Grandpa In My Pocket Series 4 (Preview)

The BBC is well known for producing good television programmes, children's entertainment is one such area where the quality is superior to competitors. I have often said that CBeebies is worth the license fee alone, and I know that The Boy is a big fan of 95% of the shows that are aired on the channel.

He is however, a funny little bean about certain programmes. Rastamouse is one for example, says he doesn't like it and yet is captivated by the antics of Da Easy Crew. Another show which he is enthralled by, yet maintains that he doesn't want to watch is Grandpa In My Pocket.

It may seem now an odd thing to be admitting to, when this is clearly a post written to promote the programme, however I know full well that what he's referring to is the moment when Grandpa shrinks (he reacts in exactly the same way when Tree Fu Tom 'miniaturises', yet can explain intricate details about the plotlines), and this is purely because he doesn't understand the process of the shrinking.

What better way to cure that apprehension than witnessing it first hand?

And if you were invited to a studio in the heart of Tiger Bay to see the latest series being filmed, wouldn't you jump at the chance?

We certainly did!

During the Summer holidays, we visited the set of 'The Mill on the Marsh' (the new home for the Mason family) and met the cast and crew, watched an episode being filmed (with my hand firmly clamped over The Boy's mouth), tried on the shrinking cap (me, not The Boy; he was too worried that he'd shrink), played with Wulfy, discovered the editing process, and were sworn to secrecy.

For five months!

For five months I've said NOT ONE WORD. Not a word about meeting James Bolam, nothing about the two new children who have been welcomed into the family, not a smidgen of information about the amazing set has escaped these lips.

And I am rubbish at keeping secrets. This has damn-well nearly killed me.

Here are some of the wonderful secrets behind Grandpa In My Pocket series four:

Grandpa In My Pocket

We were greeted on set by the absolutely wonderful Mellie Buse, producer, writer and creator of the phenomenal series. Mellie has very kindly answered a few questions for us about the new series.

  • What is new in this series of Grandpa In My Pocket?

The Mason Family has moved to a beautiful Windmill on the marshes just outside Sunnysands called The Mill on the Marsh. They run it as a little hotel. This Summer Grandpa's other grandchildren, whom we haven't previously met, have come to stay. They are Elsie and Josh and they both get let into the secret of the magic shrinking cap. Jason and Jemima are still there but they're all grown up now, and Great Aunt Loretta has moved into a converted pigsty next door. We also have three news Sunnysands residents; Mr Yomper Stomper (an obsessive rambler), a young Australian called Bob the Boat (who has a beautiful boat in the harbour called The Boomerang), and Miss Smiley's delightful niece, Jasmine.

  • What is your role on the show? What does this involve?

My colleague, Jan Page and I have written and produced all five series of Grandpa. After coming up with the original concept we've developed and written 118 stories. We have cast it, supervised all areas of the show – design, music, costume etc. We have also done all the business and legal side involved in running a television show including finding the money and sorting out all the contracts. We're a "boutique" company and we're "writer led" which is fairly unusual in the UK. We operate a show-running system which means that we are on set all the time ready to make changes to the script to help the shoot and to make quick decisions. This means that you get a consistency in the whole vision of the project and it also means that you can shoot it faster if the writer/creator is on tap to make any quick edits if the day is going slowly. It is widely used in the U.S., less so in the UK but quite often it is a system embraced by children's programming.

  • Are there any little secrets about life on the show that you can reveal to us?

Well there was an incredible sense of camaraderie on this shoot. We were blessed with the most amazing crew who all shared the same sense of humour. The two directors, Martin Franks and Iain McLean set the tone and there were a lot of jokes between the two of them. This rubbed off on the rest of the team. When they were both shooting in separate studios they could see one another's monitors and would occasionally write messages to one another and hold them up to the camera. Martin had a reputation of always shooting through a window (spot the shots!) and Iain seemed to get the lion's share of all the animals to shoot until Martin got the donkey. Oh yes! We had a day with a donkey on set. The donkey, in the scripts, was called Prudence but when the animal wrangler turned up it was clear to all that this was NOT a Prudence.  It was Geronimo and it had to be quite a big donkey in order for James Bolam to be able to ride it. Yes, there's a treat in store there! So we had a whopping great donkey in a very small studio. There was a lot of rewriting and reworking in order to get the show "in the can" and for days we all smelt of donkey. This is what we do for our art!

