Balamory
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Balamory is a live action television series on UK TV (BBC Two and CBeebies) for preschool children based around the small (fictional) island community of Balamory in Scotland. The series is mostly filmed in the Scottish port town of Tobermory, with the exceptions of scenes in the nursery are filmed at a television studio in Glasgow, and Archie's castle (which is in fact at Fenton Tower in North Berwick). Balamory is considered by many to be the most politically correct show on the BBC.
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Main characters
Other than Suzie Sweet and Penny Pocket, who share a building, each main character has their own house in the town, and each house has a distinctive colour:
| Character | Actor | Role | House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Hoolie | Julie Wilson Nimmo | Nursery schoolteacher | Green house |
| Archie | Miles Jupp | Inventor | Pink castle |
| Josie Jump | Kasia Haddad; previously Buki Akib | Fitness instructor | Three-story yellow house |
| Edie McCredie | Juliet Cadzow | Bus driver | Blue garage/house |
| PC Plum | Andrew Agnew | Policeman | White police station |
| Spencer | Rodd Christiansen | American painter/musician | Orange house |
| Suzie Sweet | Mary Riggans | Shop and café operators | Red building |
| Penny Pocket | Kim Tserkezie |
Typical episode
A typical episode begins with Miss Hoolie opening the nursery and telling the audience what the weather is like in Balamory today, and then meeting one of the other main characters who has a "problem" that can be solved by visiting another main character. The main character with the problem sings and dances to a calypso-style song to decide which of the coloured houses "is the one for me" (i.e. is the one where the helpful character lives), and then makes a procession of visits to various characters until the problem is solved.
At each visit, the progress of the story to date is summarised by drawing a rainbow of balloons in the air with the hands usuaully following the word "Well" and a brief pause. The balloons burst to reveal a flashback summary of today's "story in Balamory" narrated by the visitor. The entire story is also summarised at the end of each programme by Miss Hoolie.
Each episode of Balamory contains at least four songs;
- Opening song (What's The Story In Balamory?)
- Miss Hoolie Song (Nursery Song or a Day Off song depending on if it is a working day or a day off)
- Which Coloured House Are We Going To?
- One or more character songs
Audience
The programme is often watched by older students and the unemployed, who tune in to see the unspoken sexual tension between the schoolmistress and the policeman. This tension is confirmed in several episodes, including a kiss between the two during a wedding. Further innuendo is implicit in the "friendship" between Archie the inventor and P.C. Plum. The two hold hands in one episode, and in another episode, Archie makes a loaded comment about PC Plum's sexuality ("Ah yes, he's in Venice visiting his...*raised eyebrows*...'Policeman Chum'.").
Music in Balamory
There are many songs in Balamory, mainly sung by the actors. These songs are used consistantly throughout the series when characters or circumstances are introduced to the episode. In 2005, new songs had been introduced. These songs are longer and take up more time in the episode, so the old versions are still used often.
- What's The Story In Balamory?
- Nursery Song (Everybody, Everyone)
- What Do You Want To Do Today? (Day Off Song One)
- Strike Up The Band (Day Off Song Two)
- Coloured House Song (10 slight variations - Archie, PC Plum, Spencer, Old Josie, New Josie, Penny, Suzie, Penny/Suzie(together) and Edie)
- I'm Archie, The Inventor (Archie Song One)
- Great Inventions, Groovy Solutions (Archie Song Two)
- I'm PC Plum (PC Plum Song One)
- Follow The Clue (PC Plum Song Two)
- Climbing Up My Musical Ladder (Spencer Song One)
- If You Need A Little Rhythm (Spencer Song Two)
- Josie Jump Is My Name (Josie Song One, starring the previous Josie actor)
- Josie Jump Is My Name (Josie Song One, starring the newer Josie actor)
- Cheer You Up (Josie Song Two)
- Penny's Song (Penny Song One)
- Sort It (Penny Song Two)
- Suzie's Cooking (Suzie's Song)
- I'm Suzie Sweet, I'm Penny Pocket (Suzie/Penny's Song)
- When I Honk My Horn (Edie Song One)
- Let Me Take You On A Journey (Edie Song Two)
Some of these songs are available on a CD named Balamory: Strike Up The Band.
External links
- The official Balamory website on the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/balamory/)