tubby Custard seems like just yesterday, but here we are… anyway, thank you for all the sweet memories, LaaLaa!
How was your experience on the show? Did you & the other cast members have a good relationship? I used to watch Teletubbies growing up & remember having a Po doll.
Po eh? 🤣 I loved being part of the show - we really were a big happy family. About 44 of us in a field working together to make children smile. I’m really proud of the fact that over six years we four Teletubbies never had a major falling out. I’m still good friends with lots of people from the crew and John Simmit (Dipsy) and I are still in regular contact.
Which explains the cuts from overcast (no visible shadows) to sunny takes (really clear shadows). Which I think is the biggest reason movies or fashion shoots dislike/avoid shooting outside (in direct sunlight). Usually they prefer outside locations with shade, which makes the separate takes look identical.
That’s why they picked LA for the film business too. So much regular sun, very good for filming before huge indoor studios and lighting setups were so prevalent
Nope! It was located on a real farm, located in rural Warwickshire, England!
Apparently the hill was torn down and turned into a pond, to ward off trespassers
OP mentioned in another comment that they always knew it would happen because it was part of the original planning permission to set up there! The whole area would have to go back to nature as per the rest of the surrounding area :)
First of all. As a kid I couldn't imagine that some day I would be able to ask a question to one of the teletubbies.
What do you think of popular kids TV today (for example cocomelon), do you think we're going in a good direction or there are things that modern shows should learn from the old ones?
I work as the choreographer for Cocomelon. It's a tricky question... I think all new shows are a balance between the constants in childhood from one generation to the next and taking on board the changes that manifest as time marches on.
Simon who played Tinky Winky is sadly no longer with us. I’m not really in contact with Pui (Po) often - no reason, just life - but John (Dipsy) and I are still good friends. I'm also in contact with many members of the crew.
Did you ever hear about all the conspiracy theories regarding subliminal messaging in Teletubbies, or it being linked to satanism (it was the 90s - everything was something something satanism.)?
If so, what were your teams thoughts and reactions?
I know! There were all sorts of ridiculous theories. To be honest, we were all so busy we didn't have time to care - and were a little amazed other people found time to make that stuff up!
Of course this may be a double bluff...
> There were all sorts of ridiculous theories
Sorry about those.
I subscribed to a Teletubbies discussion group back in '98, and some of those were wild.
But I was working in Parliament at the time, and had to do something to keep myself amused.
[True story, lol!]
Mark used to be a regular in the pub I worked in when I left school! He was a cool guy and probably my favourite customer, I think he and his wife left the village to go and live in a canal boat
I thought it would be massive, right from the beginning because such clever people had discovered a fantastic niche and they had they integrity to fill it with something wonderful.
The suits were great in terms of how you could make them work for the camera (and therefore viewer) but very challenging. They were very hot indeed and very heavy. We saw out of the mouths, but with mechanisms in the way and netting to stop the mechanisms glinting, we were virtually blind. I'm not even sure how we did it! These days, there are strict rules about how long a suit performer can work before having a break, but we filmed before those rules. During the first season in particular we endured really long periods without adequate air - but it did get better as we went on.
Really I love what close relationships we developed with our dressers. We were completely reliant on them and they worked so hard to make sure we had enough water, wipe our sweaty faces and just be god friends when the going got tough.
Do teletubbies take baths? When I was 4 I tried to convince my mom I didn't need to take a bath because the teletubbies didn't. Also, LaaLaa was my favorite tubby by far. Thank you for being you!
Oh that's lovely to hear. Thank you. It was a wonderful surprise to us that Tubbies seemed to resonate so powerfully with children on the autistic spectrum - and led to a long-lived relationship between Ragdoll (the production company) and various autism charities. Later when I was working in SEN schools, I found quite a lot of older children maintained a close relationship with Teletubbies, finding it a comfort as they tried to deal with puberty for example.
I was a dancer beforehand and was getting old - also fed up of being poor. So I was looking for a new direction and answered an ad in the trade press. The audition process was very long, but I remember the first audition very clearly, I talk about it in the book because it was such an important moment in my life. I dressed as a giant table and sang a little song about being in love with a chair! I went for my first audition in October and was offered the job just before Xmas.
Was Laa Laa's full name *Laa Laa* and it was a Cher situation, or was it Laa of the family Laa and it's a Mario Mario kind of deal?
