In the Night Garden...

Lore & Background

The series was inspired by Andrew Davenport's own childhood dream world, with character sketches for Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, and Makka Pakka created in 2004. The show was publicly announced a year later, and filming began in March 2005 at Smatchley Wood, a private forest in Warwickshire, England. Chroma key sets and backdrops—modified video of an actual forest—were used, along with hundreds of props including spherical flowers and oversized oval stones. The high production costs, including inflatable structures and radio-controlled vehicles, amounted to an estimated £145,000 per episode.

Reader's Guide

In the Night Garden... was designed to help children relax and build calming relationships with parents, particularly around bedtime—a time of tension between children and parents. Producer Anne Wood noted the show aimed to calm things down, unlike most children's TV which seeks to excite. Each episode follows a consistent structure: a child in bed, Igglepiggle traveling by boat to the Night Garden, interactions with characters like Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, and the Tombliboos, and a bedtime story generated by a magical gazebo. The show won the Children's BAFTA for Pre-School Live-Action in 2007 and 2008, and was nominated in 2009. Its legacy lies in its unique, gentle approach to preschool programming, focusing on sleep and relaxation rather than stimulation.

Did You Know?

• Igglepiggle is not a full-time resident of the Night Garden but a visitor; the garden exists in his dream.
• The Tombliboos' names phonetically reflect how a young child might count to 3.

Creative Origins & Production

Andrew Davenport, the co-creator behind Teletubbies, drew the initial spark for In the Night Garden... from his own childhood dream world. The concept began taking shape in 2004 when he sketched the first characters—Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, and Makka Pakka—and the series was publicly announced the following year. Filming commenced in March 2005. Production was handled by Ragdoll Worldwide, a joint venture of Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide, for CBeebies and BBC Two. The show blended live action with actors in costume, stop motion, puppetry, and CGI animation. Sets relied on chroma key technology, with backdrops derived from modified video footage of a real woodland. Principal photography took place at Smatchley Wood, a private forest in Warwickshire, England. The physical production was enormous: hundreds of props were constructed, predominantly spherical pom-pom-like flowers and oversized oval stones. The combination of giant inflatable structures, heavy costumes, radio-controlled vehicles, and expensive chroma key work pushed the estimated cost to roughly £145,000 per episode.

Episode Structure & the Dream Framework

Each episode opens with a star-filled night sky, then cuts to a child in bed as narrator Derek Jacobi introduces the story. The scene shifts to Igglepiggle aboard his boat, setting off toward the Night Garden while the theme music plays. The camera sweeps upward to the sky, then down to brightly coloured flowers, before Igglepiggle reaches the gazebo to greet his friends. The title appears on a bush, and either the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk makes an appearance. Episodes close with the Tittifers singing, a character preparing for sleep, and a bedtime story generated by the magical gazebo at the garden's centre—a story that recaps the episode's events. Characters gather to dance beneath the gazebo, then drift off to sleep one by one, except Igglepiggle, who delivers his farewell. The Night Garden rotates and retreats into the night sky, and Igglepiggle is found asleep on his boat as end credits roll. Crucially, the garden exists within Igglepiggle's dream; he is a visitor, not a permanent resident.

The Inhabitants & Their World

The Night Garden is a sunlit, colourful forest dotted with large daisies and vivid flowers, populated by a cast of whimsical characters with unusual names. They communicate through short, repetitive phrases, and each possesses a signature song and dance set to jaunty, music-box-like melodies. The Narrator, voiced by Derek Jacobi, never appears on screen yet is recognised by every inhabitant, who respond when addressed. Igglepiggle, played by Nick Kellington, is a blue, teddy-bear-like creature with a bean-shaped head, a sideways red mohawk, and a red blanket that doubles as a sail on his boat. He does not speak but makes sounds via a bell in his foot, a squeaker in his tummy, and a rattle in his hands. Upsy Daisy, portrayed by Rebecca Hyland, is a rag-doll-like figure with a chime in her tummy; her hair stands on end when excited and her skirt inflates into a tutu when she dances. Makka Pakka, played by Justyn Towler, is a small beige creature with three rounded protuberances representing stones he collects and stacks in his rock cave.

Calming Purpose & Critical Recognition

The series was designed for children aged one to six and was conceived as a deliberate counterpoint to the high-energy norm of preschool television. Producer Anne Wood explained that the team became acutely aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children, with bedtime emerging as the central tension: children wanting to stay up versus parents wanting them to sleep. The show was therefore built around calming things down rather than ramping excitement up, aiming to help children relax and form soothing relationships with their parents. Wood also noted the creative goal of exploring, from a child's perspective, the distinction between closing one's eyes to pretend sleep and closing them to truly sleep. The programme's quality was recognised on the awards circuit: it won the Children's BAFTA for Pre-School Live-Action in both 2007 and 2008, and received a further nomination in 2009. The show was produced for CBeebies and BBC Two, extending the legacy of its creator, Andrew Davenport, who had previously co-created Teletubbies.