''Big Babies'' is a 2010 British
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
children's television series. The main characters are two babies (actually babies with adult heads and voices superimposed) named Brooks and Rocco, who are reluctantly dragged away from watching television to go on unpredictable adventures in the world of the everyday. However, the toys on the shelf always have concerns about what the babies are up to, and get Budge, one of their own, to tag along with the babies (which he does for his own selfish reasons).
It is broadcast on
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
and
BBC Two in the UK,
BBC Kids in Canada and
ABC3
ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3.
Hist ...
in Australia. In 2010, ''Big Babies'' was nominated for a BAFTA Children's Award in the section of Best Comedy.
Production
The concept of the show (adult heads superimposed on babies' bodies) came from an idea by music video director Jon Riche, who wanted to make a video featuring such an effect. Unable to find a band willing to use the concept, Riche produced a quick proof-of-concept clip with comedian
Spencer Jones for a sketch show. Producer Jack Cheshire showed the clip to colleagues at the BBC, which led to the controller of CBBC commissioning a pilot and a thirteen-episode series.
[Thair, David]
The Making of Big Babies
BBC Comedy Blog, 15 March 2010.
Characters and cast
These are some of the main cast:
The Babies
*Brooks (born 11 May 2009) (
Spencer Jones): The more cynical baby. His catchphrase is "We should have stayed at home and watched the telly!" His primary bonnet is white with bunny ears on top
*Rocco (born 18 April 2009) (Martin Collins): Rocco is the more idealistic baby, complete with a beard. He idolises The Gonch, much to Brooks' disgust. His primary bonnet is white with mouse ears on top.
*The Gonch (born 30 December 2008) (Dan Kirwan): The coolest kid in town, complete with
bling bling
Bling-bling, often shortened to just bling, is "flashy jewelry worn especially as an indication of wealth or status; broadly: expensive and ostentatious possessions" such as grills and designer bags. The term arose as slang, but grew into a cu ...
. Has his own signature tune, and a lot of his dialogue is done in
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
. His catchphrase is "Later, losers".
Family and other babies
*Carole (born 10 November 1981) (Natalia Ferrara, voiced by
Sharon Horgan
Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970) is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer who co-wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) and ''Catastrophe'' (2015–2019). She also created the HBO comedy ...
): Brooks' mum.
*Gonch's Stepmum (born 14 June 1980) (Donna Louise Pearce, voiced by Spencer Jones)
*Calais Savoy (born 27 February 2009) (Caroline May Jones): An American baby who is friends with Brooks and Rocco. She appeared on ''Baby Got Talent'' but just screamed "Mummy Mummy I'm not eating that!".
*Daisy (born 4 April 2009) (Chiron Miller): Another friend of the boys.
The Toys
*Budge (born 20 August 1974) (voiced by
Doc Brown): A brown corduroy toy, who follows Brooks and Rocco's every move. He is always assigned by the Major to follow the boys, but does so through his desire for snacks (or other things he wants) His catchphrase is "Oh, Bongo!").
*Dave (born 16 July 1980) (voiced by Spencer Jones): A toy dinosaur who lives on the top of Budge's cupboard. His job is to wake up Budge when needed by knocking on the cupboard door with his tail.
*Eebie and Geebie (both born 8 December 1986) (voiced by Daniel Cook and Eve Webster): Two toy birds who are the first to panic about the outcomes of Brooks and Rocco's adventures. There is a TV show called ''The Eebie and Geebie Show'' featuring characters of the two birds, but Carole always turns the TV off just as it starts, much to the birds' disappointment and dismay.
*Major Moustache (born 14 January 1957) (voiced by
Nick Helm
Nicholas Tristan Phillip Helm (born 1 October 1980) is an English comedian, actor and rock musician known for his comedic confrontational delivery. His routines have been described as "brash and bullish". Many of his performances begin with him ...
): A red cat doll with an eye-patch, a huge moustache and medals.
*Private Popper (born 1 September 1981) (voiced by
Matthew Steer
Matthew Steer (born 24 April 1978) is an English actor and writer.
He made his stage debut in 1989 and is known for his roles as Ricky Ryan in '' Silent Witness'', Matt Lindsay in '' EastEnders'' and Albert Pemberton in '' Partners in Crime''.
...
): A mouse with a military beret. Popper always sees through Budge's self-centred schemes, but is chastised by the Major for voicing his concerns ("Pipe down, Popper!").
*Koggs (born 24 March 1967) (voiced by
Doc Brown): A robot with a Jamaican accent.
*Teddy Bez (born 3 June 1983) (Gabriel Schucan): A teddy bear dressed in a
teddy boy
The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly British youth subculture of the mid 1950s to mid 1960s who were interested in rock and roll and R&B music, wearing clothes partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, which S ...
style. A silent character, but answers any question with a dance.
*Snake (born 29 November 1973) (voiced by Caroline May Jones):
*Puppeteers – Jonny Sabbagh, Will Harper, William Banyard, Mark Jefferis and Sheila Clark
Episodes
1.Ducks
2.Pirates
3.Birthday
4.Market
5.Pet Shop
6.Dino Land Town
7.Rainy Day
8.The Race
9.Bedside the Seaside
10.Visiting Nanny
11.Arts and Crafts
12.Sleepover
13.Baby's Got Talent
References
External links
*
*
* {{IMDb title, 1625109
BBC children's television shows
British television shows featuring puppetry
2010 British television series debuts
2010 British television series endings
2010s British children's television series
Sentient toys in fiction
Television shows set in London