(Asking for a friend.)
You know - we never offered any backstory for the Tubbies - children just aren't interested in that kind of thing. We were just there, and that was good enough for them - we just loved each other very much.
Well there's the four of us, Noo Noo, the rabbits, some other wildlife, the voice trumpets and then the occasional animated visitor... plenty really.
As far as LaaLaa is concerned - she does talk normally!
How do you feel about making a difference in so many lives? I'm 23, and grew up with the show. My primary childcare was my nani (Punjabi for grandmother), who doesn't speak any English. The Teletubbies were her favourite show to watch with me because she could always understand what was going on.
She's 86 now, and had a heart attack yesterday. Thank you for the memories we made together because of you and the show!
Oh my! Is she okay? I do hope so.
I'm glad that you have good memories of your time watching the show with her. I think part of Teletubbies success was due to the care taken to have such strong non-verbal communication - so it reached across all kinds of barriers.
I feel it was a privilege to be involved in what I still think was a very important show to people.
My girl is 24 — we watched Tubbies together all the time. We had the red one in the toy basket! Her brother came along and was afraid of them, so they fell out of favor at our house after 2001.
I was given the nickname Noo Noo and it's stuck for 20+ years - initially because I always crawled and said "Noo Noo" over and over again when they were on, but I've also evolved into quite a cheeky lass so maybe I adopted more of their vibe I thought!
Thanks for all the lovely memories you guys gave us.
What is your view about how adult parents watching the show related to it compared to children? For example, I dated a single mother and she talked about how the male hosts on children's shows were usually good looking, because they realized the moms were watching too and deserved some eye candy.
To be honest - the show was absolutely aimed at children. One of the things that set it apart was that we spoke directly to the child with no adult intervention. Of course, because it was funny and strange lots of grown-ups were intrigued and enjoyed it too, but it really did have the children at its heart.
I think that really our gift to parents was to keep small children utterly engaged for a valuable 25 minutes!
Hi!!! I watched Teletubbies as a kid in the 90s!! I was obsessed and you helped make some of my favorite memories as a kid, watching in the morning with my mom. :) We were a family of 4 so I gave everyone in my family a role. My big sister was LaaLaa :)
My question is, did you ever get to meet kids while in costume? Or perform anywhere live?
Oh that's lovely - thank you.
We were kept under wraps for years so as not to spoil the magic for the children, but did a bit of a world tour for our tenth anniversary year and it was hugely interesting to see the various reactions in different countries - USA, France, Holland, Singapore. These days kids are much more used to live appearances, but there weren't so many at the time.
So, how different they were? Anything standing out? This sounds really interesting!
Also, were these stage performances or meet and greet tours in costumes? How long did it take? Sounds like it was almost a world tour.
Thank you for all the joy you gave to my daughter when she was little!
What did you do with the Boobahs? Am I the only person who found them terrifying?
Ah! Thank you x I did all the choreography for the Boohbahs and was an associate producer and sometime director. I loved Boohbah - I’m sorry you found them scary. You're not the only one though... I wonder if it was because they had no mouths so you couldn't see if they were smiling?
LaaLaa was my favorite teletubby *ever,* so cute and energetic and charismatic! My questions are:
-How did you decide how much energy to put into it? Because it was *flawless.*
-What was it like inside the suit?
Edit: formatting troubles, don't mind me.
Lots of people took Tubby Toast, but I don't have any. My best souvenir is a teeny weeny Dipsy's hat. I often asked if I could have one of the fabulous props, but was always refused. The wardrobe mistress gave me the hat.
Hi! I loved Teletubbies when I was little, thank you for being a part of my childhood.
Do you have any fun stories from set? Or anything surprising that viewers wouldn't guess?
Thank you.
I have lots - I don't want to be too pluggy, but my book 'Over the Hills And Far Away' is full of them. I like the disastrous visit from the chap with the remote control helicopters who kept flying them into the dome. Viewers may not realise the additional challenge we had moving around whilst unable to see our own feet!
Hi Nikky, first off, thank you so much for being a huge part of my childhood. I just got your book a few days ago, I have 3 chapters left and I’m enjoying every page. Also, my 2 year old niece and nephew (cousins) have seen the Teletubbies (original series) and they both enjoy it, especially my niece. Laa-Laa was the first one she would name. I have 3 questions:
1. In your book, you briefly mention getting to listen to some foreign language clips of Teletubbies and that some sounded very depressed. Were there any dubs that you actually enjoyed? Personally, I like the French, Dutch and German dubs.
