Quick facts for kids Teacup Travels |
Great Aunt Lizzie's cottage
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| Genre |
Drama |
| Developed by |
- Micky MacPherson
- Simon Parsons
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| Written by |
- Head Writer Polly Churchill
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| Directed by |
Simon Hynd |
| Composer(s) |
- Rasmus Borowski
- Alexius Tschallener
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| Country of origin |
United Kingdom |
| No. of series |
2 |
| No. of episodes |
45 |
| Production |
| Executive producer(s) |
- Michael Towner (CBeebies)
- Julia Bond (CBeebies)
- Tina Foster (Plum Films)
- Jennifer Armitage (Creative Scotland)
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| Producer(s) |
- Micky MacPherson
- Simon Parsons
|
| Cinematography |
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| Running time |
15 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Plum Films |
Teacup Travels is a fun British TV show for kids. It was made by Plum Films for the BBC children's channel CBeebies. The show mixes exciting stories with real history. It uses actual historical objects from museums across the UK.
What is Teacup Travels About?
The show is all about Great Aunt Lizzie, who loves to tell amazing adventure stories. Her young visitors, Charlotte, Lokesh, and Elliot, come to her house. When they arrive, she offers them tea. But first, they get to pick a special teacup from her huge collection. Each cup has a picture of a real museum object on it. As Great Aunt Lizzie starts telling the story of the object, the child imagines they are right there in the adventure!
Kay Benbow, who was in charge of Children's Television at the time, said that Teacup Travels was the first time CBeebies brought ancient history and archaeology to young viewers. She hoped the show would make kids want to learn more about life in ancient times.
Meet the Main Characters
- Gemma Jones plays Great Aunt Lizzie
- Evie Brassington plays Charlotte
- Kemaal Deen-Ellis plays Lokesh
- Roderick Gilkison plays Elliot
Adventures in Series One
In the first series, Charlotte and her brother Elliot go on amazing adventures. They travel back in time to places like Ancient Rome, Imperial China, Ancient Egypt, and Celtic lands. These stories cover a huge period, from 2500 BCE (that's Before Common Era, or before year 0) all the way to 1850 CE (Common Era, or after year 0).
The first episode aired on CBeebies on February 9, 2015. There are 25 episodes in this series, each lasting 15 minutes. You can often watch them again on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
List of episodes in series one
- Episode 1: Spectacles – (Original Air Date: 9 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps an artist in Imperial China find glasses so he can see better.
- Associated Museum: British Optical Association Museum
- Episode 2: Thimble – (Original Air Date: 10 February 2015)
- Episode 3: Mortarium – (Original Air Date: 11 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a monk in Ancient Rome prepare a special meal for priests.
- Associated Museum: Dumfries Museum
- Episode 4: Mirror – (Original Air Date: 12 February 2015)
- Summary: Elliot helps an Ancient Egyptian who thinks his chance of marriage is over because of a broken mirror.
- Associated Museum: National Museum of Scotland
- Episode 5: Tiger Tally – (Original Air Date: 13 February 2015)
- Episode 6: Scales – (Original Air Date: 16 February 2015)
- Summary: Elliot helps an apple juice seller in Ancient Rome recreate a secret family recipe.
- Associated Museum: British Museum
- Episode 7: Headrest – (Original Air Date: 17 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a wealthy Ancient Egyptian who is worried about his new hairstyle getting ruined while sleeping.
- Associated Museum: Swansea Museum
- Episode 8: Lucky Horse – (Original Air Date: 18 February 2015)
- Episode 9: Amphora – (Original Air Date: 19 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a new merchant in Ancient Rome who has mixed up an important order.
- Associated Museum: Royal Albert Memorial Museum
- Episode 10: Brooch – (Original Air Date: 20 February 2015)
- Summary: Elliot helps a young Celtic blacksmith who lost a valuable piece of jewelry he made for his mom.
