The Adventures of Abney & Teal

The Adventures of Abney & Teal is a British-Canadian mildly surreal children's television programme which uses a mixture of 2D and CGI animation based on the works of writer and illustrator Joel Stewart. The show, which follows the adventures of two friends, is set on a series of small islands on a lake in a park in an unnamed city. The show was first broadcast on CBeebies in the United Kingdom in September 2011, and is produced by Ragdoll Productions.[1]

The Adventures of Abney & Teal
Created by	Joel Stewart
Developed by	Ragdoll Productions for BBC Television CBC
Written by	Joel Stewart, Steve Roberts, Matilda Tristram
Starring	Adrian Scarborough Shingai Shoniwa.
Narrated by	Adrian Scarborough
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52
Production
Executive producer	Anne Wood
Running time	11 minutes
Production companies	Ragdoll Productions BBC
Distributor	BBC Worldwide
Release
Original network	CBeebies
Original release	26 September 2011 – 28 October 2012

Characters

The Adventures of Abney & Teal centres on two animated rag dolls named Abney and Teal who live on an island in a lake in a park in a city. Abney lives in a hut at the base of a tree. Teal sleeps in the branches of the tree, with her only possessions a blanket and an umbrella. Abney & Teal share their environment with several friends:

• Neep, a small burrowing turnip-like creature.
• Bop, an aquatic mammal somewhat resembling a furry male elephant seal who drinks 'tea' (actually water from the lake) and blows bubbles.
• The Poc-Pocs, a set of 7 identical-shaped but different-sized comma-shaped wooden objects or hard tropical tree seeds, so named after the noise they make jumping about. Their first appearance was in the first episode, "The Porridge Party".
• Toby Dog, a melodeon-playing dog who always sits upright on the same place on the lake's mainland shore. He normally plays the same tune, which the narrator describes as several sorts of music. There are rare occasions where Toby Dog will play a variation of his tune, notably the lullaby on the episode Bop's babies.

From time to time Neep's 'friends and relations' come to visit. They look much like Neep but are different colours and have varying other features. For example, Zeep has a long blond moustache and Meep wears glasses.

Production

The show is produced by Anne Wood who, as founder of Ragdoll Productions, had previously brought successful children's shows such as Teletubbies and In the Night Garden... to BBC Television.[2] Wood stated that she had been an admirer of Stewart's picture books and their "distinct brand of gentle, fantastical humour and exquisite drawing style", but stated that it was his work on the book Addis Berner Bear Forgets that prompted her to contact the author.[3] As well as creator Stewart is also the series director, and spent three years working on the show before it aired.[4] Stewart stated in 2011 that the characters were all original constructs, designed in his sketchbooks, and the inspiration for the setting came from a visit to Victoria Park in East London.[4] The show is co-written by Steve Roberts and Matilda Tristram.[4]

The show is narrated by British actor Adrian Scarborough who also provides the voice for Abney, while Teal is voiced by Shingai Shoniwa, who is best known as the lead singer of the Noisettes music band.[5] None of the other characters have speaking roles, apart from Neep's ability to say his own name. Each episode is roughly eleven minutes long. The first series of 26 episodes started airing in the United Kingdom during September 2011. The show is aimed at 3-6 year-olds, but has been recognised for its adult friendly style, which harks back to earlier British children's programmes, drawing comparisons with the work of Oliver Postgate.[6] BBC licensing manager, Julie Kekwith, acknowledged the show's retro-feel in 2011, stating "we're sure [it] will appeal to adults and parents as well as children." and that the show has a "unique nostalgic and literary feel".[7] While Kate Monaghan in a 2011 review described the animation as having an "old-fashioned, puppet-esque feel", Fernando De Jesus of ITV Studios commented that the show has a "sort of chic brashness".[8]

In January 2012 it was announced that the show would be further promoted by a range of soft toys and games, made by Rainbow Designs.[9]

The first six episodes of Series 2 were broadcast in April 2012. The remaining episodes began airing on 28 October 2012. Series 2 also had 26 episodes.[10]

Episodes

Each of the series's episodes are self-contained and do not follow a larger story narrative or chronology.

