Melody (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melody |
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| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Luke Howard |
| Directed by | Luke Howard |
| Starring | Angharad Rhodes Laura Bacon |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Towner (CBeebies) Katy Jones (BBC Learning) |
| Producer(s) | Will Brenton Luke Howard |
| Running time | 7 minutes |
| Production company(s) | LAAH Entertainment BBC Music Wish Films |
| Release | |
| Original release | 2 December 2013 – present |
Melody is a fun British TV show for young children. It mixes real-life scenes with amazing animation. The show was created by Luke Howard and made by Wish Films and LAAH Entertainment for the BBC.
What makes Melody special is its main character, Melody, who has a visual impairment. The show was made with help from the RNIB Pears Centre, which supports children with sight problems. They even researched how to make animations and music easier for people who are blind or partially sighted to enjoy.
Contents
What is Melody About?
Melody helps young children discover classical music. Each episode shows Melody doing something everyday with her mum. It could be something fun, or maybe something a bit tricky. This makes Melody want to listen to a piece of music.
Her mum then suggests a classical song. Melody puts on her headphones and listens. As she listens, we go on an exciting adventure inside her imagination. These adventures are shown through cool animations.
Meet the Characters
| Name | Played By | About |
|---|---|---|
| Melody | Angharad Rhodes | Melody is a girl with a fantastic imagination. She is partially sighted. The actress, Angharad Rhodes, was 10 years old when she was chosen for the role. She was found at UCAN, a special theatre group for children with vision problems. |
| Mum | Laura Bacon | Melody's mum is always there to play with her. She also helps Melody find new music to listen to. |
| Fudge | Himself | Fudge is Melody's favorite soft toy. He is a bright orange and white cat. |
How Melody Was Made
The animated parts of Melody were created by six different animation studios. This helped give each imagined adventure a unique look!
- Kingbee animation
- Keyframe Studios
- Finger Industries
- Tentacle Media
- Sea Monster
- Factory Transmedia
Keith Robinson was the art director. He designed the characters and made sure all the animations looked great together. He also created the show's logo. Lizzie Dyson designed the backgrounds for the show.
One of the show's producers, Will Brenton, explained something important. The show never directly talks about Melody's sight difficulties. Instead, it shows her using her white cane or holding her mum's hand when cutting things. It focuses on what Melody can do and how she finds ways to do things, just like most children.
When Melody Aired
The first series of Melody had 20 episodes. It was shown in the United Kingdom on CBeebies in December 2013 and January 2014. These episodes also had audio description. This is an extra voice that explains what's happening on screen for people who can't see it well.
A second series, also with 20 episodes, started airing in March 2015.
Episode Guide
This is a list of episodes from the Melody TV show.
Series 1 Episodes
| # | Title | Composer | Piece | Original UK Air Date | |
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| 1 | "Let's Race" | Sergei Prokofiev | Romeo and Juliet, Dance of the Knights | 2 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines two dinosaurs racing, one fast and one slow.
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| 2 | "Muddy Melody" | Aaron Copland | Fanfare for the Common Man | 3 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines being a jungle explorer who finds a baby elephant playing in the mud.
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| 3 | "Red Riding Hood" | Camille Saint-Saëns | Danse Macabre | 4 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines the story of Little Red Riding Hood while listening to dramatic music.
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| 4 | "Fast Little Train" | Sergei Prokofiev | Finale: Molto vivace, fourth movement, from Symphony No. 1 | 5 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines a little train that wants to go faster on its journey.
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| 5 | "Promises" | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis | 6 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines a princess in a castle who breaks a promise to a frog.
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| 6 | "The Lost Bee" | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | Flight of the Bumblebee from Act 3, The Tale of Tsar Saltan | 9 December 2013 | |
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Melody listens to Flight of the Bumblebee and goes on a bee adventure.
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| 7 | "Melody and the Snowman" | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, from The Nutcracker | 10 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines a story about a lonely snowman and a little girl.
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| 8 | "Best Friends" | Gustav Holst | Jupiter, from The Planets | 11 December 2013 | |
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Melody listens to Jupiter by Holst and imagines a story about friends who are separated.
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| 9 | "The Elves and the Shoemaker" | John Adams | Short Ride in a Fast Machine | 12 December 2013 | |
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Melody listens to Short Ride In a Fast Machine.
