Yonderland

Did You Know?

• The third series was released on DVD on 5 December 2016.
• The final episode, a Christmas special, was released on DVD on 20 November 2017.
• The show's creators include Baynton, Farnaby, Howe-Douglas, Howick, Rickard and Willbond.

Plot

Debbie Maddox, a 33-year-old stay-at-home mother in Birmingham, grows bored with her life until an Elf appears from a portal in her kitchen cupboard. She meets the Elders, who have lost the scroll explaining her mission. The realm is threatened by the evil Negatus, and Debbie must complete weekly quests while picking up her children from school.

Production

On 22 March 2013, Sky1's Lucy Lumsden announced Yonderland, stating the network was delighted to give the Horrible Histories cast the opportunity to write and star in a new family show. The series was co-produced by Working Title Films, with principal filming under former HH director Steve Connelly beginning the following May. The show grew from the creators' desire to continue working together after Horrible Histories ceased production in 2012. The troupe wanted to maintain their sketch-based, character-driven comedy style and settled on the fantasy quest genre, with its emphasis on short vignettes within a larger plot. Baynton and Willbond had been developing a film idea about an ordinary person pulled into a parallel universe, using puppetry rather than modern animation, in the vein of Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story. This concept led to casting sole female troupe member Howe-Douglas as the central heroine, with her five male costars playing multiple roles. Howick noted to The Guardian that the troupe was a tight unit that knew exactly what the humour and tone were. Baynton agreed that the show grew naturally from the six of them together in a room. To maintain a nostalgic, lo-fi tone, Yonderland features Muppet-style puppet characters designed by longtime Jim Henson associates Baker Coogan, Lifecast and Fiona Cazaly. The final series, including an extra long Christmas episode, had new puppet characters designed by a team headed by Fiona Cazaly, with contributions from Darryl Worbey Studio, Chris Barlow, Andy Heath, Iestin Evans, Natalie Ellnor and puppet costumes by David Brown. Rickard explained that keeping computer animation to a minimum, save for the portal, was intentional because photo-realism takes the joy out of comedy.

Reception

Yonderland received generally positive reviews, with many noting its all-ages appeal and references to fantasy classics. Sarah Hughes in the Guardian called it perfect family viewing, describing it as supremely silly and very clever, and ranked it 16th in the paper's Top 30 TV shows of 2013. Den of Geek's Rob Smedley found the show joyously amusing, with clichés handled well through top gags and skilled delivery. The Radio Times placed it 28th in its Top 40 year-end list, suggesting that Python comparisons might not be out of place given the creators' abundance of ideas. Total Film ranked it 25th in its Top 25, calling it Labyrinth meets Monty Python and noting jokes for adults alongside child-friendly content. Cultbox UK named it Best Comedy of the year, praising it as a genuinely funny comedy for the whole family with puppets, inventive characters, and cheeky humour.