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''Tots TV'' is a British children's television programme, produced by
Ragdoll Productions Ragdoll Productions is a British television production company founded in 1984 by Anne Wood, who had previously worked for Yorkshire Television and TV-am. It is located in Stratford-upon-Avon, and has produced a number of children's programm ...
and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network (part of
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 whic ...
) from 1993 to 1998.


Development

''Tots TV'' was written by two of its puppeteers,
Robin Stevens Robin Gordon Stevens (born 30 January 1960) is an English puppeteer, actor, director and writer for children's TV for nearly 30 years, and has done many successful programmes. These include '' Pob's Programme'', '' Corners'', ''Teletubbies'', ...
(Tom) and Andrew Davenport (Tiny).


Characters

The programme focuses on three puppets: Tilly, a French girl, with red hair, freckles and pale skin, who speaks in basic French (changed to English in French and Spanish broadcasts, and changed to Spanish in the US version), Tom, a blue-haired boy with glasses and dark skin, who is smart, and Tiny, the youngest Tot, who is smaller than the others and has green hair and pale skin. It also includes their pet Donkey who lives in a stable next to the Tots' secret house and a mischievous little dog named Furryboo that the Tots do not know about.


Voices

* Tilly (played by three actresses – initially Véronique Déroulède, then Claire Carre and later Alexandra Hogg aría Moscardó in the US version. * Tom (played by
Robin Stevens Robin Gordon Stevens (born 30 January 1960) is an English puppeteer, actor, director and writer for children's TV for nearly 30 years, and has done many successful programmes. These include '' Pob's Programme'', '' Corners'', ''Teletubbies'', ...
ark Heenehan in the US version * Tiny (played by Andrew Davenport evin Clash in the US version


Plots


Going out

Often (although not always), the Tots would go out to explore an everyday area in the real world. This often involved them helping out a young child, visiting Jane Pardoe at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, and watching Jack the Gardener who was always placing surprise items in a field for children to play with. This also sometimes involved them using their magic bag which they always took with them, Tiny always carried it and Tilly always operated it. When asked to help, it would always produce some items to help them in the situation.


Staying in

In many other episodes, the Tots would do something in their secret house, including playing games and making exciting discoveries. Because the full titles featured the Tots leaving the house they were altered for such episodes. Often these episodes would feature one of the Tots reading the other two a story. These episodes always feature the reading Tot preparing to read using dolls of the characters in the story. Apparently, the other two were unaware they were preparing to read a story because they would always ring them up on their personal phone to ask if they wanted to listen to a story. This was despite the fact they all lived in the same house.


Other

If the episode was a full-length double-bill (regularly the first half with Jane Pardoe and the second half an adventure in the secret house) in the earlier episodes, they would be joined with a two-minute animation of a 'Noah's Ark' story (based on the toy "Noah's Ark in the Secret House") or an animation of a picture that a viewer had sent into the program.


Recurring jokes

*Furryboo is always causing mischief or even helping the Tots out (one such moment was when he helped put the star on the top of their Christmas tree), but they never know he's there. *When things go wrong or the Tots are just being silly, they call each other names like "Banana", "Sausage" and "Tomato". *The Tots have telephones which signify their favourite colour with the same phone number of 12345, that they use to communicate with each other, even if they are only a small space away.


Productions

* Central Television (1993–1997) *
Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Tele ...
(1997–1998)


Episodes

Episodes Included: #Middle Of The Night #Hippo #Furry Beat #Tom's Trumpet #Old McTom #Tiny's Box Song #Tilly's Recorder #Castle #Cleaning Windows #Birthday Surprise #Naughty Little Pig #Tiny Leaves Home #Lost in the Supermarket #Postwoman #What's That Noise? #Vegetable Guard #Disco Machine #A Sticky Mess #Missing the Bus #Naughty Mysterious Person #The Dentist #Owl #Hedgehog #Peacock #Bus Ride #Rabbit #Space Robots #Tiny's Box #Rhino #Dreamy Tilly #Bike Ride #Donkey Ride #Fox #Camel #Roller Skating #Lemur #Snail #Hedgehog #Windy Day #Apple Picking #Kittens #Playground #Bike Ride #Dress #Peacock #Dog #Elephant


Telecast

The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network (part of
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 whic ...
). In April 2004,
Ragdoll The Ragdoll is a breed of cat with a distinct colorpoint coat and blue eyes. Its morphology is large and weighty, and it has a semi-long and silky soft coat. American breeder Ann Baker developed Ragdolls in the 1960s. They are best known for the ...
and Carlton International announced that they had secured a broadcast deal with the BBC to rebroadcast the series from that month, where it first aired on the
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 child ...
on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
block as well as the CBeebies channel. Internationally, the series was also telecast in the United States on the PBS network from 1996 to 2002 with Tilly speaking Spanish, instead of French. In 2000,
Discovery Kids Discovery Kids (stylized as Discovery K!ds) is a brand name owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting as a television segment within the Discovery Channel, the brand expanded as a separate television channel. Most of its worldwide channels were e ...
broadcast the series throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Falkland Islands. In Holland, the series is aired on
Kindernet Kindernet (as Nickelodeon Kindernet from 2011 to 2013) was a Dutch television network that aired classic and modern children's television series from the 1980s onward. Two iterations of the network have been broadcast; the original lasted from 19 ...
.


