''Nina and the Neurons'' is a British television programme shown 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 childr ...

channel, aimed at the children to help them understand basic

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. Nina is a neuroscientist who enlists the help of five Neurons (animated characters representing the

senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system rec ...

) in her brain to answer a scientific question. The show is produced by Lucille McLaughlin, who has also produced the children's programmes

Balamory ''Balamory'' is a British live-action children's programme on BBC One, BBC Two and CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named ''Balamory''. Four series were produced between ...

, Me Too! and Bits and Bobs. The series is commissioned by

Controller, Michael Carrington

Synopsis

Most of the show is based at

Glasgow Science Centre Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located in the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II opened Glasgow Science Centre on 5 July 2001. It is one of Scotland's ...

, with a small part taking place outdoors. At the start of the show, Nina conducts experiments in front of an unseen audience of children. At one point of the show, Nina is 'contacted' by (usually two or three, but rarely four) children, who appear on a computer screen asking a science-related question (e.g., 'What makes rainbows appear and disappear?') Nina then chooses one (or more) of the five Neurons inside her brain based upon which of the

is most appropriate to answer the question. Once the Neuron has been selected by Nina, the children (called the 'experimenters') then visit Nina, using fun experiments and games. Afterwards, Nina takes the children out to find out more about the answer to the question, sometimes with the help of their friends and family. After they have found out the answer to the question, they travel back to the Glasgow Science Centre to do another experiment. Then, the 'experimenters' leave. At the end of each show, a song is sung, which changes from series to series depending on the theme of the series. Then, the Neurons discuss what they have done and the individual role they have played. The show ends with Nina and the Neurons bidding farewell to the viewers.

Characters and cast

The main character of Nina is played by Scottish actress

Katrina Bryan Katrina Bryan (born 10 July 1980) is a Scottish actress and CBeebies presenter who has starred in ''Taggart'', '' Nina and the Neurons'', '' See You, See Me'' and ''Sea of Souls''. She has been active since 1999. Bryan has a BA in Acting from ...

. She is a scientist who works in the lab. Nina wears a white

lab coat A white coat, also known as a laboratory coat or lab coat, is a knee-length overcoat or smock worn by professionals in the medical field or by those involved in laboratory work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simpl ...

with brightly coloured cuffs and lapels in her lab, and either a bright yellow coat or a blue jacket when outside. In the programme, Nina drives either a pale blue 1970s

Volkswagen Type 2 The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the Ge ...

(Transporter) minibus or a New MINI, both bearing numberplates reading 'NINA', or rides a bicycle in the Go ECO! version. The Neurons are five computer-animated human characters (stylised with human facial features and body, but no legs) who live together inside Nina's brain, with no legs, and are named to reflect the five

which they represent: Felix, voiced by

James Dreyfus James Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms ''The Thin Blue Line (British TV series), The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and ''Gimme Gimme Gimme (TV series), Gimme Gimme Gimme ...

in the first series but subsequently by Lewis MacLeod from the second series to the eleventh series, represents

touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

, and

feel Feel may refer to: *Feeling Music Bands * Feel (New York band), a dance and R&B band * Feel (Polish band), a pop rock band Songs * "Feel" (Kendrick Lamar song), 2017 * "Feel", by Phora, 2018 *"Feel", by Mahmut Orhan, 2016 * "Feel" (Kumi Koda so ...

. He is green and also the oldest Neuron, speaks in a posh accent and is particular about his appearance. Belle, voiced by

Kelly Harrison Kelly Harrison (born 1980) is a British actress. Initially a model for four years, she was cast in BBC's Saturday night programme, ''Casualty'', as paramedic Nikki Marshall. Harrison has also appeared in ''Born and Bred'', '' Waking the Dead'', ' ...

, represents

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psycholog ...

, and

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

. She has a pink face & a red body but also loud and can be bossy. she speaks in a

yorkshire accent The Yorkshire dialect (also known as Broad Yorkshire, Tyke, Yorkie or Yorkshire English) is a dialect of English, or continuum of dialects, spoken in the Yorkshire region of Northern England. The dialect has roots in Old English and is influe ...

, She's also the group vice leader. Luke, voiced by

Patrice Naiambana Patrice is a given name meaning '' noble'' or ''patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the popu ...

, represents

sight Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding Biophysical environment, environment through photopic vision (daytime vision), color vision, scotopic vision (night vision), and mesopic vision (twilight vision), using light in the ...

, and

looking Looking is the act of intentionally focusing visual perception on someone or something, for the purpose of obtaining information, and possibly to convey interest or another sentiment. A large number of troponyms exist to describe variations o ...

. He is yellow and is also the group leader. His character is laid back and relaxed, and speaks with a

Jamaican accent Jamaican English, including Jamaican Standard English, is a variety of English native to Jamaica and is the official language of the country. A distinction exists between Jamaican English and Jamaican Patois (or Creole), though not entirely a ...

