In the Night Garden...

In the Night Garden... is a British live-action/CGI animated preschool children's television series, aimed at children aged from one to six years old.[2] It is produced by Ragdoll Productions. Andrew Davenport created, wrote and composed the title theme and incidental music for all 100 episodes.[3][4] 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 CGI animation. The characters include: Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines, the Wottingers, the Haahoos, the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk, the Ball and the Tittifers.

This article is about the British children's TV series. For the novel, see The Orphan's Tales.

In the Night Garden...
Created byAndrew Davenport
Developed by
Directed byDirk Campbell
StarringHolly Denoon
Rebecca Hyland
Nick Kellington
Andy Wareham
Elisa Laghi
Justyn Towler
Isaac Blake
Narrated byDerek Jacobi
ComposerAndrew Davenport
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes100 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
Running time30 minutes approx
Production companyRagdoll Productions[1]
DistributorBBC Worldwide[1]
Release
Original networkCBeebies
BBC Two
Original release19 March 2007 (2007-03-19) –
6 March 2009 (2009-03-06)
Chronology
Related showsTeletubbies, Rosie and Jim

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.[5] The show's budget was £14.5 million.[6] The programme's creators have said that it is designed to relax and entertain its intended audience ages one to seven years old.[6]

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 one 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."[7]

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."[7]

In 2007[8] and 2008,[9] the show won the Children's BAFTA for "Pre-school live-action," as well as being nominated in 2009.[10]

Episodes
Main article: List of In the Night Garden... episodes

Cast
See also: List of In the Night Garden... characters
  • 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 11 am showings on BBC Two on weekday mornings.[11] 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.[12] One parent petitioner was quoted by The Daily Telegraph commenting:"My four-year-old refused to believe it was bedtime because In the Night Garden... hadn't been on and it was daylight outside."[12]

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.[13]

In the US, 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 has episodes relating to the character on which the DVD is based.

Streaming

Currently, the show is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Awards and nominations
  • BAFTA Children's Awards 2007
    • Awarded Best Children's Live-Action Series[8]
    • The website for the programme was nominated for Best Interactive Site[8]
  • BAFTA Children's Awards 2008
    • Awarded Best Pre-School Live Action Series[9]
  • BAFTA Children's Awards 2009
    • Nominated for Best Pre-School Live Action[10]

Merchandising

In the Night Garden... has: books, DVDs, toys and magazines that 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[14] 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.[15]

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.[16]

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.

A different company, Golden Bear Toys have also made a range of In The Night Garden... toys, featuring Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle. These include the "Musical Ninky Nonk Bubble Train" and the "Igglepiggle Wind-up Musical Boat."[17]

On the 1st of October 2019, the "In the Night Garden Igglepiggle Peek-a-boo Clip-on Toy" made by Golden Bear Toys was recalled due to a possible choking hazard to young children.[18]

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.[19][20]

References
  1. "Teletubbies creators are at it again". Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. "BBC – CBeebies Grownups – In the Night Garden". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. Lane, Harriet (25 November 2007). "Night Fever". The Observer Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  5. Conlan, Tara (27 September 2010). "BBC puts In the Night Garden to bed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  6. Carter, Meg (18 March 2007). "They come in peace". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  7. "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. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  8. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2007". BAFTA. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  9. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2008". BAFTA. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  10. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2009". BAFTA. Archived from the original on 26 February 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  11. http://www.radiotimes.com Archived 22 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine – search results 25 February 2008
  12. Reynolds, Nigel (2 April 2008). "Anger as BBC moves In The Night Garden". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  13. "BBC - Press Office - CBeebies Autumn 2008 schedule". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  14. "Penwizard Personalised books". Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  15. Dungan, Ronnie (18 September 2008). "Toy firms scoop Licensing gongs". Toy News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  16. "BBC acts over light-skinned doll". BBC News. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  17. "In The Night Garden". Golden Bear Toys. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  18. Jersey, States of. "Government of Jersey". gov.je. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  19. Jones, Catherine (26 March 2010). "In The Night Garden coming to Sefton Park this summer". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  20. "It's time to book your tickets!". nightgardenlive.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
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