Awards

The series won two BAFTA awards for its producer Anne Wood and director Vic Finch.


Specials

A number of special episodes of the series were produced for both TV and VHS release, including a short series of episodes set in the USA, a 'Big Treasure Adventure' set on a pirate ship from England to Australia and several Christmas specials, including one filmed in
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per� ...
,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
. A series of educational ''Tots Video'' specials were originally released by Video Collection International in 1997 (later reprinted by Carlton in 2000) included hour-long episodes based on the alphabet, numbers, animals and basic French.


VHS releases

Videotapes of the series were originally released by Video Collection International under their Central Video imprint from 1993 until 1994, and transitioned off to Carlton Home Entertainment afterwards and later Granada Ventures. *Year 1993: Camel and other stories (VC1299) (Camel, Beach, Fox) *Year 1993: Hedgehog and other stories (VC1300) (Trains, Hedgehog, Dress) *Year 1993: Owl and other stories (VC1303) (Bike Ride, Owl, Donkey Ride) *Year 1993: Peacock and other stories (VC1307) (Peacock, Bus Ride, Rabbit) *Year 1993: Elephant and other stories (VC1313) (Horse, Baby Party, Elephant) *Year 1993: Apple Picking and other stories (VC1315) (Apple Picking, Kittens, Playground) *Year 1994: Dog and other stories (VC1322) (Woodlouse, Cars, Dog) *Year 1994: Roller Skating and other stories (VC1323) (Lemur, Roller Skating, Snail) *Year 1994: Giraffe and other stories (VC1324) (Rockpool, Giraffe, Dentist) *Year 1994: Wiggly Worms and other stories (VC1325) (How Does Your Garden Grow?, Wiggly Worms, Cleaning Windows) *Year 1994: Windy Day and other stories (VC1327) (Penguin, Windy Day, The Hungry Nanny Goat) *Year 1994: Bumper Special: Bike Ride and other stories (VC1361) (Dress, Bike Ride, Donkey Ride, Peacock, Cars, Dog) *Year 1995: The Funny Noises Band and other stories (VC1384) (Mountain Climbing, The Funny Noises Band, Tiny's Storybook (Little Red Car), Fluffy Little Chicks, Dressing Up, Bubbles) *Out to Sea and other stories (Splashing in the Pool, Hippo in the Garden, Colours, Out to Sea, Tiny's Storybook, Bananas, Parcels) *Sticky Disasters and other stories (Sticky Disasters, A Watery Surprise, Trouble in the Bathroom, Washing the Car, Blowing Bubbles, Big Banana Tom) *Lost Teddy and other stories (Lost Teddy, Lost Button, The Vegetable Nibbler, A Very Clever Monkey, The Disappearing Trousers, Cable Car, Where is That Phone?) *Magical Secrets and other stories (Magical Secrets, Tots In A Box, Magic In The Woods, Magic Balloons, Music Factory, Magical Night Time Garden, Secret Treasure Map) *Bumper Special: Donkey Ride and other stories (Donkey Ride, At the Airport, Tiny's Storybook, Undersea Adventure, It's Only Thunder, Safety on the Beach, Fun on the Beach, Donkey Cake, Watering the Garden, Ants, Naughty Little Fly, Melon Cheese, Rainy Day, Koala) *Secret Magic Parcels and other stories (The Secret Magic Parcels, Fishes, A Noisy Surprise, Tom's Storybook, Looking in the Mirror, Feeding the Calves) *Fluffy Little Chicks and other stories (Fluffy Little Chicks, It's a Cockerel, Milking a Cow, Raspberry Picking, Tom's Storybook, A Pool for the Ducks) *Super Tiny and other stories (Super Tiny, Laundrette, King of the Castle, Tom's Storybook, Naughty Mysterious Person, Iguana) *Flying High and other stories (Flying High, Tom's Storybook, The Village Band, Sticky Surprise, Tilly's Storybook, Sea Lions, Three Little Pigs, Doctor, Tiny's Storybook, A Special Party Cake) *A Painting Surprise and other stories (Lost In the Supermarket, Tilly's Storybook, Tiny Leaves Home, The Naughty Little Pig, A Sticky Mess, A Painting Surprise) *The Runaway Horse and other stories (The Runaway Horse, Tiny's Storybook, A Doughy Squeezy Surprise, Sausage Surprise, A Rainy Day, Sandcastles) *The Lighthouse and other stories (The Lighthouse, Party