In the Night Garden...
In the Night Garden... is a British live-action preschool children's television series, aimed at children aged from one to six-years-old.[1] It is produced by Ragdoll Productions (now WildBrain Ltd.). Andrew Davenport created, wrote and composed the title theme and incidental music for all 100 episodes.[2][3] It was produced by Davenport and Anne Wood, the team that also co-created Teletubbies. The programme is narrated by Derek Jacobi. It is filmed mostly in live action and features a mix of actors in costume, puppetry and computer animation. The characters include: Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines, the Wottingers, the Haahoos, the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk and the Ball.
| In the Night Garden... | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Andrew Davenport |
| Developed by | |
| Directed by | Dirk Campbell |
| Starring | Holly Denoon Rebecca Hyland Nick Kellington Andy Wareham Elisa Laghi Justyn Towler Isaac Blake |
| Narrated by | Derek Jacobi |
| Composer | Andrew Davenport |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 100 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | |
| Running time | 30 minutes approx |
| Production companies | Ragdoll Productions BBC |
| Distributor | WildBrain |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies BBC Two |
| Original release | 19 March 2007 – 6 March 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim |
| External links | |
| http://www.inthenightgarden.co.uk/en/ Website | |
Announced in October 2005, the first episode was aired on 19 March 2007. The show's final episode was aired on 6 March 2009. Two series were made, with 100 episodes in all. The BBC confirmed in 2010 that it would not be commissioning another series.[4] The show's budget was £14.5 million.[5] The programme's creators have said that it is designed to relax and entertain its intended audience ages one to seven years old.[5]
Overview
The programme features a large cast of colourful characters with unusual names who live in a magical forest scattered with large daisies and brightly coloured pompom flowers. The characters mostly speak short and repetitive phrases and each has their own special song and dance. The garden is a sunny and colourful environment and the music is jaunty and music box-like. Producer Anne Wood said:
"We wanted to explore the difference between being asleep and being awake from a child's point of view: the difference between closing your eyes and pretending to be asleep and closing your eyes and sleeping."[6]
Each episode starts with a shot of a night sky with the stars appearing, followed by a shot of a child in bed, while the narrator introduces the programme's episode. The scene then cuts to Igglepiggle, in his boat, getting ready to go travelling to the Night Garden whilst the theme music plays. The camera pans up to the night sky, followed by brightly coloured flowers. Then we see Igglepiggle going to the gazebo to meet his friends. After that, the title appears on or under a hedge and either the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk appears.
The episodes end with the Tittifers singing their song (they also sing in between segments), then one character gets ready to go to sleep while they hear a bedtime story, which is generated by the magical gazebo that sits at the centre of the Night Garden. This story is a summary of the plot of the episode. Sometimes the characters all dance together under the Gazebo. Then we see all of the characters except for Igglepiggle going to sleep, while Igglepiggle delivers his goodbye sequence. Then the Night Garden turns and retreats into the night sky and Igglepiggle is seen asleep on his boat as the end credits roll.