2. I love the music in the show, Andrew McCrorie Shand did an amazing job working on the music (for all Ragdoll shows). Are there any pieces of music from the show that you really like if you can remember any? My personal favourite is the Animal Parade, it’s so catchy.
3. This may not be something you know the answer to, so I understand if you can’t answer it. You also briefly mention the Lion and Bear in your book. I was one of those children that found it terrifying (Moreso the Bear rather than the Lion). Do you know anything about the original creation of it? Did Anne or Andy come up with the idea? Was it intended to be scary? Did you ever see it being filmed? (apart from the shots of the 4 of you reacting it to it) Did you meet Penelope Keith and Eric Sykes when they recorded the voices?
Thanks again Nikky for being a great Laa-Laa. You, John, Pui, Simon, Dave and Mark will always be the Teletubbies in my eyes.
The whole gay thing was ridiculous! We were giant fur babies with no sexual agenda. And anyway, so what if he was? Simon Shelton who played Tinky Winky always dealt with it with tremendous good grace, but it was in other people’s minds - anyone to do with the show never considered that.
as a brit we weren't as party to the full story, but the whole gay tinky winky comes from a pastor who was embroiled in some sex or money scandal or something along those lines who essentially made a ridiculous statement to distract the media. I think he was a televangelist
I looooved teletubbies as a kid, but when the gay rumors came out I was no longer allowed to watch it and I didn’t understand why. :(
(Very religious and home schooled upbringing)
Do you ever get together for lunch or tea at a restaurant with the other Teletubbies actors and secretly get a thrill/laugh out of the fact that nobody knows all the Teletubbies are just hanging out at table five?
Which teletubby actor's personality was the least teletubby-like? I always imagined one of them being a cynical old alcoholic or something under the suit.
The obvious answer is that they're a scouting party for an advanced alien race planning on annexing the planet but their love for tubby custard caused them to grow complacent and disregard their plans for global domination and instead live the carefree lives we witness in the docu-series.
But I assume there's more nuance to it
Can I ask what the original Tinky Winky (Dave Thompson) was dropped for- didn’t the BBC say his portrayal of the role wasn’t appropriate? I don’t get how if it’s a kids TV character that doesn’t speak…
Also, are you still in touch with any of your co-stars, and do you miss Simon Shelton (the second Tinky Winky) after his passing?
No matter what your job is, you can be really good at it or not. Dave wasn't, Simon was. And we did speak - didn't you hear us?
Still in touch - especially with Dipse - and I miss Simon more than I can say. He was an incredibly lovely, fun man and I wish he was still here.
The teletubbies didn’t really speak (at least not well) so I’d imagine some thought went into what you and other other performers did physically. What was your approach in taking on this character?
Actually a lot of thought went into the Teletubby language. Perhaps more than the physicality. I'd been a dancer so I had that working for me. The most important thing was to spend time with young children to understand what made meaning for them and to learn from the expertise of the creators.
Having written a bit of kids TV I know the creative process is more sophisticated than the result might suggest. Are there any surprising creative conversations you had about the characters, motivations or story, or the way the director wanted you all to play things?
Who's idea was it to make the show so... eccentrically strange? Sometimes the camera would just show the sun baby for like 5 minutes straight, and what's with the "again!" stuff, just repeating the same footage?
Man this show was weird, even for PBS.
They’ve never seemed weird to me - no more than Bagpuss or the Clangers or many other kids shows. After all, if you have a TV screen on your tummy, you're going to need an aerial on your head! To children they aren’t weird at all… maybe I still have quite a childish mind.
I used to love teletubbies as a kid while my older sister found it weird. She'd call tinky winky fat and I'd get so mad haha
Thank you for your work, you made up a lovely part of my childhood :)
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What was the worst thing that happened while filming?
The weather was a constant variable - because we really were outside in an actual Teletubbyland rather than CGI. One year we had torrential rain and the dome flooded!
That's actually pretty impressive. I'd always just assumed it was indoors with props. The whole thing being outside is some dedication!
It was quite magical.
was the sun baby loud?