Series 1 (2011-2012)

1. The Porridge Party (26 September 2011)
2. The Star Stick (27 September 2011)
3. The Poc Pocs' Holiday (28 September 2011)
4. The Storm (29 September 2011)
5. Stuck (30 September 2011)
6. Firefly Lullaby (3 October 2011)
7. The Rainbow Whistle (4 October 2011)
8. The Radio (5 October 2011)
9. Sky High (6 October 2011)
10. The Poc Poc Hunt (7 October 2011)
11. The Train (10 October 2011)
12. The Mystery (11 October 2011)
13. Neep's Birthday (12 October 2011)
14. Abney Finds A Hole (13 October 2011)
15. Faraway Island (14 October 2011)
16. Bop's Best Bubble (7 November 2011)
17. The Slide (8 November 2011)
18. The Enormous Neep (9 November 2011)
19. The Buzzing Thing (10 November 2011)
20. The Moon (11 November 2011)
21. The Snow Neep (12 December 2011)
22. The Perfect Tree (16 December 2011)
23. The Artwork (6 February 2012)
24. Abney's Magic Show (7 February 2012)
25. The Woolly Tangle (8 February 2012)
26. The Leaf Sweep (9 February 2012)

Series 2 (2012)

1. The Very Cold Day (10 February 2012)
2. Straw Hat Trouble (30 April 2012)
3. The Visit (1 May 2012)
4. The Enormous Sneeze (2 May 2012)
5. The Handbag (3 May 2012)
6. Neep and the Dragon (4 May 2012)
7. The Mysterious Mist (28 October 2012)
8. The Very Hot Day (29 October 2012)
9. Hiccups (30 October 2012)
10. The Enormous Cabbage (31 October 2012)
11. The Summerhouse (1 November 2012)
12. Brilliant Wheels (4 November 2012)
13. Bop's Babies (5 November 2012)
14. Sleep Digging (6 November 2012)
15. The Porridge Tower (7 November 2012)
16. Abney's Aquarium (8 November 2012)
17. Shadows (11 November 2012)
18. The Café (12 November 2012)
19. Abney's Precious Things (13 November 2012)
20. Frogs (14 November 2012)
21. Sticky Neep (15 November 2012)
22. Porridge Machine (18 November 2012
23. The Camera (19 November 2012)
24. Spring Cleaning
25. Spots (21 November 2012)
26. Rock Music (22 November 2012)

Notes

1. "Network TV BBC Week 39: Monday 26 September 2011". BBC Press Office. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
2. Young, Graham (29 January 2012). "Play it Again: The Teletubbies are 15 years old!". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
3. McMullen, Marion (6 January 2012). "Ragdoll says eh-oh to Abney and Teal... Firm behind Teletubbies brings two new stars to children's TV". Coventry Newspapers. thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
4. Stewart, Joel (22 September 2011). "The Adventures of Abney & Teal". BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
5. "Noisettes star in kids' TV role". Belfast Telegraph. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
6. Hogan, Michael (14 February 2012). "Is pre-school TV having a golden moment?". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
7. "The Adventures of Abney & Teal - Rainbow Designs awarded master toy and gift licence". BBC Media Centre. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
8. De Jesus, Fernando Gutierrez; Monaghan, Kate (8 September 2011). "Bomb Squad / Jo Brand's Big Splash / Adventures of Abney and Teal". broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
9. Loveday, Samantha (6 January 2012). "Ragdoll's Abney & Teal bolstered by new toy line". licensing.biz. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
10. "CBeebies Programme - The Adventures of Abney and Teal".

External links

• The Adventures of Abney & Teal at BBC Programmes
• The Adventures of Abney & Teal at IMDb