In the Night Garden... is intended to help children relax and achieve calming relationships with parents. Producer Anne Wood also states: "We became very aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children which manifested itself in all kind of directions; but the one big subject that came up again and again was bedtime. It's the classical time for tension between children who want to stay up and parents who want them to go to bed. So this is a programme about calming things down whereas most children's TV is about getting everything up."[6]
In 2007[7] and 2008,[8] the show won the Children's BAFTA for "Pre-school live-action," as well as being nominated in 2009.[9]
Episodes
Cast
- Derek Jacobi as Narrator
- Nick Kellington as Igglepiggle
- Rebecca Hyland as Upsy Daisy
- Justyn Towler as Makka Pakka
- Andy Wareham as Tombliboo Unn
- Isaac Blake (Series 1)/Holly Denoon (Series 2) as Tombliboo Ooo
- Elisa Laghi as Tombliboo Eee
Telecast and home media
In the Night Garden... was first aired on 19 March 2007 until its final episode ended on 6 March 2009. Until 29 March 2008, the show aired on the CBeebies channel every day, including weekends, at 6:25 PM in the "Bedtime Hour" slot, in addition to earlier 11am showings on BBC Two on weekday mornings.[10] From 29 March until 29 August 2008, In The Night Garden... was removed from its 6:25 PM "Bedtime Hour" slot, which resulted in a nationwide fan petition outside the BBC’s Television Centre studios asking for the programme to be re-instated to its normal slot.[11] One parent petitioner was quoted by The Daily Telegraph commenting that "My four-year-old refused to believe it was bedtime because In the Night Garden... hadn't been on and it was daylight outside."[11]
The show returned to the daily "Bedtime Hour" slot at 6.20 pm as of 30 August 2008, and began showing the second series (beginning with "Slow Down Everybody") on 1 September 2008.[12]
In the USA, the show was first introduced on The Hub (now Discovery Family) as part of the HubBub block.
DVDs
Several Region 2 DVDs have been released in the UK by the BBC since October 2007:
| DVD Title | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Who's Here? | Makka Pakka Washes Faces Tombliboos Waving Game Makka Pakka's Trumpet Makes A Funny Noise Everybody All Aboard the Ninky Nonk The Prettiest Flower |
| Hello Igglepiggle! | Igglepiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch Jumping for Everybody Igglepiggle's Mucky Patch Pinky Ponk Adventure Igglepiggle's Blanket Walks About By Itself |
| Hello Upsy Daisy! | Quiet Please Tombliboos! Upsy Daisy Wants to Sing! Upsy Daisy Kisses Everything! Upsy Daisy's Big Loud Sing Song! Igglepiggle Looks For Upsy Daisy And Follows Her Bed! The Ninky Nonk Wants A Kiss! |
| Hello Makka Pakka! | Makka Pakka's Stone Concert Runaway Og-Pog Makka Pakka's Present Makka Pakka Gets Lost Washing the Haahoos |
| Hello Tombliboos! | Too Loud Tombliboos! Nice and Quiet! The Tombliboos' Busy Day Tombliboo Trousers! Tombliboo Ooo Drinks Everybody Else's Pinky Ponk Juice! The Tombliboos Tower of Five |
| Isn't That a Pip?! | The Pontipine Children on the Roof Looking For Each Other Slow Down Everybody! Igglepiggle Goes Visiting Where Is The Pinky Ponk Going? |
| Look at That! | Igglepiggle's Tiddle Makka Pakka's Piles of Three Where Are the Wottingers? Mr. Pontipine's Moustache Flies Away What Loud Music, Tombliboos! |
| What Fun! | Sneezing Hide and Seek Mind the Haahoos The Pontipines Find Igglepiggle's Blanket Upsy Daisy Dances with the Pinky Ponk |
| All Together! | Waving from the Ninky Nonk Playing Hiding with Makka Pakka Wake Up Ball Over and Under Sad and Happy Tombliboos! |
| Best Friends! | Upsy Daisy's Tiring Walk Trubliphone Fun Shshsh! Upsy Daisy's Having a Rest! Who's Next on the Pinky Ponk? Makka Pakka's Circle of Friends |
| All Aboard! | Ninky Nonk Or Pinky Ponk? Upsy Daisy's Special Stone Ninky Nonk Dinner Swap The Tombliboos Swap Trousers Igglepiggle's Accident. |
| Out For A Walk! | Upsy Daisy's Funny Bed The Ball Wave to the Wottingers The Pontipines in Upsy Daisy's Bed Igglepiggle's Noisy Noises. |
| What Lovely Music! | Tombliboo Eee Gets Lost Make Up Your Mind Upsy Daisy! Following Upsy Daisy Dances With The Haahoos Long Distance Ball Game |
| Wake Up Igglepiggle! | Wake Up Igglepiggle Where Can Igglepiggle Have A Rest Oh Look It's The Wottingers Dinner In The Ninky Nonk The Tombliboos Clean Their Teeth. |
Each DVD features five episodes.