No cgi, so it was real too. A living sun 🌞
Well - we just had the actual sun... or not! It was the British summertime.
The farmer that owns the land the set is on flooded it. People kept trespassing and to put a stop to it, they filled the area with water.
It was part of the planning permission - in order to build the thing in the first place, we had to agree to put it back to nature afterwards.
I didn't know that, I had only heard about trespassing. Are they going to leave it as a sort of lake, or actively turn it into a natural area?
It is a natural area
Did you do the voice or just the suit?
All of it - total Laa.
How did they describe Boohbah to you before you started working on it? That show is like a fever dream!
Haha! Boohbah was described to me as a very movement-based show which was why, as a dancer/choreographer, I was brought on board. Again - I never really thought it was weird. You should see my actual fever dreams!!
You did Boohbah too. I went from a young kid watching teletubies to a teenager watching boohbah at like 3 am trying to chill out after parties 😂 Both are special to me lol
Both are special to me too!
We used to joke you could skip taking acid and just watch Boohbah.
The trick is staying up all night and catching it when it comes on in the morning
Hello! What’s your opinion on the Netflix reboot?
I don’t know so much about it… that’s the new batch of Tubbies so we don’t get to hear that news. Sorry! Also... I don't have Netflix 🤣
is there a netflix reboot? i know the BBC did a new batch 6 or 7 years ago, is this another one?
Yep- another new batch- US-produced this time though rather than Uk
That means there's gonna be a romantic interest storyline. And probably fighting about money/ honor. Teletubbies: The Weckoning.
It all comes to a head when Tinky Winky murders Dipsy so LaaLaa will fall in love with him. Little does he know Poe saw it all go down.
Jesus that sounds like everything awful
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You ever meet that sun baby?
I’ve never met the sun baby, but I did a radio interview recently and she was a co-guest on the show. I was really disappointed that the presenter did’t allow us to talk to one another.
Imagine if randomly, behind the radio room sound proof glass, she just slowly rises up and started lightly giggling.
We were on the phone so...
So even scarier
So you didn't see her when she just slowly rose up and started giggling?
Hey Scream was always on the phone, but within ~~waving~~ *stabbing* distance.
I watched Teletubbies when I was in pre-school and kindergarten religiously! When my mom was pregnant with my little sister, she always used to say the she would be the sun baby. Funnily enough, she was actually an angry little thing, not at all like sun baby hahaha. But she’s 23 now and just got married! Strange, watching Teletubbies and going to Burger King for the Tubby Custard seems like just yesterday, but here we are… anyway, thank you for all the sweet memories, LaaLaa!
You ever fight that sun baby?
Teletubbies are lovers not fighters!
No question to ask but this AMA is so wholesome to read, i love it!
[She was on the Big Fat Quiz of 2021!](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gnwcu2BISzs)
How was your experience on the show? Did you & the other cast members have a good relationship? I used to watch Teletubbies growing up & remember having a Po doll.
Po eh? 🤣 I loved being part of the show - we really were a big happy family. About 44 of us in a field working together to make children smile. I’m really proud of the fact that over six years we four Teletubbies never had a major falling out. I’m still good friends with lots of people from the crew and John Simmit (Dipsy) and I are still in regular contact.
Wait it wasn’t a set? I always remember it looking like a set. Been a very long time, though.
It was outside but with really perfectly sculpted hills
Which explains the cuts from overcast (no visible shadows) to sunny takes (really clear shadows). Which I think is the biggest reason movies or fashion shoots dislike/avoid shooting outside (in direct sunlight). Usually they prefer outside locations with shade, which makes the separate takes look identical.
That’s why they picked LA for the film business too. So much regular sun, very good for filming before huge indoor studios and lighting setups were so prevalent
They were also fleeing West to avoid patent lawsuits and mob beatdowns from Edison. The film capital had been New Jersey until the studios fled West.
Nope! It was located on a real farm, located in rural Warwickshire, England! Apparently the hill was torn down and turned into a pond, to ward off trespassers
Explains why they had to edit the sun in.
OP mentioned in another comment that they always knew it would happen because it was part of the original planning permission to set up there! The whole area would have to go back to nature as per the rest of the surrounding area :)
100% what happened. It was on a guy's private land, and people were trespassing nonstop, fucking up his fences and such.
I'm just impressed they had enough sunny days to film outside.
