Mr Bloom's Nursery
CBeebies urges children to pull on their wellies, pick up a trowel and learn some important life lessons through the wonders of vegetable gardening in Mr Bloom's Nursery, a brand new live action and puppet series for early 2011.
Set in a colourful, fertile allotment run by the green-fingered Mr Bloom (Ben Faulks), the series combines live action and puppetry to show how young children can learn from the experience of nurturing plants and vegetables.
In each episode a team of young helpers, or "Tiddlers", come to the allotment to help Mr Bloom tend his produce and plants. But when they add leaves and clippings to his wondrous home-made "compostarium" something rather amazing happens to his nursery, for inside his shed is a group of lively young vegetable puppets that the children can play with, teach and look after.
There's Colin the Runner Bean, an active, enthusiastic and daring young bean; Margaret the Cabbage, who is shy but enormous fun when coaxed out from behind her leaves; bossy Joan the Fennel who likes to mother the other young vegetables; Raymond the Butternut Squash who adores cuddles and is a little bit clumsy; Sebastian the Aubergine who likes to sum up the day's activities with a song; and the Wee MacGregors – a clan of mischievous radishes who cause havoc at every turn.
From learning about the importance of drinking water when it's hot and sunny to understanding that growing takes time, Mr Bloom's Nursery explores a variety of themes to help children understand the world around them. And they even get to pick up some simple vegetable growing tips along the way.
A CBeebies In House Production
FW
Rastamouse
Give it up for Rastamouse, the cool, crime-fighting, mystery-solving mouse.
Based on the highly-acclaimed books by Genevieve Webster and Michael De Souza, this charming pre-school series follows Rastamouse and his friends, Scratchy and Zoomer, also known as The Easy Crew, in their musical adventures about "makin' a bad ting good".
British actor and radio and TV presenter Reggie Yates is the voice behind the skateboarding, guitar-playing mouse, with Bad Girls star Sharon Duncan-Brewster providing the voice of Scratchy, William Vanderpuye as Zoomer and Cornell John, who appeared in The Chronicles Of Narnia – Prince Caspian, as President Wensley Dale.
When things go wrong in Mouseland, President Wensley Dale always calls on The Easy Crew for help. Whether it's unravelling a mystery or capturing a criminal, The Easy Crew always save the day by working together. Through understanding, love and respect, Rastamouse guarantees that redemption not retribution is the order of the day.
Rastamouse and his funky lovable friends introduce pre-schoolers and their families to the magic of their island by encouraging them to join in with the characters as they play music, groove and skate their way through a series of thought provoking mysteries.
A Three Stones Media production in association with Dinamo and Little Roots
BW
Raa Raa The Noisy Lion
Get ready to roar with Raa Raa The Noisy Lion in this delightful new animation series about a noisy little lion cub who is just finding his voice.
Joining Raa Raa on his vocal voyage of discovery are Huffty the elephant, Topsy the giraffe, Crocky the crocodile, Zebby the zebra and Ooo Ooo the monkey.
Through sounds, gestures, facial expressions and, best of all, words, this merry band of young friends are learning that they can have a lot more fun on their adventures if they use their communication skills.
As Raa Raa and his pals play in the Jingly Jangly Jungle, CBeebies viewers won't be able to resist making a din too as they join in with the rhymes, actions and stories – exploring their new communication skills in a very noisy way.
A Chapman Entertainment/Mackinnnon And Saunders production
BW and Chapman Entertainment
Dipdap
This delightfully simple three-minute animation series features the amusing adventures of Dipdap, a long-suffering little animated character, and his bête noire – a drawn line.
From drawing a robot which frightens Dipdap away, to creating an egg which Dipdap is desperate not to break, the line creates endless challenges and surprises for the unsuspecting little creature.
Designed to enchant younger viewers and encourage a love of drawing, Dipdap is sure to pick up a few adult fans along the way.
Ragdoll Productions
91Èȱ¬ Front Desk Publicity
Little Charley Bear
Narrated by comedy actor James Corden, Little Charley Bear follows the animated adventures of a creative and playful teddy bear.
Using role play and his imagination, Charley is on a voyage of discovery to learn new things about himself and the world around him.
A born entertainer, Charley is very funny whether he means to be or not. As the little bear doesn't speak, emotions play a big part in the show. Charley learns to figure things out using his head but he is ruled by his heart and not good at hiding how he feels.
Joining Charley on his journeys into his imagination are Frozo the penguin; Midge the teddy bear; Rivet the robot; Nibblit the rabbit; Caramel the cow and Bellarina the ballerina.
