In the Night Garden – Nostalgia Central

2 0 0 7 – 2 0 0 9 (UK)
104 x 30 minute episodes

This BBC children’s television series was created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for Ragdoll Productions (who had been responsible for Rosie and Jim, Tots TV and Teletubbies), and was designed as a calming, therapeutic wind-down routine for infants and toddlers aged 1 to 4.

Every episode followed a strict, comforting ritual structure, beginning with a real child shown falling asleep in bed while the narrator (Derek Jacobi) traced a star pattern on their hand.

The main character, Igglepiggle (Nick Kellington) – a blue, teddy-bear-like creature who carried a red comfort blanket – was then seen sailing a small boat across a dark, calm ocean toward a magical forest.

The main story took place in a vibrant, nursery-rhyme woodland filled with giant flowers, music, and whimsical characters.

Upsy Daisy (Rebecca Hyland) was an optimistic, energetic ragdoll with colourful hair who loved singing into her megaphone and kissing flowers.

Makka Pakka (Justyn Towler) was a small, round creature who lived in a stone cave and was obsessed with washing and polishing stones.

The trio of Tombliboos (pictured below) were Unn (Andy Wareham), who wore red and green, Ooo (Isaac Blake in the first series and then Holly Denoon) in brown and pink, and Eee (Elisa Laghi) who wore pink and yellow. They lived in a bush, played musical instruments, and frequently lost their trousers.

There were also two large families of tiny wooden peg dolls (the Pontipines and the Wottingers) who lived in semi-detached houses at the foot of a tree.

The characters gathered around the Magical Gazebo to watch a short, illustrated recap of the day’s events and then went to sleep one by one, until only Igglepiggle was left awake, sailing back out into the dark night sky.

Also seen were the Ninky Nonk (a chaotic, fast-moving toy train) and the Pinky Ponk (a slow, gentle airship).

Tropical, colourful birds (The Tittifers) sang a harmonious song halfway through and at the end of the episode to signal that it was time for bed.

The show used an innovative blend of live-action costumed actors, practical puppetry, and digital visual animation. The large characters were filmed on location at Smatchley Wood (a secluded, private forest situated in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire) using actors in high-tech prosthetic suits, scaled against hundreds of custom, oversized practical props and set pieces to make them appear small.

Giant green screens were erected in parts of the woods, allowing the visual effects team to digitally alter the forest background in post-production, giving the sky and deeper treelines a glowing, saturated, ethereal dream state.

At £14.5m for 100 half-hour episodes, In the Night Garden was the most expensive children’s programme ever commissioned and co-funded by the BBC.

With its lilting music, soothing storylines and dreamlike setting, the show was a great critical and commercial success, winning consecutive BAFTA Children’s Awards and generating billions in merchandise sales.

The show was watched in 35 countries, and its theatre show, In the Night Garden Live!, was a sell-out success across the UK.

Narrator
Derek Jacobi
Igglepiggle
Nick Kellington
Upsy Daisy
Rebecca Hyland
Makka Pakka
Justyn Towler
Tombliboo Unn
Andy Wareham
Tombliboo Ooo
Isaac Blake (1)
Holly Denoon (2)
Tombliboo Eee
Elisa Laghi
Singer
CeCelia Wickham-Anderson