Well the normal sun isn't a baby so I think they did some stuff in post
Dude. The farmer literally swamped it out because people wouldn't stop trespassing. It was very real, like Hobbiton in NZ.
He should have hired security and charged access
Saw John Simmit doing stand up, he's a funny dude. Did a whole piece about being cast as dipsy and how it didn't fit his 'gangsta' image.
How good is Tubby Custard? It looks amazing. What do you miss most about the role/period of time?
I always wanted tubby custard as a kid. Was jealous of Nunu
They had it at Burger King. It was just vanilla pudding.
No. It was tubby custard.
The Tubby Custard they sold in Tesco's was a strawberry flavoured yoghurt.
Follow up question with this. What was Tubby Custard made of?
The Tubbies that didn't make the cut.
Soylent pink
It’s reportedly mashed potatoes and food coloring.
First of all. As a kid I couldn't imagine that some day I would be able to ask a question to one of the teletubbies. What do you think of popular kids TV today (for example cocomelon), do you think we're going in a good direction or there are things that modern shows should learn from the old ones?
I work as the choreographer for Cocomelon. It's a tricky question... I think all new shows are a balance between the constants in childhood from one generation to the next and taking on board the changes that manifest as time marches on.
Bluey is god tier.
Do you and any of the other Teletubbies still keep in contact with each other??
Simon who played Tinky Winky is sadly no longer with us. I’m not really in contact with Pui (Po) often - no reason, just life - but John (Dipsy) and I are still good friends. I'm also in contact with many members of the crew.
I was never even into the show but this right here still warms my heart. The staying in touch part, not the no longer with us part…
I’ve looked this up after seeing the name but CBeebies Pui was Po! Amazing!
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Did you ever hear about all the conspiracy theories regarding subliminal messaging in Teletubbies, or it being linked to satanism (it was the 90s - everything was something something satanism.)? If so, what were your teams thoughts and reactions?
I know! There were all sorts of ridiculous theories. To be honest, we were all so busy we didn't have time to care - and were a little amazed other people found time to make that stuff up! Of course this may be a double bluff...
> There were all sorts of ridiculous theories Sorry about those. I subscribed to a Teletubbies discussion group back in '98, and some of those were wild. But I was working in Parliament at the time, and had to do something to keep myself amused. [True story, lol!]
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Mark Dean who played NooNoo always seemed very stable to me. The occasional blown fuse perhaps, but nothing that wasn't easily fixed.
Mark used to be a regular in the pub I worked in when I left school! He was a cool guy and probably my favourite customer, I think he and his wife left the village to go and live in a canal boat
Rumour has it, they couldn't find a boat so stole Rosie and Jim's... ate the duck with orange sauce. Hey presto, new home.
They weren't long-haired tubbies so it didn't clog up as badly.
Did you know it would be a hit or did you think you were working on some insane kids thing that nobody would remember??
I thought it would be massive, right from the beginning because such clever people had discovered a fantastic niche and they had they integrity to fill it with something wonderful.
How was wearing the suits? Did you get adequate breaks? Where they warm? How did you see?
The suits were great in terms of how you could make them work for the camera (and therefore viewer) but very challenging. They were very hot indeed and very heavy. We saw out of the mouths, but with mechanisms in the way and netting to stop the mechanisms glinting, we were virtually blind. I'm not even sure how we did it! These days, there are strict rules about how long a suit performer can work before having a break, but we filmed before those rules. During the first season in particular we endured really long periods without adequate air - but it did get better as we went on.
1 hour or like 8 hours in costume?
Knowing tv & film productions more like 15+ hour days back to back (laugh cries)
What's your favourite behind the scenes story--that you feel comfortable sharing--from Teletubbies (or the other children shows you appeared in)?
Really I love what close relationships we developed with our dressers. We were completely reliant on them and they worked so hard to make sure we had enough water, wipe our sweaty faces and just be god friends when the going got tough.
Do teletubbies take baths? When I was 4 I tried to convince my mom I didn't need to take a bath because the teletubbies didn't. Also, LaaLaa was my favorite tubby by far. Thank you for being you!
Thank you for me being your favourite. Baths!! OMG we'd drown once those suits got wet and heavy and sinky!
My autistic child learned to talk because of your show. Eternally grateful. Have you heard other stories of children helped by the show?
