Watch: CBeebies show Hey Duggee introduce first gender-neutral character
The show, aimed at five-year-olds, introduced the racoon Wren and 'their' siblings when talking about different characters in the episode 'Sibling Badge'.
The series, which aired for the first time last year, sees squirrel Roly discover he's going to have a sibling.
The squirrels then meet different animals and their siblings.
Arlo the Dog is introduced with 'his' siblings, monkey Lucy with 'her' siblings.
Wren the racoon is then introduced with 'their' siblings.
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Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Sophia Wren: Princess Melancholy Holly Spillar: Tall Child Liam Tulley: Baldilocks Grace Helbig; Let Me Get This Off My Chest A Hundred Per Cent
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... COMEDY Sophia Wren: Princess Melancholy ★★★★ Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower (Venue 140) until 24 August Returning to the Fringe outwardly more robust than when she was last here, Sophia Wren offers a theatrically framed hour of lyrically and often hilariously filthy stand-up, delivered like an unstoppable stream of consciousness. With the persona of a cocktail party princess determined to have their say, despite the last drink having been poured and the gathering breaking up, the Irish comedian knows her mind and is not one to brook argument. Except that she's routinely visited by her oppressive inner thoughts, a diabolic red light flooding the room as her voice-over persecutes her with her most pressing insecurities, assuming the audience's contempt for her despite evidence to the contrary. Although a fairly recognisable and even clichéd stage device, the effect is still jarring, representing a marked contrast to Wren's jaded but otherwise wry, bawdy garrulousness. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sophia Wren | Pic: contributed Despite being forthcoming about fellatio, heavy drinking and cosmetic enhancements, proffering her own experience as representative of modern Ireland, Wren is considerably skimpier on autobiographical detail, effusively open and yet still guarded. Offering a point-by-point analysis of the attractiveness of the Emerald Isle's leading actors, with conclusions on their ride-worthiness, she's got a keen eye for a casual hook-up and virtually no interest in revisiting past relationships. We belatedly discover that she's a mother but almost nothing else about her daughter, with the comic's inner self hammering her as a bad parent. She's breezily satirical about Ireland's evolution from the dysfunctional Catholicism of her 23-child grandmother's time, The Troubles and the historical tendency to dismiss women with catch-all 'hysteria' labelling. She's also got really funny quips about Conor McGregor, the rise of the Far Right and mindfulness techniques, with her external disassembling only finally subsiding to straightforwardly confess her agitated mental state. Disclosing her past issues and the abuse she's endured, it's a not unexpected kicker to an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable hour. JAY RICHARDSON COMEDY Holly Spillar: Tall Child ★★★★ Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) until 24 August Holly Spillar protects herself and entices the listener with her disclaimer that Tall Child is a work of fiction, with any resemblance to real individuals entirely in the spectator's mind. The singular musical comic arrived in London with dreams of making it in the arts. But as a working-class performer, she took a 'low pay, high stakes' role facilitating the artistic inclinations of a privileged toddler. Just who the euphemistically refereed to 'Future Landlord' and their parents are is kept shrouded in mystery. Yet their mega-wealth is attested to by the phalanx of armed bodyguards who stir if Spillar oversteps her closeness to the kid. The gilded cage existence of her former charge and that of her own upbringing are starkly contrasted, with the proto-comic's preternatural talent and early Messiah Complex informed by undiagnosed neurodiversity. Yet the rebellious Spillar just isn't cut out for the established production line of frustrated arts graduates-turned-arts teachers. With some of the wide-eyed, ethereal glamour and spookiness of Kate Bush, she sings ironically, echoing over her own looped beats, the chippy, do-it-yourself attitude of one struggling to establish themselves in their chosen field. As a dark, weirdly tall child of poverty and limited horizons, she was never destined to play Cosette in Les Misérables, with the grimy street urchin being the preserve of posh little blond girls. We're all in the gutter, wallowing in our own faeces she tunefully wails. Yet some, like Future Landlord, will be able to literally sell theirs' at a ridiculous price, even their nappy spilled daubing indulged. As densely and intricately layered as this show is, the tunes woven through with controlled elegance, Spillar's anger and resentment blaze in her eyes and lyrics. Still, she retains an abiding compassion for the child at the heart of the story. Rarely less than archly witty and appealingly odd, at times she's impassioned and hilarious. JAY RICHARDSON Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad COMEDY Liam Tulley: Baldilocks ★★★ Just the Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288) until 24 August Deadpan and downbeat, Liam Tulley nevertheless consistently amuses with his bleak perspective and default misanthropy. Impassively, he despairs at the jobs he's had, his myriad health conditions and negotiating online dating as a bald man. A former care worker, who, fortunately, made a big mistake without consequences, but also grew accustomed to death, Tulley is not someone who radiates joie de vivre. Anxiety has led to a series of other, comically debilitating, self-perpetuating conditions for him that he sadly relates in depth, his knackered body