Time, Tom's Storybook, Blowing Games, Song Window, Flamingoes) *Hopping Day and other stories (Sheep, Boing Boing, Tilly's Storybook, All Fall Down, Naughty Old Ball, Hopping Day) *Birthday Surprise and other stories (Birthday Surprise, Dress, Peacock) *Cuddly Bunnies and other stories (Cuddly Bunnies, Splish Splash Splosh, New Shoes, Spring Cleaning, Chinchilla, Smart Day, Flower Friend) *Naughty Puppies and other stories (The Naughty Puppies, Tom's Storybook, Accidents Will Happen, The Dirty Old Boat, Watering the Garden, A Watery Surprise) *Hamster and other stories (The Happy Hamster, Squashed Donkey, Guide Dog, Animal Concert, The Funny Furry Otter, A Cat Called Brian, Zebras) *Bumper Special: Penguin and other stories (Penguin, Windy Day, The Hungry Nanny Goat, How Does Your Garden Grow, Wiggly Worms, Cleaning Windows) *Wobbly Jellies and other stories (Wobbly Jellies, Feeding the Ducks, Tom's Fast Food Takeaway, A Special Cake, Tom's Storybook, Baking Bread, Hippo) *Bumper Special: Kittens and other stories (Apple Picking, Kittens, Playground, Horse, Baby Party, Elephant) *Dentist and other stories (Dentist, Owl, Rockpool) *Bumper Special: Camping and other stories (Camping, Painting, Lovely Old Toad, The Big Wheel, Tom's Storybook, Balancing Surprise, Donkey Goes Missing, Paper Boats) *Bumper Special: At the Beach and other stories (At the Beach, Trains, Rockpool, Owl, Dentist, Hedgehog) *Boing Boing and other stories (Boing Boing, Lemur, Jumping Up and Down, Hopping Day) *Naughty Little Pigs and other stories (Naughty Little Pigs, Sheep, Feeding the Calves, Three Little Pigs) *Tiny Leaves Home and other stories (Tiny Leaves Home, Lost in the Supermarket, Dressing Up) *Mountain Climbing and other stories (Mountain Climbing, Tom's Storybook, Out to Sea) *Bumper Special: Fox and other stories (Fox, Roller-Skating, Camel, Giraffe, Snail, Woodlouse) *Bubbles and other stories (Bubbles, A Rainy Day, Splashing in the Pool, A Watery Surprise) *Fishes and other stories (Fishes, Tom's Storybook, Looking in the Mirror) *Sing Song Adventures (Furry Beat, Tom's Trumpet, Disco Machine, Grand Old Duke of York, Tom Sings La La La, Old McTom, Tilly's Flute) *Snowy Adventure (60-minute Special) *Bedtime Stories (Bedtime Stories, Bath, Far Away Star, Street Lamps, Night Time Teddy Adventure, Fun with Shadows, Time for Bed) *Summer Holiday Adventures (Afternoon Adventure, Watching the Dolphins, Building a Playhouse, The Loch Ness Monster, Jumping Kangaroos, King of the Castle, Little Boats Big Boats) *Seaside Holiday Fun (At the Beach, Donkey Ride, Rockpool) *Zoo Animals (Camel, Elephant, Giraffe) *Furry Friends (Little Kittens, Cuddly Bunnies, A Happy Dog)


DVD

*Birthday Surprise and other stories – (3 Episodes) *The Adventures of Tilly, Tom And Tiny – (11 Episodes) *Naughty Little Puppies and other stories – (6 Episodes) *Snowy Adventure – (60 Minute Special + 2 Bonus Episodes)


Special releases

In 1997, four special VHS tapes were originally released under the name ''Tots Video''. The four titles were re-released by Carlton Video in 2000 with the same titles. The four titles were: *''Tilly, Tom and Tiny's A,B,C'' *''Tilly, Tom and Tiny's Animal Adventures'' *''Tilly, Tom and Tiny's Fun with French'' *''Tilly, Tom and Tiny's 1,2,3''


References


External links


Tots TV at BBC
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tots Tv 1993 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings 1990s British children's television series 1990s preschool education television series ITV children's television shows British television shows featuring puppetry Television series by ITV Studios Television series by DHX Media Television series by Ragdoll Productions PBS original programming PBS Kids shows Television shows produced by Central Independent Television English-language television shows French-language television shows Spanish-language television shows Television shows set in Warwickshire CBeebies British preschool education television series