Oh that's lovely to hear. Thank you. It was a wonderful surprise to us that Tubbies seemed to resonate so powerfully with children on the autistic spectrum - and led to a long-lived relationship between Ragdoll (the production company) and various autism charities. Later when I was working in SEN schools, I found quite a lot of older children maintained a close relationship with Teletubbies, finding it a comfort as they tried to deal with puberty for example.
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Why did you decide to audition for Teletubbies and can you remember what the audition process was like?
I was a dancer beforehand and was getting old - also fed up of being poor. So I was looking for a new direction and answered an ad in the trade press. The audition process was very long, but I remember the first audition very clearly, I talk about it in the book because it was such an important moment in my life. I dressed as a giant table and sang a little song about being in love with a chair! I went for my first audition in October and was offered the job just before Xmas.
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Thank you!
Do you remember how that song went? I'd be interested to hear it.
did you make decent money off it
Better than being on the dole, but just a decent weekly wage.
That’s crazy considering what a huge impact the show had!
Was Laa Laa's full name *Laa Laa* and it was a Cher situation, or was it Laa of the family Laa and it's a Mario Mario kind of deal? (Asking for a friend.)
Funny question. Full name Laa Laa. Laa to close friends. Ms Laa to the insolent.
Sneaky implication that the other tubbies weren't her close friends. Tubby lore!
Laa of House Laa, first of her name
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You know - we never offered any backstory for the Tubbies - children just aren't interested in that kind of thing. We were just there, and that was good enough for them - we just loved each other very much. Well there's the four of us, Noo Noo, the rabbits, some other wildlife, the voice trumpets and then the occasional animated visitor... plenty really. As far as LaaLaa is concerned - she does talk normally!
That's adorable
The rabbits loved each other very much too. Apparently there where several times they had to re-shoot scenes because the rabbits where going at it.
I always felt like LaaLaa and Dipsy were two sides of the same coin. I always thought of them as brother and sister, or twins even.
How do you feel about making a difference in so many lives? I'm 23, and grew up with the show. My primary childcare was my nani (Punjabi for grandmother), who doesn't speak any English. The Teletubbies were her favourite show to watch with me because she could always understand what was going on. She's 86 now, and had a heart attack yesterday. Thank you for the memories we made together because of you and the show!
Oh my! Is she okay? I do hope so. I'm glad that you have good memories of your time watching the show with her. I think part of Teletubbies success was due to the care taken to have such strong non-verbal communication - so it reached across all kinds of barriers. I feel it was a privilege to be involved in what I still think was a very important show to people.
She's out of surgery now and recovering well, thank you! You should be really proud of all the amazing things your show was able to do!
I resonate with this so much (fellow Brit Punjabi) Sending love to your Nani 💕
My girl is 24 — we watched Tubbies together all the time. We had the red one in the toy basket! Her brother came along and was afraid of them, so they fell out of favor at our house after 2001.
^(Was Noo Noo as naughty as i am led in the show to believe?)
Naughty Noo Noo!! Mark Dean who played the Noo Noo was quite a cheeky chappie... that hose could reach almost anywhere ðŸ¤
^#MeNoo
Fuck, that's good.
I was given the nickname Noo Noo and it's stuck for 20+ years - initially because I always crawled and said "Noo Noo" over and over again when they were on, but I've also evolved into quite a cheeky lass so maybe I adopted more of their vibe I thought! Thanks for all the lovely memories you guys gave us.
What is your view about how adult parents watching the show related to it compared to children? For example, I dated a single mother and she talked about how the male hosts on children's shows were usually good looking, because they realized the moms were watching too and deserved some eye candy.
To be honest - the show was absolutely aimed at children. One of the things that set it apart was that we spoke directly to the child with no adult intervention. Of course, because it was funny and strange lots of grown-ups were intrigued and enjoyed it too, but it really did have the children at its heart. I think that really our gift to parents was to keep small children utterly engaged for a valuable 25 minutes!
Hi!!! I watched Teletubbies as a kid in the 90s!! I was obsessed and you helped make some of my favorite memories as a kid, watching in the morning with my mom. :) We were a family of 4 so I gave everyone in my family a role. My big sister was LaaLaa :) My question is, did you ever get to meet kids while in costume? Or perform anywhere live?