conspiring against him and affording him a weary fatalism. When he tells you about signing up to dating apps, you already know he's a lamb to the slaughter of judgement. And so it proves, his feelings blithely crushed by human insensitivity and the brutal, Darwinian analysis of the algorithms. His material about intimate medical examinations never strays too far from the humiliating template laid down by countless middle-aged, male comics. Yet when he unexpectedly, finally, has some romantic success, snatching a score draw from defeat, he's on a more equal footing with his partner. And the relatable details of nature finding a way and a memorable, recurring visual image ensure that this solid debut ends surprisingly uplifting. JAY RICHARDSON COMEDY Joke Thieves ★★★ Laughing Horse @ the Three Sisters (Venue 272) until 24 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is another terrific comedy format from the mind of Wil Mars. Possibly most entertaining of all for serious comedy buffs and other comedians, but fun for all if cast correctly. It would be terrific on TV. The premise is that four comics do a very short set. Someone in the audience pairs them up and then those pairs swap sets and do each other's material. There are a dozen ways in which this is funny. Turns out Stephen Carlin's deadpan material is not really doable by anyone other than Stephen Carlin (and amiable Canadian Dylan Rhymer draws the short straw there), but Ollie Horne and Adam Green – although, I feel, not exactly sticking to the script - get big laughs out of each other's writing, frequently by adding ridicule and targetted sarcasm into an already funny script. It is also fascinating watching Carlin try to 'jolly up' to deliver Rhymer's gentle five minutes – heart shaped pizza is not Carlin's usual hunting ground. This is clever comedy jeopardy. And always a different cast, so the chances of a pairing made in heaven or hell is always different. KATE COPSTICK COMEDY Grace Helbig; Let Me Get This Off My Chest ★★★ Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) until 24 August Grace Helbig has been a content creator for 17 years. Just let that sink in. She was one of the first generation of internet idiots, putting her life online in bite sized bits. Making money from a new world that emerged just as she was coming of age. It means she's amazingly well placed to understand the effect of the addictive power of the algorithm, the dopamine chasing and the brain changing effect of addictive technology. But this is her cancer story, or to put it into her words her 'white woman healing journey'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Grace is relatively new to stand up but she's been an entertainer for a long time and she's full of verbal tics, physical jerks and slogans, which flash up on the screen behind her. Like a lot of Americans at the Fringe she has a slightly over-rehearsed, over-scripted style of comedy. She has a speedy delivery, with a touch of Megan Mulvaney. But Helbig is absolutely fluent in the quickfire humour of the perpetually online. The emotional impact of her cancer gets a bit lost in the whizz bang of the telling but she's a fascinating living embodiment of the culture she helped to create. CLAIRE SMITH COMEDY A Hundred Per Cent No Anxiety Comedy Show – Peter Bazely ★★ Upstairs @ Laughing Horse (Venue 151) until 24 August It is quite possible Peter Bazely is just having a bad day. For the hour of his show (which he repeatedly promises 'we will just smash through'), so am I. Everything is read from a notebook and even if this is meant to be anti-comedy, it doesn't really work. Be aware there is quite a lot of audience participation and that much mention is made of Peter's various psychological problems in his performance. The show purports to be 100% No Anxiety, but I found myself getting quite tense. Irritation does that to me. KATE COPSTICK
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
I was forced to ban Peppa Pig after my toddler continued to repeat one rude word
As a parent I have had to take drastic measures and ban Peppa Pig for good after my daughter continued to repeat and awful word Those of you who have tuned in previously for my Peppa Pig opinion pieces will already know that I am not the show's biggest supporter. I have outlined in the past that I would be switching over to Disney's family fun show Bluey, instead of allowing my two-year-old to follow the likes of Peppa, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. However, there was one occasion since my original statement when we accidentally watched the CBeebies programme. In fairness, it was not intentional, we'd tried desperately hard to find other shows that we felt were more suitable for our toddler. We'd just been watching Justin Fletcher's Something Special show and before we'd realised, the infamous pigs were next to follow on the channel. Of course, as Peppa and her family began to chime their snorts in the opening introduction, we were met with a roar of excitement from a toddler - who had not seen the show for sometime now. I shot a look at my partner, both of us providing a nod of approval that we would make one small allowance - and that she could watch it "just this once". What we didn't realise is that we would pay massively for "just this once," a mistake that would live with us for weeks to come. I think it's worth noting for the record that our daughter, apart from when she's unwell, is generally a good eater and will chow down most food with minimal fuss. Any way, back to the show and how this all ties together. We happened to allow our two-year-old to tune into episode 34, of season one, titled 'lunch". I would go out on a limb here and say this was probably the worst instalment I'd ever seen and regret deeply ever putting it on now. In this episode, George, Peppa Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig are visiting Granny and Grandpa Pig, who have collected fresh vegetables