. Ollie, voiced by

Siobhan Redmond Siobhan Redmond, ( ; born 27 July 1959) is a Scottish actress, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and known for various stage, audio and television roles. Early life Siobhan Redmond was born on 27 July 1959 in the Tollcross area of ...

, represents smell, and

scent An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

. She speaks with a

Scottish accent Scottish English ( gd, Beurla Albannach) is the set of varieties of the English language spoken in Scotland. The transregional, standardised variety is called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English (SSE). Scottish Standard ...

, just like Bud. She is purple and described as 'sweet, self-assured and a bit of a goth.' She is the elder sister of Bud. Bud, voiced by

Sharon Small Sharon Small is a Scottish actress known for her work in film, radio, theatre, and television. Perhaps best known for her portrayal of Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in the BBC television adaptation of '' The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' b ...

, represents

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

, and

eating Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, he ...

. He speaks with a

, just like Ollie. He is blue and also the youngest Neuron and can be enthusiastic and easily excited. He is the younger brother of Ollie. Bud and Ollie are often chosen together by Nina due to the way taste, eating, smell and scent all work together. *Note* they were only chosen together in the first episode of “In The Lab”. Felix and Luke got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, sight and looking all work together. Belle and Luke got chosen together by Nina due to the way hearing, sound, sight and looking all work together. Felix and Belle got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, hearing and sound all work together. All 5 Neurons got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, hearing, sound, sight, looking, smell, scent, taste and eating all work together.

Awards and nominations

* BAFTA Scotland 2007 :* Awarded Best Children's Programme * BAFTA Scotland 2008 :* Nominated as ''Best Children's Programme'' Composer: Scottish Composer Graham Ness

Exhibits

There is a themed ''Nina & the Neurons'' activity trail at the

.. There was also an attraction located at Alton Towers themed to the show called Nina's Science Lab which opened in 2014 and closed in 2018.

Episodes

The first series began on 26 February 2007 and ended on 30 March 2007. The 2nd series began airing on Cbeebies on 31 March 2008 and ended on 2 May 2008. It was followed by a third, this time called Nina and the Neurons: Go Eco!, on 13 June 2008 as part of CBeebies' year-long green initiative called EcoBeebies, which ended on 15 August 2008. A fourth series called Nina and the Neurons: Go Inventing started on 18 May 2009, where Nina invites several young inventors to her lab to discover how things work by inventing their own versions. It ended on 19 June 2009. The fifth series, Nina and the Neurons: In The Lab, was broadcast from 27 September 2010 to 10 December 2010. In the show, Nina and the experimenters discover changes and reaction. A sixth series, called Nina and the Neurons: Brilliant Bodies, premiered on 5 September 2011. The show focuses on the parts of the human body. The seventh series, Nina and the Neurons: Go Engineering, is another series about inventions. It started in 2012. Series 8 is called Nina and the Neurons: Earth Explorers, explores the Earth, the sea and beyond. The series also started in 2013. The last three series, Get Sporty (2014), Go Digital (2014) and Get Building (2015) focus on sport, gadgets and building respectively. (The titles for Series 1 and 2 are from

Digiguide Digiguide is a digital TV guide in the UK. Features Digiguide supports listings for many of the UK channels, and encourages broadcasters to join the service for no cost to them. The program can also import listings for channels from other co ...

)

Series 1

* 1. Stars * 2. Do We All Smell Different? * 3. Amazing Maze * 4. Trumpet * 5. Snowballs * 6. Eyebrows * 7. What's Cooking? * 8. All Bunged Up * 9. Nina Needs A Wee * 10. Spy kit * 11. Granny's Glasses * 12. Where's The Bad Smell? * 13. Wakey Wakey * 14. Why Is My Tongue Wet? * 15. Shadows * 16. Birthday Surprise * 17. Different Tastes * 18. Monster Hunt * 19. Making Music * 20. Distance * 21. Staying Cool * 22. Too Much Salt * 23. Bud Needs Help * 24. Echoes * 25. Colours

Series 2

* 1. Hide And Seek * 2. Getting Goosebumps * 3. Nina's Cake Bake * 4. I Can See A Rainbow * 5. Terrific Teeth * 6. Touching The Clouds * 7. Smelly Feet * 8. In A Spin * 9. Bubble Trouble * 10. Fun In The Sun * 11. Tummy Rumbles * 12. Finding Flowers * 13. Lovely Lollies * 14. Brilliant Bones * 15. Rumbling Thunder * 16. Nina Gets Nosey * 17. What A Fright * 18. Let's Hear It For Ears * 19. Making Waves * 20. Splish Splash * 21. Baby Talk * 22. Funny Honey * 23. Digging Dogs * 24. When the Wind Blows * 25. Tremendous Toes

