Ragdoll Productions is a British television production company founded in 1984 by
Anne Wood, who had previously worked for
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
and
TV-am
TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchis ...
. It is located in
Stratford-upon-Avon, and has produced a number of
children's programmes, most notably ''
Pob's Programme
''Pob's Programme'' is a children's television programme which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. The programme is presented by a puppet named Pob (played by puppeteer Robin Stevens), who speaks with a speech impediment and ...
'', ''
Teletubbies
''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...
'', ''
Rosie and Jim
''Rosie and Jim'' (sometimes written as ''Rosie & Jim'') is a British children's television programme which was produced by Ragdoll Productions and aired on ITV from 3 September 1990 to 16 May 2000. The programme was then repeated periodica ...
'', ''
Brum'', ''
Boohbah
''Boohbah'' is a British preschool television series created by Anne Wood and produced by Wood's company, Ragdoll Productions, in association with GMTV. It originally premiered on ITV on 14 April 2003. The series was later broadcast on Ni ...
'', ''
Tots TV
''Tots TV'' is a British children's television programme, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network (part of CITV) from 1993 to 1998.
Development
''Tots TV'' was written by two of ...
'' & ''
In the Night Garden...''.
History
In the United States, Ragdoll sold their programs through The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Company, but in October 2001, Ragdoll parted ways with the company following a failure to reach an agreement with Itsy Bitsy's majority owner, the Handleman Group. Ragdoll then began to sell their programmes on their own from then-on.
In January 2002, ''
Teletubbies Everywhere'', a spin-off of the ''Teletubbies'', was announced to air on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
within its launch window. On June 14, a new series titled ''
Boohbah
''Boohbah'' is a British preschool television series created by Anne Wood and produced by Wood's company, Ragdoll Productions, in association with GMTV. It originally premiered on ITV on 14 April 2003. The series was later broadcast on Ni ...
'' was announced, and was pre-sold to
CITV
CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...
and
GMTV for a 2003 delivery. The show later saw an international role-out.
At MIPTV 2005, Ragdoll announced a new show titled ''Blurrfect'' and that CITV had acquired broadcasting rights. The show would premiere in Autumn 2005. By September 2005, the show was renamed ''Blips'', and soon premiered on September 29, 2005, as part of the CITV's autumn schedule. On October 13, Ragdoll unrevealed two new series that were pre-sold to the BBC: ''
In the Night Garden...'', and ''
Tronji'', for a 2007 delivery. In October 2005, Ragdoll subsidiary The Ragdoll Foundation announced that
Five
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
's
Milkshake!
''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7.
History
The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 1 ...
block had commissioned a series of six short films titled ''What Makes Me Happy?'', which would air daily from December 19th.
In September 2006, Ragdoll formed a joint venture with
BBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide, to sell and license the company's programs outside of the UK and North America. ''In the Night Garden'' and ''Tronji'' would be the first two programmes created as part of the venture, while existing programmes would be handled by BBC Worldwide will manage the international broadcast sales and the UK and international licensing of all Ragdoll properties (''Blips'', ''Boohbah'', ''Brum'', ''Tots TV'', ''Rosie and Jim'' and ''Open a Door''), with Ragdoll retaining all UK broadcast rights. A new subsidiary - Ragdoll USA Inc, part of the new joint venture, would manage Ragdoll's distribution in North America.
In January 2013, Ragdoll opted to end their agreement with BBC Worldwide and put up Ragdoll Worldwide for sale. On September 16,
DHX Media
WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children ...
purchased the venture from both companies for £17.4 million (or USD$24 million) The deal included the rights to Ragdoll's programming, but did not include the rights to ''Pob's Programme'' and ''Playbox'', which were kept by Ragdoll Ltd., not the Ragdoll Productions company itself.
In 2021, Ragdoll formed a deal with British distribution company
Cake Entertainment
Cake Entertainment Ltd (CAKE) is an independent company specialising in the production, distribution, financing and development of kids’ and family entertainment brands.
About
CAKE works with producers of animation and live-action content, inc ...
for them to distribute their new series, ''B.O.T. and the Beasties,'' for
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
''.''
Pre-Ragdoll productions
The following are some of Ragdoll's productions before the company was founded, accompanied by a brief description and vital statistics:
* ''Puzzle Party'' - First broadcast in 1977. Hosted by
Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Daubeney Brandreth (born 8 March 1948) is an English broadcaster, writer and former politician. He has worked as a television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author and publisher.
He was a presenter for TV-am's '' Good Morning ...
and featuring characters Gnigel and Gnu, the show was one of Anne Wood's earliest TV shows for BBC.
* ''
The Book Tower
''The Book Tower'' is a British television series for children, produced by Yorkshire Television, that ran for 11 series from 3 January 1979 to 16 May 1989.
