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Backstage with the Call the Midwife stars taking on Strictly for Children in Need

2015-11-13T15:09:56+00:00

For this year’s BBC Children in Need, four Call the Midwife stars are throwing their stethoscopes and habits aside to take part in a Strictly Come Dancing special.

Stephen McGann, Jenny Agutter, Laura Main and Jack Ashton took us backstage as they prepare to go head-to-head to win the Pudsey glitterball trophy. Even Sir Bruce Forsyth is back for the occasion!

Stephen McGann (Dr Turner)
Dancing the waltz to Moon River with Joanne Clifton.

Dancing the waltz means you have to lead your partner. Do you find it harder or easier being in control of the dance?

Control's the word - whether I'm leading or following! I'm no dancer, so feeling in control and able to enjoy the flow and movement is the challenge, whatever the dance.

Which Strictly judge are you most apprehensive about dancing in front of and why?

All of them! The waltz has been great to experience - but its slow elegance exposes every tiny error of positioning and poise. I wouldn't call myself a naturally graceful soul, so this has been something of a boot camp. I just hope they'll be gentle with me!

What made you want to take part in BBC Children in Need this year?

I adore Children In Need. It's a uniquely British institution that brings the nation together in an act of outrageous generosity for a brilliant cause. I've been privileged to be involved with the big night a few times over the years, and it's always a special thing. It reminds us all that there are far more important things in life than ourselves - and if that isn't worth clomping around a dance floor to music, then I don't know what is!

Laura Main (Shelagh Turner)
Dancing the jive to Tutti Frutti with Brendan Cole.

You went to see Helen George (Call the Midwife's Trixie) dance on Strictly recently. Has she given you any tips for your performance?

I am a massive Strictly fan, so to get to be in the live studio audience was so thrilling and to be there to support Helen made it even more exciting. I'm so proud of her. Helen has been so supportive and encouraging and she can't wait for our turn! Her best bit of advice, which has really stayed with me, is to embrace what you are doing and just go for it. And when I remember why we are doing it, it's even easier to forget about yourself, let go and give it your all.

You performed in stage shows as a child, is dance something you wanted to come back to?

I've tried to keep my singing going over the years, as I do love musicals. But I've let my dancing go, so it's been a while! This week of training has felt like the old me coming back. And I have to admit, I am loving it. It is challenging though and I'm terrified I'll forget the moves and just be standing there. It's a big contrast to the last six months on the set of Call the Midwife, but it's fun to do different things.

Who do you see as your main dance rival and why?

It's got to be Jenny Agutter! She is so elegant and graceful. It's been the main topic of conversation at work and she's been very funny on the Call the Midwife set, dressed as a nun and wearing her dancing shoes to break them in out of shot! Even before we started rehearsals, her waltz steps had quite a long stride to them. Jack's dance has loads of wow factor though, with a huge leap frog and one move that appears to have a slight element of danger about it for his dance partner Oti, if it were to go wrong! And Stephen's dance is so adorable, it's infectious, and I smile every time I watch him.

Jack Ashton (Tom Hereward)
Dancing the to Tutti Frutti with Oti Mabuse.

Your Call the Midwife character worried he wouldn’t impress Trixie on a date as he can’t dance. What do you think Trixie would make of you dancing on Strictly?

I think I'm slightly better at dancing than Tom but it's a close call. He has a fear of it, whereas I'm a bit stupid so I thought it'd be fun. It turns out it was a lot harder than I expected but I'm proud of what I've achieved in the end, the jive is tough.

You are going to be performing the same dance as Laura. Have you helped each other prepare for it during training?

Laura certainly didn't need any of my help she was clearly superior to me from day one. Of course we watched each other but I can honestly say watching Laura dance filled me with pride: she deserves any praise she gets for her performance because she will be excellent.

The jive was a popular form of dance in Call the Midwife's era, the 1950s. Have you taken any other influences from the 50s?

Well you can't help but be reminded of famous scenes in films set in that period. There's a particular scene in Malcolm X that springs to mind with Denzel Washington and Spike Lee walking down the street in New York looking cool as cucumbers. That's my inspiration for the beginning of our dance, although I might not look as cool..

Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne)
Dancing the waltz to Moon River with Ian Waite.

