Big & Small (partially lost CBeebies comedy puppet series; 2008-2011)
Title card.
Status: Partially Lost (British dub) Partially Found (Canadian dub)
Big & Small is a children's puppet comedy TV series co-produced by 3Js Productions and Kindle Entertainment in association with the BBC, Canada's TreehouseTV, and Belgium's Studio 100. It aired simultaneously on Treehouse and the UK's CBeebies from 2008-2011, for a total of 78 episodes over three series.[1] The TreehouseTV version was voiced by puppeteers/writer-directors Todd Doldersum, Jason Hopley and Jamie Shannon; the British dub featured veteran comedian Lenny Henry voicing both Big and Small, with Imelda Staunton and later Tamsin Heatley in supporting roles.
Synopsis
Big & Small was created to help teach children about the ups and downs of friendship and accordingly stars two polar opposite pals: a big, soft-spoken and endlessly patient purple bearlike creature named Big and his newfound roommate, a small, loud and hyperactive orange rabbitlike creature named Small. The two share Big's country cottage with Ruby, a pink scooter-riding mouse who lives in a hole in the kitchen wall, and a more ladylike green worm named Twiba (short for "The Worm in Big's Apple") who lives in the nearby apple tree and is very proud indeed of her blonde curls. A pair of bullfrogs in hats hang out at the pond below Big's garden and occasionally offer a croak or two.
Creativity is another running theme and frequent plot driver; Big is an enthusiastic amateur inventor and musician, Ruby is a visual artist and Small's wild imagination is never exhausted. The ten-minute episodes - which each include a standalone song segment that reinforces the plot - revolve around sitcom-style clashes, conflicts and finally compromises inherent in these characters' very different personalities.
Stage Performance
A live stage performance titled Big & Small: Happy Together! ran for 3 shows at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts in Ontario, Canada on October 13th, 2011, at 10 am, 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm respectively. The only current evidence of any of these performances is a minute-long clip uploaded to YouTube and two pictures of the characters taken by audience members.
Status
DVD Releases
After the show ceased airing it fell into relative obscurity, with only 3 official DVD releases localized to each country. In the UK these were handled by ITV.[2]
We're Big & Small! - contains the episodes "Something is Missing," "A Door For Small," "Fish Wish," "A Space For Small," "A Piece of Cake," "The Worm in Big's Apple," "The Case of the Missing Dinosaur" and "Stormy Weather."
Starry Starry Night - containing "Playing By The Rules," "A Sound Idea," "Rain Dance," "My Friend Fang," "Starry Starry Night," "Bad Luck Machine," "The Big Sneeze" and "The Mysterious Woods."
The Biggest Story - containing "The Biggest Story," "Small, Small Let Down Your Hair," "Boingo Boys," "The Rainbow," "The Scare-Small" and "The Box."
There was also a compilation DVD titled The CBeebies Collection Vol. 1 that contained the episode "Moon Race."
Online Uploads
Over the years many episodes of Big & Small have been uploaded online, some by the official YouTube channel and others to various private YT and archive.org accounts. At the moment, however, the Canadian/TreehouseTV original is much harder to find online.
The show seems to be more fondly remembered in the UK, inasmuch as that version's online footprint is much larger. The vast majority of the UK episodes are currently uploaded to the official Big & Small channel, with a couple still missing, and several more incomplete; some, like "Opposite Day," only consist of the song segment.
Episode List
As noted the British dub is the only one currently to have many full episodes uploaded online; the Canadian dub exists largely as random clips. Episode titles and content were nearly identical between the two - which leads to some interesting anachronisms in several UK episodes, including wildlife and weather patterns not typical in that country. The dialogue was localized where differences in word choice would be obvious.
