Teletubbies set to return to CBeebies with new cast
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Version 0 of 1. Almost 20 years since the unmistakable greeting “eh oh!” was heard on television sets, the Teletubbies are set to return to the small screen with a new star-studded cast. Bringing the show into the 21st century will be Absolutely Fabulous actor Jane Horrocks, who will voice the character of the new tubby phone, a mobile gadget which is said to transport Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po into the modern day. She will be joined by British stars Jim Broadbent – best known to younger viewers for his portrayal of Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter – and DJ and presenter Fearne Cotton. The new Teletubbies, which first aired in March 1997 and ran until 2001, is due to air on CBeebies this year and will be narrated by standup comedian and Eric and Ernie actor Daniel Rigby. Producers said the new series would feature the same much-loved characters as the original, but would have a “refreshed and contemporary look”. New elements – such as the tubby phone, which will be fixed in the Teletubbies’ dome – are being introduced. But viewers need not fear too much technological advancement: the Teletubbies will still have antennas on their heads, and by all accounts the TV screens on their stomachs are not set to be replaced with touch-responsive tablets. In joining the cast of the Teletubbies, Horrocks adds her name to an illustrious list of stars who have featured in children’s television shows. Derek Jacobi – whose stage credits include Hamlet and Uncle Vanya – became the narrator of In the Night Garden, telling the stories of characters Iggle Piggle, Makka Pakka and Upsy Daisy. Having toured the world with the Beatles, drummer Ringo Starr went on to narrate the first two seasons of the children’s television series Thomas & Friends, and then played Mr Conductor in the PBS children’s television series Shining Time Station. In a recent departure from the silver screen to small screen, X-Men star James McAvoy recently read the CBeebies bedtime story, a far cry from his role as the manipulative and sexually abusive Bruce Robertson in his 2013 Filth. |