| Big Kids | |
|---|---|
){kind=logo} Big Kids logo | |
| Genre | Children's Comedy Drama |
| Created by | Lucy Daniel-Raby |
| Developed by | Elaine Sperber[1] |
| Directed by | Baz Taylor |
| Starring | Imogen Stubbs Duncan Duff Matt Adams Kelly Salmon |
| Composer | Tony Flynn |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States[1] |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Cas Lester |
| Producers | Jacinta Peel Janet Wray (assistant) |
| Editor | Ian Williams |
| Camera setup | Peter Woodley |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One (UK) Noggin (U.S.) |
| Original release | 27 September – 20 December 2000 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Big Kids is a 13-episode children's comedy television series created by Lucy Daniel-Raby. The series was a British-American[1] co-production[2] of the BBC and the US network Noggin.[3] It premiered on CBBC on BBC One on 27 September 2000[4] and on the Noggin channel on 29 January 2001.[3] All 13 episodes were aired on Noggin's sister channel, Nickelodeon, from 9 to 30 March 2001.
History
According to the show's developer, Elaine Sperber, the writers "had to tread carefully"[1] to make sure that the content was relevant to both UK and U.S. children. She said, "We had a great relationship with Noggin ... but when you co-produce with North Americans, you always run into problems over British accents and language. We couldn’t use terms like 'snogging' in Big Kids because no one in the U.S. would have understood it."[1] The magazine Kidscreen wrote that "children start drinking far earlier in Britain than they do in North America, so a sequence showing booze being consumed at a school dance had to be watered down."[1]
On Noggin, the show was aired as part of a primetime event called "The Hubbub," which allowed viewers to submit comments through Noggin's website and see them live on-air.[5] From April 2002 to January 2004, Noggin aired reruns of Big Kids during its nighttime programming block, The N.[6][7][8]
Plot
The show follows the lives of the Spiller family: Simon, Kate, and their parents, Sarah, a piano teacher, and Geoff, a doctor. When the family attend a school charity event, Dr. and Mrs. Spiller are used in a performance by a hypnotist known by the stage name Ming the Mind Master. After the show is over, Kate and Simon realize their parents have never been properly hypnotized. At seemingly random moments, they black out and begin to act like children.
The two siblings have to deal with keeping their parents under control in their hypnotized state, trying to get their parents to believe what happens when they black out, and trying to discover what triggers the change. Often there's a role reversal, with Sarah and Geoff engaging during trances in behaviour for which they would otherwise scold their children, and Kate and Simon being forced to act like mature adults.
Eventually, the children convince their parents by showing them filmed footage, and discover the trigger is any word with "ming" in it, just like the hypnotist's name. They finally track down Ming and convince him to unhypnotize the Spiller parents, apparently restoring them to normal. However, their childish behaviour on the carousel leaves the children confused – whether Sarah and Geoff are acting like this deliberately or have fallen back into a state of hypnosis is left ambiguous.
Episode list
- Performance by a Hypnotist
- Kate Avoids Friends
- Videotaping Mum and Dad
- Library/Shopping
- Restaurant
- New Car/Concert
- Museum
- Aunt Muriel
- Chicken Pox
- Puppy
- Simon Pursues Melanie
- Trigger Revealed
- Finding Hypnotist
Cast
- Duncan Duff - Dr. Geoffrey "Geoff" Spiller
- Imogen Stubbs - Sarah Spiller
- Matt Adams - Simon Spiller
- Kelly Salmon - Kate Spiller
- Sam Green - Jake Tyler
- Jasper Britton - Ming
- Amanda Fairbank-Hynes - Becky
- Barnaby Francis - Edward Bagley
Awards and nominations
| Ceremony | Award | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor | Matt Adams | Nominated |
| Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actress | Kelly Salmon | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Clarke, Steve (1 January 2001). "International co-pros: A necessary evil for high-end kids shows". Kidscreen.
Big Kids, billed as 'an educational series' and co-produced with the Nickelodeon- and Sesame Workshop-backed U.S. kids channel Noggin
- ^ Bernstein, Paula (5 November 2000). "Noggin adds new series to its lineup". Variety.
- ^ a b Heffley, Lynne. "New on Noggin: 'Team,' Yes, 'Big Kids,' No". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/2000-09-27
- ^ Umstead, R. Thomas (11 June 2001). "Noggin Adds Interactive Series". Multichannel News.
- ^ Connell, Mike (3 January 2002). "Noggin has tween educon on the brain". Kidscreen.
- ^ Heffley, Lynne (1 April 2002). "Noggin Is Enrolling in Junior High". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Sunday, late night". Austin American-Statesman. 25 January 2004.