  • What is the process of producing a series of Grandpa In My Pocket? (I mean the recording order, blue-screening, editing etc.).

First we shoot all the location footage. We did this in June last year during one of the rare weeks where there was no rain. This time we went to the north Norfolk coast because the Mill on the Marsh is the Mill at Cley, near Blakeney. We shot exteriors of the Mill, the Marsh, the river and shots of Campo and Mr Whoops' car, which is a new addition. The studio shoot began in July after two weeks of "get in." We shot from 8.00 a.m – 7.00 pm every day for nine full weeks.

Then we did three weeks of blue screen shooting with James Bolam to capture all the footage we needed for Grandpa when he's small. The edit was underway as soon as we began filming with a guide voice-over track and the Visual Effects department started on the compositing  and animating straight away. Once the edit is assembled, the programme goes to the Visual Effects team for them to put all their bits in: the animated Grandpa, the extended meadow and beach sets, the skies (which all needed changing because the weather in Blakeney was very grey on the location shoot).

Following this the shows come back to us for a final edit and we rewrite all the voice-overs to fit the pictures perfectly. Then the episodes go for approval to the BBC and once approved, they go to our musical arranger for him to work his magic.  I then direct the voice-overs with the two children and all the sound goes to our Dubbing Editor who adds effects, music and mixes the programme. Finally it goes to the On-Line Studio where the pictures are "graded" to make them look really zingy and any small technical problems are sorted. That's the process. It will continue until April this year when we deliver the last of the 52 to the BBC.

  • Did Grandpa share his adventures with his own children when younger, or is it just a recent thing?

His Grandpa left him the shrinking cap which only works once you're a Grandpa yourself.  He will do the same we guess.  But we don't talk about that!!!

So, is The Boy still frightened of the shrinking man? Having watched the magic behind the shrinking? After seeing mummy wear the cap? Witnessing the visual effects in the studio and on the computer in the editing suite?

Not a jot!

The new series of 'Grandpa In My Pocket' starts on Monday 27th January 2014 at 5.25pm on CBeebies.

Many thanks to Mellie and all the cast and crew of Grandpa In My Pocket for making us all feel so welcome!

Days 223-229 of Project 365

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223. Mr. Bloom (We went to Margam Park in Port Talbot for the CBeebies Summer Roadshow, with a special show by Mr. Bloom. We were lucky and had press tickets to the show, which meant we had guaranteed seats even though it was free. I did take some cracking shots of Mr. B on stage, even if I did get 'heavied' about doing so.)

224. Golden (My wonderful birthday flowers. Love the depth of field on the 50mm lens I've got.)

225. Splash (I had frozen some of the Playmobil pirate treasure in a takeway container and put it on the tuff-spot for The Boy to get out. Once it had all melted then he realised he could sail his pirate boats in the water, and filled it up even more. The pirate islands were enlisted soon enough, and then he spent ages splashing the water about! Child-led learning at its best.)

226. Crinkle Cut (I bought one of the choppers that I'm always seeing the twins on Two Of Everything using, and The Boy helped me prepare tea. He loved it and I think his help will be 'needed' a lot more.)

227. People Watching (We met up with a friend and her daughter down in the Cardiff Bay Beach. The Boy spent ages burying his own legs and then examining everyone else and their activities.)

228. Joy (There's no mistaking how sad I am today; my brother came down to say goodbye to me today before he emigrates to Australia at the end of the month. I am heartbroken. I won't be visiting as it is too far and I can't afford it, so please don't suggest it. Yes there's social media but he will still be on the other side of the world, not in Oxford. This little boy cheers me up though, he is my joy.)