- Associated Museum: The Dick Institute
- Episode 11: Brick Mould – (Original Air Date: 23 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a brick maker in Ancient Egypt find a new mould before the Pharaoh's architect arrives.
- Associated Museum: Manchester Museum
- Episode 12: Abacus – (Original Air Date: 24 February 2015)
- Episode 13: Key Ring – (Original Air Date: 25 February 2015)
- Episode 14: Sandals – (Original Air Date: 25 February 2015)
- Episode 15: Merchant's Ring – (Original Air Date: 27 February 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps two merchants who can't prove who they are without a special ring.
- Associated Museum: Dumfries Museum
- Episode 16: Snake Bracelet – (Original Air Date: 2 March 2015)
- Episode 17: Wooden Horse – (Original Air Date: 3 March 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps an Ancient Egyptian carpenter believe that children will like her toys.
- Associated Museum: Manchester Museum
- Episode 18: Seal Matrix – (Original Air Date: 4 March 2015)
- Episode 19: Jade Flute – (Original Air Date: 5 March 2015)
- Episode 20: Inkwell – (Original Air Date: 6 March 2015)
- Episode 21: Key – (Original Air Date: 9 March 2015)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a brother and sister find a hidden box of treasures.
- Associated Museum: Stranraer Museum
- Episode 22: Moon Fan – (Original Air Date: 10 March 2015)
- Episode 23: Lamp – (Original Air Date: 11 March 2015)
- Episode 24: Scarab Necklace – (Original Air Date: 12 March 2015)
- Summary: Elliot helps a young woman in Ancient Egypt who broke a precious necklace from her mother.
- Associated Museum: Ulster Museum
- Episode 25: Armlet – (Original Air Date: 13 March 2015)
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New Journeys in Series Two
In the second series, Charlotte returns and introduces her cousin Lokesh. Their adventures take them to exciting new places and times. They visit Edo Japan, Ancient Greece, the Mayan Empire, and the Viking Lands.
The first 10 episodes of Series Two aired starting November 28, 2016. The next 10 episodes were shown from January 2, 2017. This series has also been repeated many times.
List of episodes in series two
- Episode 1: Dragon – (Original Air Date: 28 November 2016)
- Summary: Charlotte helps an apprentice armourer find more silk for his iron dragon.
- Associated Museum: Manchester Museum
- Episode 2: Comedy Mask – (Original Air Date: 29 November 2016)
- Episode 3: Cowrie Shells – (Original Air Date: 30 November 2016)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a woman make an offering to goddesses while waiting for her brother.
- Associated Museum: Jorvik Viking Centre
- Episode 4: Vase – (Original Air Date: 1 December 2016)
- Summary: Lokesh helps an Emperor get his favorite hot drink before he becomes king.
- Associated Museum: The British Museum
- Episode 5: Pig Rattle – (Original Air Date: 2 December 2016)
- Summary: Charlotte helps new grandparents who only have one rattle for two babies.
- Associated Museum: Swansea Museum
- Episode 6: Print Block – (Original Air Date: 5 December 2016)
- Episode 7: Ear Ornament – (Original Air Date: 6 December 2016)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a mathematician who forgot a special birthday.
- Associated Museum: The British Museum
- Episode 8: Boat Rivets – (Original Air Date: 7 December 2016)
- Summary: Lokesh helps a boat builder and a Viking who swap jobs, but the Viking runs out of rivets.
- Associated Museum: National Museum of Scotland
- Episode 9: Inro – (Original Air Date: 8 December 2016)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a writer and chef who accidentally swap their special containers (inro) at the market.
- Associated Museum: Oriental Museum
- Episode 10: Discus – (Original Air Date: 9 December 2016)
- Summary: Lokesh helps Exoidas, who needs confidence before a competition.
- Associated Museum: The British Museum
- Episode 11: Whistle – (Original Air Date: 2 January 2017)
- Summary: Lokesh helps a builder whose assistant can't hear him call for her.