A boxset, Hello Everybody!, has been released, containing "Hello Igglepiggle!", "Hello Upsy Daisy!", "Hello Makka Pakka!" and "Hello Tombliboos!" Each of these titles have episodes relating to the character on which the DVD is based.
Streaming
Currently, the show is now streaming on Tubi.
Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2007
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2008
- Awarded Best Pre-School Live Action Series[8]
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2009
- Nominated for Best Pre-School Live Action[9]
Merchandising
In the Night Garden... has books, DVDs, toys and magazines have been marketed since 2007.
Books
In 2007, Ladybird Books published a full In the Night Garden range of books, some had lift the flap features (The Prettiest Flower, 2007) and some had sounds from the programme (What a Funny Pinky Ponk!, 2009), these usually retailed for £8.99 when they were released from BBC Books/Ragdoll Productions.
In 2014, Penwizard[13] introduced a line of personalised books where customers can customise the story to include their child's name and likeness in the story alongside Igglepiggle and friends.
Toys
The show's producers, Ragdoll Productions, signed a deal to make the toy producer Hasbro a global partner before the show was first aired, and merchandise was first made available in July 2007. The range includes small Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka stuffed toys and a small Ninky Nonk train with detachable carriages. Wheeled toy licensee MV Sports & Leisure Limited produced a range of scooters and trikes. Play-Doh made some dough that came packaged with an Igglepiggle-shaped cut-out.
In the spring of 2008, several new toys arrived, including roll-along characters, Talking Cuddly Makka Pakka, Ninky Nonk Pop-up tent and more. Hasbro won the 2008 "Best Licensed Toy or Game range" Licensing Award for their In The Night Garden... range.[14]
In January 2009, a spokesman for the BBC confirmed that they had asked Hasbro to change the skin colour of the Upsy Daisy doll following "a handful of complaints". The doll was originally released with a noticeably lighter complexion than seen in the television series, as it was based on the animated version of Upsy Daisy.[15]
In 2010, more new toys were released like the Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy set that contained a copy of the Series 2 episode The Pontipines' Picnic (2008) on DVD as well as an electronic Ninky Nonk (which made the actual sounds from the Show) and a Playmat that had the Bridge, the Tombliboo Bush (with The Tombliboos and their beds) The Gazebo and the Pinky Ponk.
Live theatrical show
In the Night Garden...Live! started a UK tour in July 2010. The show took place in an inflatable purpose-built show dome. The show premiered in Liverpool, and moved on to London, Glasgow and Birmingham. In the Night Garden Live has toured the United Kingdom every summer.[16][17]
References
- "BBC – CBeebies Grownups – In the Night Garden". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- Brown, Jonathan; Robinson, Josie (18 April 2007). "In the Night Garden: Bedtime for Teletubbies". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- Lane, Harriet (25 November 2007). "Night Fever". The Observer Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- Conlan, Tara (27 September 2010). "BBC puts In the Night Garden to bed". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- Carter, Meg (18 March 2007). "They come in peace". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- "In The Night Garden". Press Pack – From tot to toddler to tearaway, CBeebies celebrates its fifth birthday (Press release). BBC – Press Office. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2007". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2008". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2009". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- http://www.radiotimes.com – search results 25 February 2008
- Reynolds, Nigel (2 April 2008). "Anger as BBC moves In The Night Garden". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- "BBC - Press Office - CBeebies Autumn 2008 schedule". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Dungan, Ronnie (18 September 2008). "Toy firms scoop Licensing gongs". Toy News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- "BBC acts over light-skinned doll". BBC News. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- Jones, Catherine (26 March 2010). "In The Night Garden coming to Sefton Park this summer". liverpoolecho.co.uk.
- "It's time to book your tickets!". nightgardenlive.com.