Produced by Chapman Entertainment and Annix Studios, the creators of Fifi And The Flowertots and Roary The Racing Car, Little Charley Bear uses the latest 3D graphics, featuring film quality fur and innovative lighting techniques.
A Chapman Entertainment and Annix Studios production
BW and Chapman Entertainment
Nuzzle And Scratch
CBeebies' delightful but disastrous alpacas return in a new series of hapless adventures.
Having landed themselves a job at the Frock 'n Roll fancy dress shop, owned by retired naval officer Captain Carrington, Nuzzle and Scratch find themselves in an Aladdin's cave of costumes stacked high and teetering with comedy potential.
Best customers, The Twins, visit the shop every day and Nuzzle and Scratch are soon hunting high and low for new costumes, while the Captain puts the kettle on.
Little does the Captain realise, when he sends Nuzzle and Scratch out to buy some sponge fingers, that they have not only found the costumes but are also wearing them. Two alpacas in fancy dress setting out to buy sponge fingers, what could possibly go wrong?
Armed with costumes for every occasion, each day brings a new opportunity for adventure – and inevitably some chaos. Whether dressed as cheerleaders, train drivers or a pantomime horse, Nuzzle and Scratch always save the day in their own unique style.
Who can argue with Nuzzle when he says "dressing up is fun"?
A CBeebies In House Production
91Èȱ¬ Front Desk Publicity
Gigglebiz
Justin Fletcher is back to get the nation's under-sixes laughing their socks off in a new series of comedy sketch show Gigglebiz.
A huge hit with pint-sized laugh lovers since its debut last year, Gigglebiz sees the multi-talented CBeebies' legend and double Bafta-winner at his comic best breathing life into a collection of around 20 madcap comedy characters.
All the familiar favourites return, including hapless superhero Captain Adorable, causing comedy chaos in Wiggyville once more; creative cook Dina Lady with her revolting recipes; glamorous TV weathergirl Gail Force with her uncanny knack of failing to predict the correct weather; and the geographically-challenged Lost Pirate, whose search for treasure continues in the most inappropriate places.
There are also some brilliantly-observed new creations joining the Gigglebiz gaggle, including unlikely health and fitness guru Keith Fit; Opera Oliver, a larger than life restaurateur with a habit of breaking into song; roller-skating pie-maker Simon Pieman; and hapless fisherman Rod with his less-than-supportive wife Annette, played by Anita Dobson.
A CBeebies In House Production
BW
Grandpa In My Pocket
Take one seriously mischievous Grandpa, add an imaginative seven-year old grandson, throw in a magic shrinking cap, and watch Grandpa turn into the biggest child of the lot. That's the recipe for CBeebies' hit show Grandpa In My Pocket, back for a third series of comedy antics this year.
Starring James Bolam as Grandpa, Susan Jameson as Great Aunt Loretta and Jay Ruckley as Jason, this new series also guest stars a host of high-calibre British acting talent, including Anne Reid (Upstairs Downstairs), Sian Thomas (Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix) and David Rintoul (Doctor Finlay, Midsomer Murders).
Grandpa lives with his family in a beautiful seaside town called Sunnysands. Everyone thinks he spends all day sitting in his armchair, but he has a magic shrinking cap which only his grandson Jason knows about. When Grandpa puts his cap on, he becomes small enough to fit into Jason's pocket, not to mention his toy plane and car.
Filmed in HD, Grandpa In My Pocket promises a host of new adventures, including a visit from a celebrity chef, an outbreak of chicken pox and a search for the elusive Blue Big Beaked Bonglebird, and Grandpa continues to get in all sorts of unlikely comic scrapes for his long-suffering grandson to sort out.
And at the end of the series Sunnysands puts on its finest hat and gets out the confetti to celebrate a wonderful wedding to rival that of Prince William and Kate.
An Adastra Creative production
91Èȱ¬ Front Desk Publicity
Waybuloo
The Piplings can be seen in a whole new light as CBeebies goes inside their snug little homes for the first time in a brand new series of Waybuloo.
Nok Tok's bongleberry juicer, Lau Lau's spinning wheel, De Li's Narabug Nests and Yojojo's twinkler polisher are all on display as Waybuloo goes right into the very heart of the Piplings' world in 50 new episodes.
There's also a chance to become better acquainted with many other Nara favourites, including the Narmole, the Jumpbug and the Crawly Caterpillar, as the Piplings' lives unfold in a new and exciting way.
A harmonious land of happiness, laughter and friendship, Nara is home to the loving, caring and inquisitive Piplings. They practice Yogo, a gentle form of exercise with movements often inspired by things that the Piplings see in Nara such as birds, trees and narabugs. When Piplings experience pure happiness they achieve Buloo and rise gently into the air.
