Balamory star emotional as she rejoins CBeebies show after reboot
A cast member from the original Balamory has announced that they will be part of the pre-school show's return on CBeebies. It comes after the BBC announced plans for a "reboot" of the show, which is said to be getting a "revamp".
It was announced last year that Balamory would be revived more than 20 years since it last aired. The broadcaster said at the time that the reboot is expected to launch in 2026 with the first of two new series that it had commissioned.
The BAFTA -winning show, which launched on the BBC children's channel in 2002, focused on the fictional island community off the coast of Scotland. It ran for four series before coming to an end two decades ago in 2005.
It included Julie Wilson Nimmo, now 53, who played Miss Hoolie, among its cast. Miss Hoolie, who acted as the narrator of each episode, was introduced as a nursery teacher and remained the lead character throughout.
Julie has now confirmed that she will be back for the new series of Balamory. She shared the news in response to a fan who asked about the prospect in the comments section of a post about the actor doing yoga on Sunday.
The fan asked in the comments section on Instagram over the weekend: "Are you going to be in Balamory reboot?" Julie, who liked the comment, addressed the prospect in a reply. She simply responded to the fan: "Yup."
It was previously suggested by the BBC that the new series will feature characters from the original show, as well as introducing a host of new residents of Balamory. No casting details were included in the initial announcement, though.
Balamory had been filmed in the village of Tobermory. It was announced last year that the new series will either be filmed in the same location or elsewhere in Scotland, with the prospect of Rothesay mentioned at the time.
Julie returned to Tobermory at the end of her BBC Scotland show Jules and Greg's Wild Swim, in which she toured wild swimming locations with her husband Greg Hemphill. She teased then that she felt emotional being back.
Whilst arriving into the village, she told her husband on the docuseries, which aired last year: "This is magical." She added: "I actually feel really emotional." Julie, who later took photos with fans, then said: "I'm pure welling up."
Speaking about the reboot, Julie said: "It's the craziest and best news ever that Balamory is coming back. I seriously think this is bigger than the Oasis reunion. Everyone I know loves the show and has been missing it."
When the BBC first announced the revival last year, it said that the new series will be set in the fictional Balamory, with stories "centred around a nursery school and their teacher." It added that it's interested in "some" of the original characters being included alongside "a host of new faces".
Kate Morton, Head of Commissioning 0-6 for BBC Children's and Education, said at the time: "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."
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