Summerton Mill facts for kids

Summerton Mill is a fun British children's television series. It was created by Pete Bryden and Ed Cookson. The show first aired in 2005 on the CBeebies channel. It was part of the BBC show Tikkabilla. Later, it was shown on its own on CBeebies and BBC2.

This series uses stop-motion animation. This means characters are moved slightly and photographed. Then, the photos are played quickly to make them look like they are moving! The show features many cool characters. There's Dan and his friend Fluffa. You'll also meet Dr and Mrs Naybhur, who live on the hill. Other characters include Francoise the cow, Mousey-Tongue the cat, and two "yellow-spinner" chickens. Don't forget the "millfreaks"! These are tiny, furry creatures that look a bit like small hedgehogs.

A total of twenty-six episodes were made, plus a special pilot episode. Summerton Mill has been shown in many countries. These include places in Europe and the Middle East. For example, it has been broadcast in Iceland, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Iran.

As of April 2021, the second series has not been shown in the UK. However, it has been broadcast in over 85 countries around the world!

Behind the Scenes of Summerton Mill

Pete Bryden and Ed Cookson came up with the idea for Summerton Mill. Pete Bryden had the original concept. They worked together to design the sets and the characters. They also built the tiny sets and the puppets. They even painted the backgrounds for the show.

Pete and Ed wrote all the scripts. They also edited the video and sound. They animated most of the first series themselves. Plus, they wrote and performed the music! For the second series, a small team helped out. James Cleland, who was an assistant animator for Series 1, became the Director of Animation.

The voices for the series are done by Silas Hawkins. His father, Peter Hawkins, was also a famous voice actor. He voiced characters like Bill and Ben from Flower Pot Men, Captain Pugwash, the Daleks, and characters from The Woodentops.

The style of Summerton Mill is much like shows from Oliver Postgate's Smallfilms. These shows include classics like Bagpuss. The humor in Summerton Mill is similar to Creature Comforts by Aardman Animation.

The show was inspired by a real place called Somerton Mill. This was a riverside property owned by Pete Bryden. The idea for the show was born at this quiet location. The very first pilot episode was filmed there too.

Somerton Mill in 2009

Somerton Mill in 2009

The iTeddy was a children's media player. It was featured on the British TV show Dragons' Den. The iTeddy was sold in the United Kingdom by Argos stores. It came with one episode of Summerton Mill already loaded. You could get more episodes from the iTeddy website.

Episode List

• Pilot episode (Extended Introduction)
• The Hole
• Kite Flying
• The Sock Thing
• Wing Nuts
• Hiding
• Dr Naybhur's Song
• Cheering Up
• The Baby Millfreak
• Lost and Found
• Mrs Naybhur's Vegetables (Rework of the pilot episode)
• Chinese Whispers
• The Picnic
• Mrs Naybhur's Poem
• Buried Treasure
• Counting the Stones
• Dan's Amazing Magic Show
• The Lazy Day
• Dan's Little Job
• Laughing
• The Story
• Painting
• Statue
• Dan's Seeds
• Dr Naybhur's Balloon
• The Bottle Organ
• The Present