In Waybuloo, real life interacts with the animated world, showing that every child can visit Nara and find their own way to happiness.
The Foundation productions
DS
Kerwhizz
The highly successful "quiz with added whizz" returns for a second series of fast-paced action, as characters compete to answer questions and take part in wacky races around stunning virtual environments.
An exciting mix of live action and dazzling animation, Kerwhizz is masterminded by CBeebies' resident brainbox The Kerwhizzitor (Jacob Scipio), who encourages three to five year olds at home to shout out the answers to the questions and urge their favourite team to victory.
This new series features 15 completely new Raceworlds for the competitors and viewers to discover. From environments as diverse as Wild Westworld and Zoom Around The Moon, the characters answer the quiz questions, choose their Pod Mods and set off on their journey of discovery – with viewers cheering them on all the way.
A CBeebies In House Production
91Èȱ¬ Front Desk Publicity
Octonauts
Captain Barnacles Bear, swash-buckling Lieutenant Kwazii Cat and fresh-faced Medic Peso Penguin report back for deep-sea duty on CBeebies in 2011.
Fresh from making a huge splash with their debut on the channel in the autumn, Octonauts, a band of highly-trained heroes who patrol the oceans, return for more thrilling animated adventures.
Stationed in their impressive mission-planning base, the Octopod, the tip-top team of dashing Octonauts are ready to dive into action whenever there is trouble beneath the waves.
Using their fleet of aquatic vehicles they rescue sea creatures, explore new underwater worlds and triumphantly save the oceans from danger – it's all in a day's rather wet work.
Aided by an extraordinary range of striking submersibles – from the technological comfort of the Octopod, to the speed of the fish first-aid ambulance, Gup-E – the Octopods are never without a suitable vehicle, whether the mission is rescuing a stranded orca with the help of some tunnelling fiddler crabs or confronting a mysterious vampire squid.
Based on the richly imaginative books by design team Meomi, the Octonauts is produced in HD and combines classic team adventure with dazzling CGI animation to transport children into a spectacular undersea world.
A Chorion production
BW
Timmy Time
The adorable little lamb with a lot to learn is back in the nursery for a new series of adventures in the Bafta-winning Timmy Time.
As the "only lamb in the flock" Timmy has been used to getting his own way, but now he must learn to get along with other little animals. Self-willed and naughty, he has to discover how to share things and think about the feelings of others.
A gifted little footballer, Timmy also needs to learn that it's not enough to kick the ball – you have to pass it too.
Harriet Heron and Osbourne Owl, who run the nursery, have their wings full, but Timmy gets it right in the end – with a little help from his furry, feathery and spiky friends...
Timmy Time is made by Aardman Animations, creators of Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit.
An Aardman Animations production
Aardman Animation Publicity
The Lingo Show
"Hello", "bonjour" and "assalaam alaikum" to The Lingo Show, a brand new series launching on CBeebies online which introduces, and celebrates, different languages to a pre-school audience.
Following the CBeebies mantra of "learning through play", The Lingo Show makes discovering the first words of a new language fun and exciting.
Featuring French, Spanish, Mandarin, Welsh, Punjabi, Urdu, Polish and Somali, The Lingo Show introduces children to the magic of language and different cultures through its collection of colourful characters.
At the heart of the show is Lingo, the "all-singing and all-crawling travelling show bug" and his extended family, who each represent a different language.
There's giggly Punjabi bug, Kikli; gorgeous French bug Jargonaise; flamenco guitar-playing Spanish bug Queso; and speedy Mandarin bug Wèi.
Together the bugs enlist children to prepare for the Big Bug Show. Through a series of playful activities, the goal is for children to learn words in context and then sing their hearts out to the finale song, which includes the new words they have learned.
A CBeebies In House Production
FW/BW
Talkie Time
Talkie Time encourages children to use language confidently and learn through play, as they solve a series of problems by talking to the computer.
This fun, interactive series for online, is presented by Rodd Christensen (the much-loved Spencer from Balamory).
Talkie Time is designed to be used at home or at school by children and their parents, carers or teachers and encourages them to actively participate by involving them in situations such as deciding what colour to paint Rodd's wall or helping him make a healthy dessert.
The series gets children and adults talking to Rodd and to one another to create a unique interactive experience that is entertaining, educational and collaborative.
Talkie Time is a time when mums and dads take a well-earned break to have some fun with the children. Rodd always needs a little help and who better than the CBeebies audience to help him out?
Episodes of Talkie Time will also be available on The 91Èȱ¬ Learning Zone.
A Turmeric Media Production
91Èȱ¬ Front Desk Publicity