229. LolliBop (We spent the day in London at LolliBop in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, more to follow in a later post.)

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An Interview With Alex Winters (LolliBop 2013)

At what age do children develop the tendency to hero-worship?

Because The Boy is there, and I can think of worse people in the world to hero-worship than Alex Winters from CBeebies. It started when we were invited to a Cardiff City football match which had him compering the backstage children's entertainment, it developed when we saw him at LolliBop last year, was further compounded when we snatched a quick hello at the celebration of Cardiff City reaching the Premier League last month, and culminated when he sent a birthday e-mail to The Boy last week.

LolliBop 2012

Quite frankly, The Boy is not the only one to hero-worship him!

It takes a genuine and special kind of person to go to that much effort to make one little boy happy. That's why we're over the moon to be returning to the LolliBop children's festival this year as official LolliBop bloggers, where Alex will be returning to host all the action on the LolliLive stage at LolliBop 2013.

Last week, I posed one or two questions to the popular CBeebies presenter (or Mr. CBeebies as I call him) and here's the answer, along with one or two others from the other LolliBop bloggers.

  • Hi Alex, how did you became involved with children's television? Also, do you have any intention of developing your own show as other presenters have, or do you prefer being the consistent face in the links?

My background is drama and theatre studies and I have always fancied being on children's television.  I love being around kids and making them laugh so when I was told that CBeebies were publicly advertising for presenters, I thought I'd give it a go.  My wife had a lot of belief in me and really encouraged me to go for it because I wasn't really sure that I would ever get such a job, after all I was just Alex from Cardiff.  I'm sure everyone thinks that but here I am and loving it.

As for developing a show, I would love to do that.  That's all down to the producers and the controller of the channel so we'll see!

  • What are you most looking forward to about LolliBop?

As the returning compere of the LolliBop Main Stage, I cannot wait to get on there and entertain the crowds.  The past two years have been so much fun and have made me laugh so much!!  This year I'll be bringing new games, jokes, dances and daft fun so be prepared for more fun than ever!

  • What was your favourite TV show when you were a kid?

Ooooh, tough question that as I remember being in love with so many.  Here goes… Mr Ben, Button Moon, Jamie & The Magic Torch and Blue Peter.  There are so many others I could mention too.  PLAYSCHOOL of course!

  • You're a dad ­ and you bring your kids to Lolli ­ what's your top tip?

My children LOVE coming to LolliBop.  They ask me and their mum "How long is it until Lollibop" for 11 months of the year!!!  My advice?  Prepare to let your hair down.  If you've got any!  Join in and have fun, you won't regret it and your children will love you forever!

LolliBop this year takes place on August 16th, 17th & 18th in its new home; Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

Ticket information is available here, hurry while Early Bird ticket prices are still available and have a fabulous day out with entertainment for everyone!

lollibop

Days 125-131 of Project 365

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125. Silhouette (Earlier in the day Mr. TBaM and I had sold at a car boot sale, and we followed that up with a trip across the barrage to the Bay for some very special celebrations. Today was the day that Cardiff celebrated its football club returning to the premiership, something it hasn't experienced for fifty years. There was a huge event down in Cardiff Bay with tens of thousands of supporters and proud Cardiffians alike. Secretly we were only after catching a glimpse of Alex from CBeebies who made The Boy very happy with a wave and a thumbs up! We then walked back across the barrage to watch the amazing fireworks.)

126. Crash! (Monday was a stunningly beautiful day. The buzz of lawnmowers, sizzle of barbeques, shrieks of laughter from children splashing in their paddling pools and the buzz of the honey bees filled the air. We entertained friends that we hadn't seen in four years; I was four months pregnant with The Boy when we last saw them. I was going to show a photo of The Boy watering the garden wearing an incredibly cute straw hat, however this one topped everything. He settled down to eat his cheese on toast, asked daddy for a cuddle and within thirty seconds he was asleep!)