Initially presented by ''Doctor Who'' star Tom Baker (1979–81), each episode explo ...
'' - first broadcast in 1979, hosted by
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
and
Stephen Moore.
* ''
Ragdolly Anna
''Ragdolly Anna'' was a British children's television series, produced by Yorkshire Television and Siriol Productions and based on the books by British writer Jean Kenward. The show was broadcast between 1982-1987 on the ITV network during its ...
'' - first broadcast in 1982; based on the children's books by Jean Kenward.
* ''
Roland Rat
Roland Rat is a British television puppet character. He was created, operated and voiced by David Claridge, who had previously designed and operated Mooncat, a puppet in the Children's ITV television programme '' Get Up and Go!'' Claridge work ...
'' - first broadcast in 1983.
Ragdoll's productions
All of the following shows (except ''
Pob's Programme
''Pob's Programme'' is a children's television programme which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. The programme is presented by a puppet named Pob (played by puppeteer Robin Stevens), who speaks with a speech impediment and ...
'', ''
Playbox'', ''
Storytime'' and ''B.O.T. and the Beasties'') are now owned by WildBrain (formerly DHX Media). ''Tots TV'' is co-owned with
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom.
ITV plc is listed on the ...
.
* ''
Pob's Programme
''Pob's Programme'' is a children's television programme which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. The programme is presented by a puppet named Pob (played by puppeteer Robin Stevens), who speaks with a speech impediment and ...
'' (1985–1990) on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
* ''
Playbox'' (1987–1992) on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
* ''The Magic Mirror'' (1989)
* ''Boom!'' (1990-1991)
* ''
Storytime'' (Series 5-6) (1990)
* ''
Rosie and Jim
''Rosie and Jim'' (sometimes written as ''Rosie & Jim'') is a British children's television programme which was produced by Ragdoll Productions and aired on ITV from 3 September 1990 to 16 May 2000. The programme was then repeated periodica ...
'' (1990–2000) on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
* ''
Brum'' (1991)
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
(
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 ...
)
* ''
Tots TV
''Tots TV'' is a British children's television programme, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network (part of CITV) from 1993 to 1998.
Development
''Tots TV'' was written by two of ...
'' (1993–1998) on
ITV (CITV)
* ''Open a Door'' (1994–2003) on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
(
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 ...
, later
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
)
* ''
Teletubbies
''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...
'' (Original Series) (1997-2001) on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
(
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 ...
, later
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
)
* ''
Badjelly the Witch'' (2000) on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
(
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 ...
)
* ''
Teletubbies Everywhere'' (2002) on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
* ''
Boohbah
''Boohbah'' is a British preschool television series created by Anne Wood and produced by Wood's company, Ragdoll Productions, in association with GMTV. It originally premiered on ITV on 14 April 2003. The series was later broadcast on Ni ...
'' (2003–2006) on
ITV1 (CITV)
* ''
Blips
BLIPS is an acronym for ''Bond Linked Issue Premium Structure'', or ''Bond Linked Investment Premium Strategy''. It is a type of tax shelter involving investors who take out bank loans that the government considers illegitimate. These loans are the ...
'' (2005–2006) on
ITV1
ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
(
CITV
CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...
)
* ''What Makes Me Happy'' (2005) on
Channel 5 (
Milkshake!
''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7.
History
The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 1 ...
)
* ''
In the Night Garden...'' (2007) on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
* ''
Tronji'' (2009–2010) 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 ...
* ''
Dipdap
Dipdap is a children's programme on CBeebies, in which a drawn line creates endless challenges and surprises for the unsuspecting little character Dipdap.
Background
The series was created by Steve Roberts and produced by Ragdoll Productions.
B ...
'' (2011) on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
* ''
The Adventures of Abney & Teal
''The Adventures of Abney & Teal'' is a British animated surreal children's television programme which uses a mixture of 2D and CGI animation based on the works of writer and illustrator Joel Stewart. The show, which follows the adventures of ...
'' (2011–2012) on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
* ''
Twirlywoos'' (2015–2017)
* ''
B.O.T. and the Beasties'' (2021–present) on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
The Ragdoll Shop
The Ragdoll Shop in
Stratford-upon-Avon in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...
was a shop that consisted of themed play areas based on Ragdoll properties and an area where merchandise was sold. The store originally opened in 1992, and traded until 2005, due to expansion limits and failure to find a new larger venue.
The building that formerly housed the shop is now a optometrist's practice named Dr. CP Grey's. The picture of Rosie and Jim waving can still be seen in the black window at the top of the building.
References
External links
Ragdoll's WebsiteHistory of Ragdoll
{{Authority control
WildBrain
British animation studios
Television production companies of the United Kingdom
Mass media in Warwickshire
Mass media companies established in 1984
Companies based in Warwickshire
1984 establishments in the United Kingdom