Series 1
| # | Episode Title | UK Status | CAN Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Something is Missing | Found | Partially Lost |
| 2 | A Door For Small | Found | Partially Lost |
| 3 | Fish Wish | Found | Partially Lost |
| 4 | There's A Space For Small | Found | Partially Found |
| 5 | A Piece of Cake | Found | Lost |
| 6 | The Worm In Big's Apple | Found | Lost |
| 7 | The Case Of The Missing Dinosaur | Found | Found |
| 8 | Stormy Weather | Found | Lost |
| 9 | Playing By The Rules | Found | Partially Found |
| 10 | A Sound Idea | Found | Partially Found |
| 11 | Rain Dance | Found | Partially Found |
| 12 | My Friend Fang | Found | Partially Found |
| 13 | Starry Starry Night | Found | Partially Found |
| 14 | Bad Luck Machine | Found | Lost |
| 15 | The Big Sneeze | Found | Partially Found |
| 16 | The Mysterious Woods | Found | Partially Found |
| 17 | Surprise, Surprise | Found | Lost |
| 18 | The Sleepy Toy Thingy | Found | Partially Found |
| 19 | Smashing Tomatoes | Found | Lost |
| 20 | Picture Perfect | Found | Lost |
| 21 | Twiba's Treasure Hunt | Found | Lost |
| 22 | The Case Of The Clogs | Found | Lost |
| 23 | Twiba Takes Flight | Found | Lost |
| 24 | Cabin Fever | Found | Lost |
| 25 | Five Minute Sled | Found | Lost |
| 26 | The Gwelf In The Garden | Found | Lost |
Series 2
| # | Episode Title | UK Status | CAN Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Tall Small | Found | Lost |
| 28 | I Spy A Firefly | Found | Partially Lost |
| 29 | Say Cheese | Found | Partially Found |
| 30 | Celery Day | Found | Partially Found |
| 31 | The Singing Gwelf | Found | Lost |
| 32 | The Road Not Taken | Found | Lost |
| 33 | Party Time | Found | Lost |
| 34 | Dream Team | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 35 | I See, You Saw | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 36 | The Big Race | Found | Lost |
| 37 | Abracadabra | Found | Lost |
| 38 | Frog Fight | Found | Lost |
| 39 | The Broken Scooter | Found | Lost |
| 40 | Blame It On The Drain | Found | Lost |
| 41 | Small's Branch | Found | Lost |
| 42 | Play Date | Found | Lost |
| 43 | The Case Of The Missing Kohlrabi | Found | Lost |
| 44 | Promises, Promises | Found | Lost |
| 45 | Spring Fling | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 46 | Never Say No | Found | Lost |
| 47 | The Book Of Big | Found | Lost |
| 48 | A Quiet Day | Found | Partially Found |
| 49 | The Missing Biscuit (Cookie) | Found | Partially Found |
| 50 | Thar She Buzzes | Found | Partially Found |
| 51 | The Not So Happy Camper | Found | Lost |
| 52 | Big & Small Day | Found | Lost |
Series 3
| # | Episode Title | UK Status | CAN Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | Small, Small Let Down Your Hair | Found | Partially Found |
| 54 | Boingo Boys | Found | Found |
| 55 | The Rainbow | Found | Lost |
| 56 | The Scare-Small | Found | Lost |
| 57 | The Box | Found | Lost |
| 58 | The Missing Answer | Found | Lost |
| 59 | Millions Of Vegetable Soup | Found | Lost |
| 60 | Hot And Bothered | Found | Lost |
| 61 | A Room Of Small's Own | Found | Lost |
| 62 | Catch A Fallen Star | Found | Lost |
| 63 | Thanks For The Memories | Found | Lost |
| 64 | Opposite Day | Partially Found | Lost |
| 65 | Fishing For Elephants | Partially Found | Lost |
| 66 | The Hiccups | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 67 | Friends In A Fog | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 68 | The Biggest Story | Found | Lost |
| 69 | A Room With A View | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 70 | Just What I Wanted | Found | Lost |
| 71 | Slippery Slide | Partially Found | Lost |
| 72 | A Letter From Furthermost | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 73 | Balloonatics | Partially Found | Lost |
| 74 | An Evening of Delights | Found | Lost |
| 75 | The Egg | Found | Lost |
| 76 | Gone Fishin' | Partially Found | Lost |
| 77 | Hoopalong Small | Partially Lost | Lost |
| 78 | Moon Race | Found | Lost |
Stage Performance
| # | Play Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big & Small: Happy Together | Partially Found |
Gallery
Images
Promotional art for the series, showing the main characters.
A screenshot, possibly from the 2d test animation.
Prototype versions of the puppets used for the stop-motion test animation.
The characters's costumes used in the Happy Together stage performance.
A picture of the characters at the stage performance.
Another picture of the characters at the stage performance.
Footage
Videos
See Also
- Alphablocks (partially found web-exclusive scenes of CBeebies animated series episodes; 2010-2013)
- Bob the Builder (partially found American dub of CBeebies stop-motion animated series; 1999-2012)
- Bob the Builder (found pitch pilot of CBeebies stop-motion animated series; 1997)
- CBeebies Springwatch (partially found preschool spin-off of British documentary series; 2006-2008)
- Doodle Do (partially lost CBeebies series; 2006-2010)
- Razzledazzle (found CBeebies CGI animated series; 2005)
- Rubbadubbers (lost unaired pilots of CBeebies stop-motion animated series; existence unconfirmed; late 1990s-early 2000s)
- Space Pirates (found CBeebies live-action animated series; 2007-2008)
- The Wordles (partially found pitch pilot of "Abadas" CBeebies animated series; 2010)
- Zingalong (partially found CBeebies series; 2002-2004)
External Links
References
- ↑ C21 Media article on the series. Retrieved 12 Jul '23
- ↑ AWN article on ITV securing DVD rights to the show. Retrieved 12 Jul '23