Go Eco

* 1. Branching Out * 2. Food, Glorious Food * 3. Keeping Cosy * 4. Super Slimy Slugs * 5. Mouldy Food * 6. Something Fishy * 7. Recycling * 8. Flying High * 9. Monkey Business * 10. Every Drop Counts

Go Inventing

* 1. Bouncy Beds * 2. Pen and Paper * 3. Loud and Clear * 4. In the Box * 5. Mirror Mirror * 6. Wheels * 7. Clean It Up * 8. Lift Off * 9. Round and Round * 10. Get Wet * 11. Sliding Doors * 12. Handy Handles * 13. Cooking With Waves * 14. Time for Cogs * 15. Hot and Cold * 16. Buckle Up * 17. Dirty Dishes * 18. Top Taps * 19. Keys * 20. Eyes in the Dark * 21. Near and Far * 22. Hubble Bubble * 23. In a Flush * 24. Extraordinary X-Rays * 25. Swish Swish

In the Lab

* 1. Melty Chocolate * 2. Sleepy Dust * 3. Rattling Pan * 4. Burnt Toast * 5. Sugar and Teeth * 6. Super Sand * 7. Ferocious Fire * 8. Soap Suds * 9. Boats Float * 10. Grass Stains * 11. Salty Sea * 12. Wobbly Jelly * 13. Steamy Mirrors * 14. Fragrant Flowers * 15. Noisy Foods * 16. Popcorn Pops * 17. Sniffing Smells * 18. Mighty Metal * 19. Sticky Jam * 20. Bubbles Burst * 21. Onions Make Us Cry * 22. Wrinkly Fingers * 23. Glow Stars * 24. Wet Paint * 25. Marvellous Milk

Brilliant Bodies

* 1. Heart * 2. Handy Hands * 3. Sneeze * 4. Two Ears * 5. Blood * 6. Brain * 7. Wrinkly Face * 8. Earwax * 9. Exercise * 10. Tickly Feet * 11. Yawn * 12. Digestion * 13. Sleep * 14. Eyelashes * 15. Bellybuttons * 16. Scabs * 17. Eyes See * 18. Burp * 19. Spine * 20. Breath * 21. Skin * 22. Balance * 23. Memory * 24. Broken Bones * 25. Fingertips Feel

Go Engineering

* 1. Aeroplanes * 2. Glass * 3. Electricity * 4. Bin Lorry * 5. Hovercraft * 6. Robots * 7. Cranes * 8. Hot Air Balloons * 9. Ships * 10. Roads * 11. Tunnels * 12. Cereal * 13. Cable Cars * 14. Steam Pump * 15. DVDs * 16. Diving (Not To Be Confused With The Same Title From The 9th Series: Get Sporty) * 17. Luggage * 18. Biscuits * 19. Cars * 20. Computers * 21. Tall Buildings * 22. Canal Locks * 23. Sticky Fabric * 24. Bridges (Not To Be Confused With The Same Title From The 11th Series: Get Building) * 25. Mobile Phones

Earth Explorers

* 1. Space Rockets * 2. Grand Canyon * 3. Sand Dunes * 4. Living in Space * 5. Mountains * 6. Volcanoes * 7. Giant's Causeway * 8. Solar System * 9. Rivers * 10. Exploring Space * 11. Cliffs * 12. Night and Day * 13. Dinosaurs * 14. Living on Earth * 15. Stripy Rocks * 16. Geysers * 17. Loch Ness * 18. Moon Shape * 19. Caves * 20. Shooting Stars * 21. Coal * 22. Earth Is Round * 23. Deserts * 24. Gravity * 25. Waterfalls

Get Sporty

* 1. Cycling * 2. Curling * 3. Football * 4. Trampolining * 5. Climbing * 6. Rugby * 7. Marathon * 8. Sprinting * 9. Swimming * 10. Long Jump * 11. Snooker * 12. Gymnastics * 13. Diving (Not To Be Confused With The Same Title From The 7th Series: Go Engineering) * 14. Cricket * 15. Basketball

Go Digital

* 1. Driverless Cars * 2. Internet * 3. 3D Printing * 4. Coding * 5. Animation

Get Building

* 1. Triangles * 2. Pointy Roofs * 3. Piers * 4. Nests * 5. Houses * 6. Windmills * 7. Beaver Dams * 8. Skyscrapers * 9. Bridges (Not To Be Confused With The Same Title From The 7th Series: Go Engineering) * 10. Demolition * 11. Floating Houses * 12. Rollercoasters * 13. Arches * 14. Lighthouses * 15. Living Underwater * 16. Living Underground * 17. Igloo * 18. Spiders * 19. Domes * 20. Amphitheatres

References

{{reflist

External links

Glasgow Science Centre Activity Booklet
BBC children's television shows British computer-animated television series CBeebies Science education television series 2000s British children's television series 2010s British children's television series British preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series Television series by BBC Studios English-language television shows