As you trained at a classical ballet school, do you feel under particular pressure to impress judge Darcy Bussell?

I've not done ballet for a number of years but love to watch it and was a huge fan of Darcy's. I am sure my brief waltz will not impress her and I am not sure that the ballet training I had years ago is at all useful. Ballet gives you fluidity of movement, but I discovered in the rehearsal period that ballroom dancing uses the body in quite a different way. I needed to relearn how to hold my body and felt quite awkward. But Ian was a great partner and I knew, if need be, he would carry me round and make the waltz work.

Would you consider taking part in next year’s Strictly Come Dancing?

I think that Strictly is a wonderful show and enjoy seeing everyone immersed in ballroom dancing whether they have any dance training or not. I've particularly loved doing our Call the Midwife Strictly Come Dancing competition, however I don't see myself taking part next year.

Dancing was a huge part of life in the 1950s, do you think we'll see more of it in the next series of Call the Midwife?

We've moved into the sixties in Call the Midwife and certainly physical fitness and exercise is on the young midwives' agenda. I am not sure when Strictly started on TV but I am sure Sister Julienne would have loved to tune in!

Children in Need is broadcast on Friday, 13 November from 7.30pm on BBC One, switching to BBC Two from 10pm to 10.40pm and back to BBC One from 10.40pm. The shows will be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

How we went about keeping the Clangers' old-world charm

2015-06-15T14:35:50+00:00

I have been in the animation industry for over 25 years and worked on many children's classics, but when I tell people I am working on the Clangers I get such a warm reception. Everyone always asks about the Soup Dragon!

I think the Clangers appeal to all age groups. I know, from watching the originals in the early 1970s, that my mother was as much a fan as we children were. In fact I recently found the 1973 Clanger Annual in my parents’ loft and made Clanger biscuits with my god daughter from a recipe I found in it!

We have the occasional young visitor to the animation studio in Manchester, and they are always drawn to the Clangers characters. Everyone wants a cuddle. The stories in the programme are gentle, funny, musical, loving... and frequently a bit bonkers. Each Clanger has a definite personality too.

The original episodes were shot on a very tight budget and with very short time constraints. The animation was all done by Oliver Postgate. He would have shot 'blind', which means without being able to view what you are filming while you do it.

Technology has moved on so much, and now we have wonderful software which allows us to step through what we are doing frame by frame. We can watch our shots as we do them and even look at what everyone else is doing. The animation on the new series will be much smoother but we are aiming to retain the pace and charm of the original. Lots of lovely pauses.

Clangers characters line up on the shelves as they await their turn on-screen

There are 25 frames in a second of animation, and we are expected to average about 12 seconds a day per animator. This is harder to achieve when all the Clangers decide they want to dance!

Our Clangers are mainly knitted by Amanda Thomas. She is a very 'crafty' and talented lady. She has tried to keep them as close to the originals as possible whilst still allowing for the more sophisticated 'skeleton' (we call it the armature) to fit inside. They are all hand knitted, just like in the original series.

Clanger-coloured wool is bought in large quantities and hand-knitted into characters

I am looking forward to introducing the Clangers to a new generation. I have eight nieces and nephews and they have all watched the originals in preparation for the new series. I feel it is a continuation of the original, rather than a remake.

Original sketches from 1968 show early visions of the Clangers

Jo Chalkley is an animator for the Clangers.

Clangers starts on Monday, 15 June at 5.30pm on CBeebies. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

On Angel Wings: Telling the Christmas story in a different way

2014-12-19T16:43:56+00:00

Children's author Michael Morpurgo shares the vision behind the animated adaptation of his Christmas story, On Angel Wings.

The Christmas story is a story one knows so well, almost too well because very often it’s so familiar that we have stopped listening. So I thought, tell it in a different way, bringing new life to the story but keeping to the spirit and above all, the integrity of it.

Amos (voiced by Oliver Walsh), is greeted by Angel Gabriel (Dominic Cooper)

Traditional stories are the foundation of all storytelling. I love them because they have lasted through the centuries and love the idea that stories listened to 2000 years ago are as compelling now as they were then.

