Beloved children’s show Balamory is returning to the BBC after a decade or two off the screen – and here’s the story.
What’s the story in Balamory, wouldn’t you like to know?.
So goes the opening line to one of the catchiest children’s television theme tunes of the early 2000s: Balamory.
The show originally ran from 2002 to 2005. Created by former Playschool presenter Brian Jameson, Balamory followed the inhabitants of the titular fictional Scottish village, led by Julie Wilson Nimmo as nursery teacher Miss Hoolie . Nimmo and her husband, Still Game co-creator Greg Hemphill, recently revisited the Balamory filming location as part of their documentary Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Miles Jupp also got his break in the show playing zany inventor Archie, he went on to forge a successful career as a stand up comic.
The BBC has confirmed that the show will return for two new series each consisting of ten 14-minute episodes, to be filmed next year and broadcast on CBeebies in 2026. It is still in an early stage of development, but the BBC is hoping to include some of the original characters alongside new creations. It will once again be filmed in Scotland, it remains to be seen whether they will use Tobermory in the Isle of Mull, the original location, they are also considering using other Scottish locations like Rothesay.
Kate Morton, Head of Commissioning 0-6 for BBC Children’s and Education said “A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies. It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together”.
You can watch series 4 of the original Balamory on BBC iPlayer.