- Associated Museum: The British Museum
- Episode 12: Netsuke – (Original Air Date: 3 January 2017)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a clumsy groom who keeps losing things he needs for his wedding day.
- Associated Museum: Oriental Museum
- Episode 13: Thor's Hammer – (Original Air Date: 4 January 2017)
- Summary: Lokesh helps a Viking who leaves his lucky amulet behind when he goes to sea.
- Associated Museum: Norwich Castle
- Episode 14: Arrowhead – (Original Air Date: 5 January 2017)
- Episode 15: Astragali – (Original Air Date: 6 January 2017)
- Episode 16: Ice-Skates – (Original Air Date: 9 January 2017)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a prince search for a maiden, with only her ice-skate as a clue.
- Associated Museum: Jorvik Viking Centre
- Episode 17: Spouted Pot – (Original Air Date: 10 January 2017)
- Summary: Lokesh helps a young woman who wants to impress her new mother-in-law with a tea ceremony.
- Associated Museum: Fitzwilliam Museum
- Episode 18: Skyphos – (Original Air Date: 11 January 2017)
- Episode 19: Spindle Whorl – (Original Air Date: 12 January 2017)
- Episode 20: Tweezers – (Original Air Date: 13 January 2017)
- Summary: Charlotte helps a great warrior who has a splinter and can't pick up his sword.
- Associated Museum: The Whithorn Trust
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How the Show Was Made
Working with Museums
A really important part of Teacup Travels is how it worked with museums all over the UK. Plum Films talked to museums at every step to make sure the real objects that inspired Great Aunt Lizzie's stories were shown correctly. They visited museums to measure and photograph the objects. This helped prop makers create copies for the show. These copies were then checked by museum experts to make sure they looked right. The stories for each episode were also shared with the museums to ensure they accurately represented the historical items.
List of associated museums
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Filming Style
The TV show combines two types of filming. The scenes in Great Aunt Lizzie's house are filmed live. The adventure parts are filmed against a green screen. Then, colorful, almost 3D-looking backgrounds are added to make the story world come alive.
Filming Locations
The entire show was filmed in Scotland. The indoor sets were built at Loretto School in Musselburgh. Great Aunt Lizzie's famous cottage, seen in outdoor scenes, was filmed at the Head Gardener's Cottage in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.
Where Else Can You Watch It?
The first series of Teacup Travels was shown in Australia on ABC Kids in summer 2016. It became very popular there, even reaching the number one spot in ratings, and is still repeated on the channel.
Composers for
Teacup Travels: Rasmus Borowski (on the left) and Alexius Tschallener (on the right)
The Music
The music for both series was created by Rasmus Borowski and Alexius Tschallener. The music was recorded live in Prague, Czech Republic. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra played the music, with Nic Raine leading them.
CBeebies Storytime App
On April 24, 2017, the CBeebies Storytime App launched a new story called 'Charlotte and the Viking Coins'. This story was based on an object not seen in the TV show. Great Aunt Lizzie narrates the story, and Charlotte goes on an adventure about real Viking Coins found in UK museums. The app lets kids read alone or with an adult, and it asks questions to help them think about the story.
How Popular Was It?
In its first week, starting February 9, 2015, Teacup Travels was one of the top 10 most-watched shows on CBeebies three times. At its peak, 561,000 people watched it!
Awards and Nominations
The first series of Teacup Travels was nominated for several awards, both in the UK and other countries:
- BAFTA Scotland (2015) – Nominated for Best Children's Programme
- Broadcast Awards (2016) – Nominated for Best Pre-School Programme 2015/2016
- Celtic Media Festival (2016) – Nominated for Children's Programme
- Prix Jeunesse International (2016) – Nominated for Children's Fiction, for ages 6 and under
- Teacup Travels at BBC Programmes
- Website of composer Rasmus Borowski [1]