I think children in the company of adults, particularly a child alone often feels overwhelmed with busy lives and by conversations going on of which they don’t seem to be a part. So that fitted perfectly with my idea to create a shepherd boy who was simply left behind to guard the sheep while everyone else went off to have a good time.

'You can't be a shepherd and afraid of the dark!'

The book was illustrated wonderfully by Quentin Blake, pictures and text simply complementing one another. The film is a different thing, as is a play. And adaptation to a new medium is essential to giving the story a new and a different life.

Quentin Blake’s signature style helped bring the story to life on the page

I’ve worked with Juliet Stevenson a lot in the past and have always found her characterisation of the parts she plays utterly compelling whether on stage or on film. She and Michael Gambon make a wonderful cast for this story and Julian Nott’s music is thrilling and wonderfully atmospheric.

In the film, there is a moment when the baby reaches out and grabs the shepherd boy’s finger and holds it. For me, that is a most wonderful moment to be able to witness.

Michael Morpurgo wrote On Angel Wings.

On Angel Wings is on Christmas Eve at 4.15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. For further programme times, please see the upcoming broadcasts page.

More on On Angel Wings
Radio Times: Do kids know the true meaning of Christmas?

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got The Reading Bug

2013-12-18T16:10:43+00:00

A television producer and director, Merryn Threadgould, had rung me out of the blue, asking for suggestions on how she should get started with researching the history of Ladybird books for The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got The Reading Bug.

I had been recently featured in a national newspaper as having a large collection of Ladybird books and I suppose this was how Merryn had got my name.

As a collector and a teacher, there’s nothing more likely to make me wax lyrical than inviting me to expound on my specialism.

What was particular welcome in this case was that it was, apparently, for a full-length documentary dedicated to the history of Ladybird.

Go straight back in time: As much a part of childhood as lace up shoes and warm school milk

So I gave her my suggestions, including the wonderful 94-year-old artist and illustrator Martin Aitchison, Jenny Pearce – daughter of Ladybird’s influential editorial director Douglas Keen, and thought-provoking artist John Bentley.

In addition I offered to give her a potted - or Ladybird - version of the history of this amazing company, which, to my mind, so effectively traces the social history of the second half of the 20th century:

“Once upon a time, in a little town in Leicestershire...”

A few weeks later, Merryn was back, this time in person and at my little house, flanked by delightful cameraman Adam Clarke and researcher Clare Wales, and armed with filming equipment.

By now the energy and enthusiasm of this little trio needed no firing from me.

I was amazed at how the momentum of early research had picked up its own speed and own direction.

Poet Andrew Motion and other Ladybird fans recall the inspiring Adventures From History series

To my trained eye, Merryn had, in lightening quick time, become an official Ladybod – a mini-expert on Ladybird Books.

She had even managed to find the answer to a puzzle that has baffled long-established Ladybods for years – the meaning of a confusing acronym on a well-known Learning To Read series.

The questions she now put to me at interview were sometimes quite challenging but the fresh eyes of this trio made me see my own collection for the first time in years.

Despite my passionate interest in the social history encapsulated in these little books, I was reluctant to reveal the size of my collection to the cameras.

When Merryn suggested filming in my loft, packed to the rafters with thousands and thousands of books and artwork and ephemera, I wasn’t keen.

Selected highlights from my main collection fill the dining room and that I was prepared to display to the world.

But the huge number of items in the loft was an uncomfortable reminder of the craziest days of amassing the collection (mostly from car boot sales and charity shops) – when I had been distracting myself from other problems by hiding in ‘Ladybird Land’.

The first depictions of suburbia: A place that is forever the gloriously ordinary, orderly 1950s

When the team had left, my husband and I realised we needed to take stock.

We began a summer of book moving and reorganising and realised that I’d amassed nearly twice as many books as I thought I had: nearer 12,000 than the 7,000 I’d quoted. This was chastening.

But the sort out also brought to the surface long forgotten gems: for example articles on literacy written by the formidable Vera Southgate or some rare, pre-1940s Ladybird Books I didn’t even know I had.

Fresh avenues to research from my loft ‘archive’ that have actually served to revive my interest after all these years.

Helen Day is a teacher and features in The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got The Reading Bug.

The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got The Reading Bug is part of Timeshift on BBC Four at 9pm on Sunday, 22 December.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.