127. Hide and Seek (The day was milder than it had been over the weekend but still sunny, especially late afternoon. We spent the morning trying to find some Summer shoes for The Boy, which is the reason it's rained on and off ever since! When Mr. TBaM got home from work, he and The Boy had a mad hour in the garden playing hide and seek.)

128. Choo choo! (A shorter than usual INSET today meant that I was able to get home and play with The Boy more than I usually can on a Wednesday. I made this super train track, with plenty of space for the station master to sit and command the rails.)

129. Zoom! (I set up a free painting session for The Boy to get to grips with after breakfast but he couldn't wait to get to grips with it! Car painting is the easiest painting around, minimum effort and maximum fun!)

130. Quack! (We got home at lunchtime after finishing school and nursery, only to find a pair of ducks on the drive. They've been around the neighbourhood for about a week or so, but are starting to wander into gardens now. I phoned the local nature reserve and was told that they're 'wild' ducks and unless hurt (in which case phone the RSPB) then leave them alone. Apparently in the mating season they often take themselves off in pairs for peace and quiet. We probably shouldn't have fed them, but I The Boy was worried they may be hungry.)

131. Pink Snow (We nipped into Cardiff for a review of Wetherspoon's new menu and parked near the Civic Centre, which has a beautiful park full of cherry trees. All were in full blossom and as The Boy ran through the park, the strong Spring wind showered him in pink blossom confetti.)

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Days 97-103 of Project 365

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97. Through the Semi-Circle Window! (The sun valiantly tried to shine for most of the afternoon and so we headed out to St. Fagan's Museum in north-west Cardiff. Back in November I bought an annual pass for the car park (museums in Wales are free) but we haven't been there since to get our money's worth. Now the weather is brightening up, we'll be there a lot more often. This time we explored the castle, but it's fair to say that once we've done that it will be a long time before we need to go back. Bit bland!)

98. By Torch-Light (We made a spectacular den in the living room (actually I did, Mr. TBaM is rubbish at them) and The Boy spent quite some time underneath reading his books by torchlight.)

99. Adoring Listener (We visited his cousins who we'd missed for several weeks due to us both being on holiday. He adores his cousins, and they are so good with him. Here he's watching and listening to his nine year old female cousin.)

100. Bath-time (Apologies for the bland photograph but today was back to work after three weeks off and I was shattered! A bathtime snap is all I could manage!)

101. Stretchy Squares (I bought The Boy a pegboard and eleastic bands and he's had great fun making shapes.)

102. Before The Big Day (Today we nipped into town to retrieve my much-missed Samsung Galaxy S3 which took a month to repair, as a result he missed his nap and was shattered at bedtime. Busy day tomorrow!)

103. Justin's House (We've just come in from an amazing day with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and her lovely family. It was a great surprise for The Boy as I didn't tell him any of the plans until he saw Jenny pull onto the drive in her car. They came up for lunch, the three boys had a great play together and then we headed into Cardiff to see Justin's House.  He's been to a few shows before, mainly CBeebies, but this was his first larger production and he loved every second (apart from when Robert sucked up all the lights into his hoover). Afterwards we all went for a yummy dinner in Pizza Express!)

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'The Adventures of Abney & Teal' (Book Review & Giveaway)

One of the most captivating CBeebies programmes at the moment is 'The Adventures of Abney & Teal' during the tea-time slot. It's been a part of the schedule for the past year or so and completely captures our imagination; it's often the last programme we watch before the television is turned off (for the screen-free hour before bed) and I think it's a lovely calming programme to end the day with.

Abney and Teal are two of the characters who live on a series of islands, in the middle of a lake in a park in a busy city. They have fun and games, plenty of hijinks with their other friends Neep (a small burrowing creature), Bop (a seal type of creature who lives in the water), the Poc-Pocs (a set of 7 comma-shaped wooden objects or seed creatures), and Toby Dog (a melodeon-playing dog who always sits upright on the same place on the lake's mainland shore).