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| 10 | "Butterfly Ball" | Luigi Boccherini | Minuet, third movement from String Quintet in E | 13 December 2013 | |
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Melody imagines she and Fudge are playing chase in a field of flowers.
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| 11 | "Ugly Duckling" | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Scène: Moderato, Lake in the Moonlight, the opening to Act II of Swan Lake | 30 December 2013 | |
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Melody hears music from Swan Lake and imagines the story of the ugly duckling.
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| 12 | "Coat of Leaves" | Antonio Vivaldi | Allegro, third movement, from The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 3 in F major (Autumn) | 31 December 2013 | |
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Melody listens to The Four Seasons - Autumn and imagines the seasons changing.
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| 13 | "Flying High" | Ralph Vaughan Williams | The Lark Ascending | 1 January 2014 | |
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Melody listens to The Lark Ascending and imagines a world of birds flying high.
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| 14 | "Selfish Shellfish" | Camille Saint-Saëns | Aquarium, from Le carnaval des animaux (Carnival of the Animals) | 2 January 2014 | |
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Melody listens to watery music and imagines a story about a selfish shellfish.
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| 15 | "Tiptoe Troll" | Edvard Grieg | In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Peer Gynt, Suite No.1 | 3 January 2014 | |
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Melody imagines a story about trolls stealing treasure, including the king's crown.
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| 16 | "Unlikely Partners" | Edward Elgar | Adagio, first movement, from Cello Concerto in E minor | 6 January 2014 | |
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Melody imagines a story about a dancing hippo and mouse.
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| 17 | "A Royal Stink" | George Frideric Handel | Ouverture, first movement, from Music for the Royal Fireworks Suite | 7 January 2014 | |
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Melody asks for royal music, and Mum finds Music for the Royal Fireworks.
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| 18 | "When the Cat's Away" | Johann Strauss the Younger | Annen Polka | 8 January 2014 | |
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Melody accidentally leaves Fudge at Grandma's house.
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| 19 | "Boat Ballet" | Erik Satie | Gymnopédie: 1. Lent et douloureux | 9 January 2014 | |
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Melody imagines a beautiful boat ballet with dancing swans at the park.
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| 20 | "The White Whale" | Edward Elgar | Nimrod, from Enigma Variations | 10 January 2014 | |
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Melody listens to Nimrod by Edward Elgar and imagines graceful dancing whales.
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Series 2 Episodes
| # | Title | Composer | Piece | Original UK Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Owl" | Beethoven | Moonlight Sonata | |
| 2 | "Gingerbread Man" | Mikis Theodorakis | Zorba's Dance | |
| 3 | "The Fox and the Chicken" | Dmitri Shostakovich | Jazz Suite No.1 III.Foxtrot | |
| 4 | "Wooden Horse" | Jacques Offenbach | Infernal Galop | |
| 5 | "Emperor's New Clothes" | George Frideric Handel | The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba | |
| 6 | "Friendly Shadows" | Benjamin Britten | Simple Symphony - Movement II. - Playful Pizzicato | |
| 7 | "Clever Magpie" | Gioachino Rossini | The Thieving Magpie Overture | |
| 8 | "Princess and the Pea" | Dmitri Shostakovich | Tahiti Trot | |
| 9 | "Balloon Ride" | Johann Sebastian Bach | Air on the G String | |
| 10 | "Imagination" | Camille Saint-Saëns | The Carnival of the Animals - Le cygne (The Swan) | |
| 11 | "Noisy Elephant" | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major | |
| 12 | "Firebird" | Igor Stravinsky | The Firebird | |
| 13 | "Up the Hill" | Modest Mussorgsky | Night on Bald Mountain | |
| 14 | "Storm" | Benjamin Britten | 'Storm' Interlude from 'Peter Grimes | |
| 15 | "Rocket Trip" | Gustav Holst | THe Planets - Mars, the Bringer of War | |
| 16 | "Who's at the Door" | Ludwig van Beethoven | Symphony No. 5 | |
| 17 | "Music Box" | Claude Debussy | Clair de Lune | |
| 18 | "Little Blue Butterfly" | George Gershwin | Rhapsody in Blue | |
| 19 | "New Bell" | John Philip Sousa | The Liberty Bell March | |
| 20 | "Tallest Tower" | Johann Sebastian Bach | Toccata and Fugue in D Minor |
