Big City Park is a live-action television puppet show, aimed at preschoolers and shot on location in Ormeau Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The series urges children to explore nature and the outdoors. Created, written and produced by Colin Williams, the series was broadcast on Cbeebies for two seasons between 2010 and 2012. Big City Park was a co-production of Sixteen South with BBC Scotland.
Premise and production
Big City Park is a 26 x 14 minute preschool show that aims to get children outdoors and rediscover the awe and wonder of nature. The show features Billy, a badger, Dara, a fox and a troll called Ruairi, who all live in the park - along with their human friend, May the park keeper.
It was a BBC featured show for August 2010 and rated very highly with over 24% of the audience. It peaked with an audience share of 341,000 on 20 August with an average of 244,000 across the series. It was the second most watched show in its slot on CBeebies during August 2010 and the first show attracted 19,000 viewers on BBC iPlayer alone.
Cast and characters May (played by Sarah McCardie), a kind-hearted and beautiful young lady who works as the park keeper at the Big City Park and acts as a host throughout the episodes. She lives in a house and likes to smell the flowers. So far, she's the only human character alongside the little boys and girls who varied across the nature settings. She also has a habit of falling asleep whenever she gives Billy a taste of her own medicine and wherever she's first to wake up thanks to her animal friends, mainly Dara.
Billy (voiced and performed by Josh Elwell), a mischievous but friendly and cheerful seven-year-old badger and Ruairi's best friend who loves animals and having fun in the park where he lives. He enjoys playing jokes on everyone he meets and sometimes tries to outsmart Dara only to be foiled every time.
Dara (voiced by Alana Kerr Colins and performed by Lesa Gilespie), a plucky eight-year-old fox who is tomboyish and streetwise and likes to make friends with a lot of people. She enjoys outsmarting Billy the table is turned and is a good friend of May.
Ruairi (voiced and performed by Paul Corrie), a fun-loving and wise troll who speaks with a Norwegian accent and is a gentle giant due to a fact he's a biggest puppet character you've ever met. He resides in a garden hut at the park where he's also Billy's best friend and is good at telling stories about many different creatures from across the world and other Norwegian mythology.
Episodes Episode Number Title 1 May’s First Day 2 Everyone Can Sing 3 It’s Hot Hot Hot 4 Captain Billy 5 Woodland Workout 6 Sounds of the Park 7 Follow the Signs 8 Henry Hedgehog 9 I Want to Grow Bigger 10 Ruairi Day 11 Splash 12 Quest for the Chest 13 A Load of Rubbish 14 A Magic Carpet Ride 15 Happy Birthday May 16 Up in the Trees 17 Tall Tales 18 A Den for Dara 19 Rain Can Be Fun 20 Making Music is Easy 21 Making Things Grow 22 Summer Holiday 23 Ruairi’s Little Friend 24 Big Windy Park 25 Outfoxed by a Fox 26 A Special Friend Visits
Awards BAFTA Scotland for Best Children's Series - 2011 IFTA Award for Best Youth/Children's programme, Ireland - 2011 Silver Plaque - Hugo Award, Chicago - 2011 CINE Golden Eagle - 2011 Commended - Celtic Media Festival – 2011
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