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CBeebies CD (Review & Giveaway)

During half-term I dropped The Boy off for his normal nursery session and drove away singing to the CD. It was half a mile before I realised I'd been singing the theme tune to Rastamouse. Hastily I turned on the radio trying to regain my credibility.

Earlier today I could hear The Boy singing in the living room, I listened carefully and could hear him beautifully singing the tune to Woolly and Tig, getting every word correct.

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Tree Fu Tom (Review & Giveaway)

I have always adored the quality of the television programmes on CBeebies, in my opinion they are worth the license fee alone! Sometimes I have a little quibble about the scheduling, but 98% of the programmes are absolutely fantastic and we really enjoy watching them together.

This year's there's been a wealth of quality new shows starting on the channel and one of them is Tree Fu Tom. I looked forward to it starting and was sorely disappointed, and surprised, when The Boy didn't take to it. I don't think it helped that in the first episode there was a giant (slightly alarming) mushroom chasing some of the characters. Since then he's refused to watch it.

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Square Eyes? Angry Eyes More Like! (Or Where CBeebies Get It Wrong)

I don't tend to rant on my blog, possibly a little bit on twitter, definitely in real life. My blog, however, tends to stay nice and safe. Therefore, please excuse this mini-rant.

Last week, I was sent a press release from CBeebies about their new and upcoming programmes, and a few changes to the schedule. I've been meaning to blog it since I had it, but you know how it is, other things happen and suddenly it was the Monday morning when the 'Love to Learn' block started.

At 9 o'clock.

When Show Me, Show Me should have been on.

I'll just give you a moment to allow that to sink in shall I? ….

… sorted? Right, good. See in this household, and I'm pretty sure in hundreds of thousands of others nationwide, Show Me, Show Me is an institution and a matter of routine. CBeebies don't really demarcate the passing of time throughout the day, apart from luncthime and the bedtime hour, so Show Me, Show Me is one of those natural timings for the children. They know it's the start of the day proper.

That's aside from the wonderful educational content of the programme, the old-fashioned or traditional play style, the songs, the acting, the interaction from children, the slight innuendoes planted for parents. I have compared Show Me, Show Me in the past as being like Playschool but for our children's generation. And we all know how that ended when they stopped showing that.

Now, I know that CBeebies have merely reshuffled the schedule to accommodate this new learning block, and not taken Show Me, Show Me off the air for good, but that brings me to my next point.

My son is two years old and he won't start school until September 2013, therefore I do not want him to experience a 'lesson' until then. Even then he won't because of the introduction of the Foundation Phase, which promotes learning through play and experience. I've watched the new 'Love to Learn' block for two days in a row, and it doesn't sit comfortably with me; it feels like forced learning. Someone said to me (earlier on twitter), "Well, turn it off then!" but really that's not the point is it? Of course I can, but surely a television company don't want you to do that? They want you to stay tuned? Keep the schedule as it is, and I won't be.

I don't have a problem with any of the programmes: Numtums seems a little simplistic but that's just me; I'm not a personal fan of The Numberjacks but The Boy loves it; and you can't go wrong with Alphablocks or Abadas as far as I'm concerned. Each of these programmes is good, however combined together into a 35 minute block I think has been a wrong decision. I think they have more effect when they are interspersed with the other programmes; more of a drip-drip gentle learning than 'here are letters and numbers: learn them'.

And yes, I'm a teacher. And yes, my son knows his colours, shapes, recognises single digit numbers and can count to 39 (40 is 30-10 according to him). And yes, he typed his name on the laptop the other day. However,  this has all happened through gradual play activities and learning through play. Not through 'here, you must learn' activities or television programmes.

Now, anyone who knows my blog will know that I adore CBeebies and feel that they never get it wrong.

However, CBeebies, you've got it wrong: put Show Me, Show Me back on at 9 o'clock and lose the 'Love to Learn' block please. It's not helping the channel or our children's education.

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