Tikkabilla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tikkabilla |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's |
| Developed by | BBC Education for BBC Worldwide |
| Presented by | Justin Fletcher Sarah-Jane Honeywell Simon Davies Lorna Laidlaw Paul Ewing Veejay Kaur Toni Fruitin Amit Sharma Beverly Hills |
| Starring | Sue Eves Alison McGowan Katherine Smee Simon Buckley Tim Jones |
| Theme music composer | Francis Haines Liz Kitchen Jake Hook Paddy Kingsland |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 280 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Leslie Pitt |
| Producer(s) | Clare Bradley Tony Reed |
| Production location(s) | Chris Wood Clare Elstow |
| Camera setup | Bart Baker Mark Thompson Bob Gosling Steven Kelly Alan Beal Tim Jones Duncan McLaren Paul Freeman |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC |
| Distributor | BBC Worldwide |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies |
| Picture format | widescreen |
| Original release | 14 October 2002 – 27 January 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Playdays |
| Related shows | Green Balloon Club |
Tikkabilla was a popular children's TV show from the UK. It aired on BBC One, BBC Two, and the CBeebies channel. The show aimed to teach young children new things in a fun way. The name "Tikkabilla" comes from a Hindi word. It means "Hopscotch", which is a well-known children's game.
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What is Tikkabilla?
The show featured two presenters and a small dragon puppet named Tamba. Tamba was a curious character who was always learning new things. The presenters would explain topics to Tamba, helping viewers learn too. Tamba appeared in every episode. A team of presenters took turns hosting the show.
Meet the Presenters and Puppeteers
Some of the presenters included Justin Fletcher, Sarah-Jane Honeywell, Simon Davies, and Lorna Laidlaw. Other presenters were Paul Ewing, Veejay Kaur, Toni Fruitin, Amit Sharma, and Beverly Hills. Tamba the dragon was brought to life by talented puppeteers. Sue Eves performed Tamba and created his voice. Other puppeteers included Alison McGowan and Katherine Smee. Sue Eves also helped write many of the show's scripts.
Show Format and Studio Fun
Tikkabilla followed a similar style to older UK children's shows like Play School and Playdays. Interestingly, presenter Simon Davies also worked on Play School and Playdays. Justin Fletcher, another presenter, even played a character in a live stage show of Playdays.
The Tikkabilla studio looked like a big, colorful house. Inside, the presenters and Tamba would sing songs, tell stories, play games, and create crafts. Sometimes, special guests would visit the studio. These guests would often show off a unique skill or performance.
The show used special windows – square, round, and arched – just like Play School. These windows helped transport viewers from the studio to the outside world. Short video clips, often featuring the presenters, Tamba, and young children, showed different places and activities. This helped the audience learn about the world around them.
Mini-Series and Educational Clips
Tikkabilla also included smaller shows within its episodes. These mini-series included "Bonny, Banana and Mo," "Sami's Worlds," "Summerton Mill," and "Higgledy House." "Summerton Mill" and "Higgledy House" later became their own standalone shows on CBeebies.
The program sometimes showed animated clips from other BBC educational shows. These often came from Words and Pictures and Numbertime. One episode even featured a clip from Hotch Potch House.
Behind the Scenes
Beverly Hills, one of the presenters, also wrote for Tikkabilla. She also wrote for a related show called The Story Makers. The music for Tikkabilla was mostly written by Francis Haines and Liz Kitchen. Francis Haines also worked with Jake Hook on one of the songs.
- Tikkabilla at BBC Programmes