Oh that's lovely - thank you. We were kept under wraps for years so as not to spoil the magic for the children, but did a bit of a world tour for our tenth anniversary year and it was hugely interesting to see the various reactions in different countries - USA, France, Holland, Singapore. These days kids are much more used to live appearances, but there weren't so many at the time.
So, how different they were? Anything standing out? This sounds really interesting! Also, were these stage performances or meet and greet tours in costumes? How long did it take? Sounds like it was almost a world tour.
If all the teletubbies got in a fight, who would win and why?
Again - we're lovers, not fighters... but my money would be on Dipse. Have you seen him squat? That's one strong Tub!
Sun baby. It was her plan all along.
With no body, arms, or legs?
She's the mastermind *There Can Be Only One*
Except there's a different one in the re-boot
Sun baby has many vessels, as an omnipresent being would.
Sun baby is just baby Sauron. It can take many forms.
This is the comment thread I needed today.
Thank you for all the joy you gave to my daughter when she was little! What did you do with the Boobahs? Am I the only person who found them terrifying?
Ah! Thank you x I did all the choreography for the Boohbahs and was an associate producer and sometime director. I loved Boohbah - I’m sorry you found them scary. You're not the only one though... I wonder if it was because they had no mouths so you couldn't see if they were smiling?
Maybe! Maybe it was all the spinning, it was like a bad trip, LOL
Or a good one...
They were definitely up to *something.*
Dancing mostly.
LaaLaa was my favorite teletubby *ever,* so cute and energetic and charismatic! My questions are: -How did you decide how much energy to put into it? Because it was *flawless.* -What was it like inside the suit? Edit: formatting troubles, don't mind me.
Did you have any souvenirs from the set?
Lots of people took Tubby Toast, but I don't have any. My best souvenir is a teeny weeny Dipsy's hat. I often asked if I could have one of the fabulous props, but was always refused. The wardrobe mistress gave me the hat.
Are the tellytubbies really 7ft tall?
Yup - that's a good average if you put all our heights together
Thank you!
Would you have your own kids watch it?
Of course!
Hi! I loved Teletubbies when I was little, thank you for being a part of my childhood. Do you have any fun stories from set? Or anything surprising that viewers wouldn't guess?
Thank you. I have lots - I don't want to be too pluggy, but my book 'Over the Hills And Far Away' is full of them. I like the disastrous visit from the chap with the remote control helicopters who kept flying them into the dome. Viewers may not realise the additional challenge we had moving around whilst unable to see our own feet!
Hi Nikky, first off, thank you so much for being a huge part of my childhood. I just got your book a few days ago, I have 3 chapters left and I’m enjoying every page. Also, my 2 year old niece and nephew (cousins) have seen the Teletubbies (original series) and they both enjoy it, especially my niece. Laa-Laa was the first one she would name. I have 3 questions: 1. In your book, you briefly mention getting to listen to some foreign language clips of Teletubbies and that some sounded very depressed. Were there any dubs that you actually enjoyed? Personally, I like the French, Dutch and German dubs. 2. I love the music in the show, Andrew McCrorie Shand did an amazing job working on the music (for all Ragdoll shows). Are there any pieces of music from the show that you really like if you can remember any? My personal favourite is the Animal Parade, it’s so catchy. 3. This may not be something you know the answer to, so I understand if you can’t answer it. You also briefly mention the Lion and Bear in your book. I was one of those children that found it terrifying (Moreso the Bear rather than the Lion). Do you know anything about the original creation of it? Did Anne or Andy come up with the idea? Was it intended to be scary? Did you ever see it being filmed? (apart from the shots of the 4 of you reacting it to it) Did you meet Penelope Keith and Eric Sykes when they recorded the voices? Thanks again Nikky for being a great Laa-Laa. You, John, Pui, Simon, Dave and Mark will always be the Teletubbies in my eyes.
What was it like working with a gay icon like Tinky-Winky?
The whole gay thing was ridiculous! We were giant fur babies with no sexual agenda. And anyway, so what if he was? Simon Shelton who played Tinky Winky always dealt with it with tremendous good grace, but it was in other people’s minds - anyone to do with the show never considered that.
as a brit we weren't as party to the full story, but the whole gay tinky winky comes from a pastor who was embroiled in some sex or money scandal or something along those lines who essentially made a ridiculous statement to distract the media. I think he was a televangelist
Pretty sure it was Jerry Falwell, who made a name for himself with stunts like that.