from their garden and invited everyone over to sample the goods with them at their table. As they all dig in, sampling the delicious homegrown produce, George is left looking perplexed. Granny, Grandad, Mummy and Daddy Pig prompt him to try various varieties of salad to which he rudely replies: "Yuck," and pokes his tongue out, moving his body away from his plate and turning his nose up. Refusing to try anything put in front of him, he simply tells them: "Yuck," each time before finally bursting into tears. Grandad intervene with a clever tactic, turning the salad into a dinosaur, with T-Rex obsessed George eventually lapping up the healthy goods in no time at all. I can see where the shows creators were going with narrative, that a little bit of creativity goes a long way but to use the word "yuck" in a food environment with impressionable toddlers watching, I simply do not agree with. As soon as we heard the word "yuck" leave George's lips, we knew we were in store for trouble. We're at that age where anything you say aloud will be consumed much like a sponge absorbing water. Sure enough, even after the episode had concluded, our two-year-old continued to repeat the word "yuck," finding it utterly hilarious. We'd hoped this would pass but it didn't. The next day, we presented our daughter with a homemade lasagne for dinner, a meal I had personally prepared totally from scratch and had probably taken the best part of five hours to cook - over the course of various parts of the day. As I placed her plate on the table, I was met with the word "yuck," yet again. I tried to encourage her to eat with playful aeroplane notions and was further shunned as she told me: "Yuck, yuck and yuck," much like George had done previously during the episode. It wasn't just happening in our home and we weren't the only ones to witness her blatant rudeness. We are fortunate enough that we have parents who help us out with childcare once or twice per week. On a visit, they'd dished up a lunchtime staple, peanut butter sandwiches, but were also met with the exact same response. On collection, we were left embarrassed as we summarised that George was to blame for her ill-mannered behaviour at meal times. We all mutually agreed that Peppa Pig would now be firmly banned across both households. Even if Peppa Pig happens to roll onto our screens by accident again, I'll be lunging for the remote as quicker than Usain Bolt to turn it off because in all honesty, from one parent to another, it's really not worth the additional stress or red faced apologies. Peppa Pig currently airs on CBeebies and Netflix.
Press and Journal
6 days ago
- Press and Journal
Nostalgia alert! PC Plum and Miss Hoolie reunite for Balamory reboot
PC Plum and Miss Hoolie have been spotted filming in the colourful streets of Tobermory, as it was confirmed that a Balamory reboot is underway. The BBC has officially commissioned a new series of the CBeebies favourite, which originally aired from 2002 to 2005. Some fans have even suggested the Balamory reboot is bigger than the Oasis reunion. Actor Andrew Agnew, who played the cheerful PC Plum, was seen in full costume in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull — the real-life setting for the fictional town. Wearing his trademark blue uniform and holding a notebook, PC Plum was pictured outside the pink and yellow houses that became instantly recognisable to young viewers across the UK. Miss Hoolie, meanwhile, has been popping up all over the place, and is ever patient with anyone who asks for a selfie. The original Balamory followed a group of characters living in a brightly coloured village, each with their own home, song and storyline. Its cast included Miss Hoolie, Archie the Inventor and Josie Jump, and the show was praised for its gentle humour and educational themes. Beloved stars Julie Wilson Nimmo (Miss Hoolie), Agnew (PC Plum), Kim Tserkezie (Penny Pocket) and Juliet Cadzow (Edie McCredie) are set to reprise their roles in the revamped series, which will air next year on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. They will be joined by new characters, including Dr Ollie, played by Carl Spencer, and Ava Potts, played by Aberdeen-born Danielle Jam, who is a favourite of His Majesty's Theatre pantomimes. Isle of Mull Cheese was one location for a very cute visit from a little boy to see a dairy cow, with actor Carl Spencer taking on the role of a vet. A spokeswoman for Isle of Mull Cheese said: 'We are a dairy farm on Mull using all our milk to make into cheese and producing spirit from the whey.' And if you want to follow in the Balamory footsteps, they offer a farm shop cafe and factory tours. The Pier Cafe on the CalMac pier appears to have been a great vantage point for filming, and Balamory fans even managed to glimpse a music band starring PC Plum and Miss Hoolie. Crofter Karen Elwis, who grabbed a birthday selfie with cast members, said: 'I think filming will certainly have been interesting for the tourists. The presence of the cast and crew will have had temporary economic benefits — and the real tourism boost will come when the series airs.' Local shop Island Blue Tobermory has undergone a makeover for filming. It has been painted red to become Penny Pocket's shop. A spokesperson said on social media: 'We were thrilled to be approached to use our shopfront. The team have been friendly and professional throughout — and it's been a natural fit, given our love of colour.' The BBC said the reboot aims to 'reflect today's world while staying true to the spirit of the original'. PC Plum's return nearly 20 years on marks a new chapter for one of CBeebies' most iconic shows. The new series is expected to air in 2026. Get the best of Oban and the Hebrides – straight to your inbox Sign up for our weekly newsletter, curated by Oban-based reporter Louise Glen, for top local stories and community highlights. 👉 Subscribe here Join the chat on Facebook: West Coast Chat
