BBC’s CBeebies orders 60 new Teletubbies episodes

Eh-oh! New episodes of BBC children’s favorite Teletubbies are to be made for the first time in more than a decade.


However, the 2014 version of the live action preschool series featuring Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po will be filmed on a replica of the show’s distinctive original outdoor set, as there is now a pond where the Teletubbies house stood.


The owner of the Warwickshire farm where the show was filmed said she was fed up with Teletubbies fans trespassing on her land. Children’s channel CBeebies has ordered 60 new Teletubbies episodes to be filmed on replica model sets, using special effects to “reinvigorate the show for future generations”.


The original incarnation of Teletubbies was in production between 1997 and 2001, with 365 episodes made and still being repeated on CBeebies and other channels around the world. Teletubbies was a huge hit in creative, ratings and business terms, providing a template for other UK children’s shows that became global brands, such as Tweenies and In the Night Garden, by BBC Worldwide, the corporation’s commercial arm.


CBeebies has struck a deal with Canadian firm DHX Media, which acquired Ragdoll, the independent producer behind Teletubbies and In The Night Garden, last year, to air the new 60-episode series. “Teletubbies is an enduringly popular series with our youngest viewers, although no new episodes have been made for over ten years,” said Kay Benbow, controller of CBeebies. “Early development and test shoots have persuaded me that CBeebies viewers are in for a wonderful treat.”


“We are committed to developing the brand for today’s children,” said Steven DeNure, president of DHX Media. “Kids’ entertainment of this calibre captivates generation after generation, so we believe there is considerable demand for an enhanced, contemporary version.”