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''Teacup Travels'' is a British children's drama TV series. The show was created and produced by Plum Films with support from
Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( ; ) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the execut ...
and first shown on
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...
on 9 February 2015. The concept of the series is historical fiction for young children, incorporating historical artefacts into dramatic adventure stories. At the time of filming, all the artefacts featured in the show were held in museum collections around the UK.


Concept

Great Aunt Lizzie tells tales of adventure to entertain her young visitors, Charlotte, Lokesh and Elliot. When either one arrives at the house she offers them a cup of tea, but first they have to choose a teacup from her vast collection which she keeps in an enormous dresser in the kitchen. Each cup is unique and illustrated with one of the museum artefacts. As she begins to tell its story, they begin to imagine being there as the tale unfolds.
Kay Benbow Kay Benbow (November 1961 – 24 March 2024) was a British broadcasting executive, and was the Controller of the BBC channel CBeebies from 2010 to 2017. Early life Kay Benbow was born in Sheffield. Her secondary education was at Littleover Commun ...
, then the Controller of CBeebies, said, "This is a first for CBeebies to bring ancient history and archaeology to our young audience. The series combines story telling with high adventure in a way that will inspire and encourage children to want to learn more about life in ancient times. I think children will love going on the adventures with Charlotte nd Elliot or Lokeshto discover more about what life was like thousands of years ago."


Key cast

*
Gemma Jones Jennifer "Gemma" Jones (born 4 December 1942) is an English actress. Appearing on both stage and screen, her film appearances include ''Sense and Sensibility (film), Sense and Sensibility'' (1995), the Bridget Jones (film series), ''Bridget Jo ...
as Great Aunt Lizzie *Evie Brassington as Charlotte *Roderick Gilkison as Elliot (series 1) *Kemaal Deen-Ellis as Lokesh (Series 2)


Series one

Series one sees Charlotte and her brother Elliot having adventures in Ancient Rome, Imperial China, Ancient Egypt and the pre-medieval Celtic lands, spanning a period from 2500 BCE to 1850 CE. These 15-minute episodes are regularly repeated on CBeebies and featured on BBC i-Player. Series 1 was filmed between August and November 2014.


Series two

Charlotte returns for the second series, and introduces the viewers to her cousin Lokesh. Their adventures take them to the fascinating words of Edo Japan, Ancient Greece, the Mayan Empire, and the Viking Lands. Series two was initially split with 10 new episodes premiering from 28 November 2016, and the 10 episodes transmitting from 2 January 2017. Since going on air, the series has already enjoyed a number of repeats. Series 2 was filmed between May and August 2016.


Production


Development

Micky MacPherson, Simon Parsons and Tony Bibby have backgrounds in TV commercial production, advertising, and children's TV. Producers MacPherson and Parsons developed the format for the series, drawing inspiration from Bibby's real aunt whom he used to visit in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
as a child. The producers added storytelling around a genuine historical artefact, with Plum Film's Production Executive Tina Foster, and Development Consultant Becky Lloyd both attached to the project from early development to series production. Series one and two are directed by Simon Hynd, with Morag McKinnon directing the Mayan episodes in series two. Digital Production Designer John Gosler, directed and hand painted background artwork, with children's television writer Polly Churchill taking the role of Head Writer for both series, overseeing all 45 episodes. Production Designer was Leslie Dilley, a double
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
Winner for
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
and
Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...
.


Museum involvement

A key element of the show is its involvement with museums across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Plum Films consulted museums at key stages of production to ensure that the real artefacts that inspired Great Aunt Lizzie's stories reflected its core truths. Where possible, Plum Films representatives visited the museum to capture the dimensions and likeness of the object to be featured in the show. This aided the prop makers to replicate the prop, which would then be presented to each associated museum's curator for notes and approval. Similarly, script outlines were shared with each associated museum to give the all clear that the episode represented a satisfactory representation of their piece.


Filming

The TV show is a combination of full live action for the prologue and epilogue scenes in Great Aunt Lizzie's house, and live action filmed against green screen then composited with colour saturated 2½d illustrated backgrounds for the story world.


Locations

Filmed entirely in Scotland, the sets were created in Loretto School, Musselburgh, while outdoor scenes featuring Great Aunt Lizzie's iconic cottage were filmed at the Head Gardener's Cottage in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.


Distribution (Non-UK)

The first series of Teacup Travels was shown in Australia on ABC Kids in the summer of 2016. The show has reached Number 1 in the ratings and continues to be repeated on the channel.


Music

The soundtrack for series one and two was composed by
Rasmus Borowski Rasmus Borowski (born May 21, 1974) is a German composer, singer, and actor. Early life and education Rasmus Borowski was born in Hamburg in 1974. His parents, recording engineer Richard Borowski and singer Gabi Borowski, often took him to the ...
and Alexius Tschallener. The score was recorded live in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, with the
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech: ''Filharmonici města Prahy'') is a classical orchestra, predominantly composed of Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians. The history of the orchestra goes back to the Film Symphony Orchest ...
and Nic Raine conducting.


Training

A stepping-up programme was created in partnership with Creative Skillset especially for Series Two with the aim of giving two emerging production talents – Catrina Rose and Gabriel Costa – an opportunity to work across the entire production process from early stages through to delivery. Plum Films' Training through Production Scheme was funded by Creative Skillset's Skills Investment Fund with the aim of up-skilling talent to ensure a strong, skilled creative workforce.


CBeebies Storytime App

On 24 April 2017 the CBeebies Storytime App launched an originally written and built story titled 'Charlotte and the Viking Coins' based on an object that has not been previously seen on the show. The story is narrated by Great Aunt Lizzie, and Charlotte follows an adventure based on real Viking coins that can be found in various museums throughout the UK. The App gives children an interactive storytelling experience, allowing them to engage in reading in a fun and exciting way. The App offers the child to read alone or with a grown-up, as well as providing questions at the end to allow further story discussion and engagement.


Reception


Ratings

In its debut week of 9 February 2015, the show placed three times in the top 10 viewed shows on CBeebies, peaking at 561,000 viewers.


Award Nominations

The first series of Teacup Travels has received various nominations, both in the UK and abroad *
BAFTA Scotland BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...
(2015 ) – Best Children's Programme * Broadcast Awards (2016) – Best Pre-School Programme 2015/2016 *
Celtic Media Festival The Celtic Media Festival, formerly known as the Celtic Film and Television Festival, aims to promote the languages and cultures of the Celtic nations in film, on television, radio and new media. The festival is an annual three-day celebration ...
(2016) – Children's Programme * Prix Jeunesse International (2016) – Children's Fiction, 6 years and under


References


External links

* *{{IMDb title, tt4385236 *Website of composer Rasmus Borowsk

2010s British children's television series 2015 British television series debuts 2017 British television series endings BBC children's television shows British preschool education television series British television shows featuring puppetry Television shows set in Scotland CBeebies