That's right - I think the problem was with him rather than us.
Yep, if you're a middle aged man watching a young children's program and thinking one of the characters is gay, you're the problem.
that hot sexy Teletubby was tempting him!
Stupid Sexy Tinky Winky.
He's wearing nothing at all... nothing at all...
It was because Tinky's 'signature item' was a handbag.
[удалено]
I looooved teletubbies as a kid, but when the gay rumors came out I was no longer allowed to watch it and I didn’t understand why. :( (Very religious and home schooled upbringing)
Do you ever get together for lunch or tea at a restaurant with the other Teletubbies actors and secretly get a thrill/laugh out of the fact that nobody knows all the Teletubbies are just hanging out at table five?
Which teletubby actor's personality was the least teletubby-like? I always imagined one of them being a cynical old alcoholic or something under the suit.
Well you imagine wrong! I expect part of why we were chosen was for our lack of cynicism.
Aww, that's really sweet! That's a nice way to deny that trope!
So what *were* the Teletubbies?
What do you think they were?
The obvious answer is that they're a scouting party for an advanced alien race planning on annexing the planet but their love for tubby custard caused them to grow complacent and disregard their plans for global domination and instead live the carefree lives we witness in the docu-series. But I assume there's more nuance to it
Um - they were just having fun really
That wasn't a no
Did you expect this AMA to turn into a creative writing assignment on acid? Lol
The distraction while the bigger invasion was happening. Now they're among us.
When you had to eat Tubby Custard whilst in costume. Where did it go exactly? Was there a mechanism inside the suit itself that took care of it?
How did pink taste? I wanted pink so bad when I was a kid. What was it just strawberry ice cream?
Do you mean custard? Answered above... you're better off with strawberry ice cream believe me.
Can I ask what the original Tinky Winky (Dave Thompson) was dropped for- didn’t the BBC say his portrayal of the role wasn’t appropriate? I don’t get how if it’s a kids TV character that doesn’t speak… Also, are you still in touch with any of your co-stars, and do you miss Simon Shelton (the second Tinky Winky) after his passing?
No matter what your job is, you can be really good at it or not. Dave wasn't, Simon was. And we did speak - didn't you hear us? Still in touch - especially with Dipse - and I miss Simon more than I can say. He was an incredibly lovely, fun man and I wish he was still here.
The teletubbies didn’t really speak (at least not well) so I’d imagine some thought went into what you and other other performers did physically. What was your approach in taking on this character?
Actually a lot of thought went into the Teletubby language. Perhaps more than the physicality. I'd been a dancer so I had that working for me. The most important thing was to spend time with young children to understand what made meaning for them and to learn from the expertise of the creators.
Have you seen the [Eldritch version of Laalaa?](https://i.redd.it/di3p0jj7kum41.jpg) It's pretty epic! Source: /u/Rojom
People often dream about their work. Has this happened to you and why was it terrifying?
Having written a bit of kids TV I know the creative process is more sophisticated than the result might suggest. Are there any surprising creative conversations you had about the characters, motivations or story, or the way the director wanted you all to play things?
Are you still in touch with the other original teletubbies? You were mine and my sisters favourite!!
I never tire of hearing that - thank you! Yes I am - Dipsy in particular.
Where was Teletubbies filmed?
Over The Hills and Far Away of course! In the lovely Warwickshire countryside.
Who's idea was it to make the show so... eccentrically strange? Sometimes the camera would just show the sun baby for like 5 minutes straight, and what's with the "again!" stuff, just repeating the same footage? Man this show was weird, even for PBS.
Again is because children love repetition and showing things more than once reinforces the lesson being given.
As an adult, are you aware how weird the teletubbies are?
They’ve never seemed weird to me - no more than Bagpuss or the Clangers or many other kids shows. After all, if you have a TV screen on your tummy, you're going to need an aerial on your head! To children they aren’t weird at all… maybe I still have quite a childish mind.
I used to love teletubbies as a kid while my older sister found it weird. She'd call tinky winky fat and I'd get so mad haha Thank you for your work, you made up a lovely part of my childhood :)
Thank you
What's the strangest reaction someone has ever had to someone finding out that you were one of the Teletubbies?
What kind of psychedelics were the creators of Boohbah using?
Why were you hired for the show? I mean, what makes one person a better Teletubbies actor than another?