The Furchester Hotel: Q&A with series producer Dionne
Mollie
CBeebies Grown-ups
We're getting pretty excited about The Furchester Hotel opening its doors on CBeebies. To get the inside scoop on what it was like making the show we had a chat with series producer Dionne, who moved to Manchester from the USA for the shoot...
Tell us a little about yourself and what your job is on The Furchester
Hi, I’m one of the two series producers on The Furchester Hotel, along with David Collier. I’m from Sesame Street in New York, and came to Manchester while the series was in studio. David and I led the crew and puppet artists on a 12 week stay at The Furchester Hotel!
How does working on The Furchester differ from working on Sesame Street?
Well, the biggest difference is the physical layout. Sesame Street is a traditional 4 wall studio, three walls of set and the cameras shoot from the 4th wall. The Furchester Hotel was a 360 degree set, meaning you could put a camera almost anywhere to get a shot. It was very cinematic with beautiful depth and angles. Anyone who visited was instantly taken with the grandeur and detail of it.
Dionne on set (in between Furgus and Cookie Monster)
What’s The Furchester all about?
The Furchester is a hotel run by cheerfully incompetent and furry monsters. Elmo has come to visit his family in the UK, who run The Furchester Hotel - his Auntie Funella, Uncle Furgus and cousin Phoebe. Cookie has landed his dream job as hotel waiter! And solving problems is just part of the hotel service. In every episode, they put their furry heads together and think to come up with solutions for their guests’ problems. Some of the solutions even work.
You’ve obviously been staying in the UK while working on the programme – how have you (and your family) enjoyed your time here?
We all loved Manchester! And it was a family affair! I came with my kids, husband and both sets of grandparents alternated to take care of my 5 year old twins while I was in studio!
For me, working at Media City was luxurious! Dock10 studio is a brand new and state of the art facility. And the CBeebies office is a friendly, inviting and productive workspace.
My kids loved Didsbury and going to Reception here - and splashing in puddles on the way home from school! My parents and in laws enjoyed Fletcher Moss Garden and the full English breakfast. And Manchester renewed my husband’s love of The Smiths and reinforced his love of football. Something for everyone.
Dionne's 5 year old twins getting into Manchester life
What do you hope that the CBeebies audience (and their parents) will get from the series?
Well, I hope viewers find it funny and watchable together as a family. It's a unique challenge these days for television to bring people together. It is special content that gives parents and kids a connection, something to share and talk about.
What’s your favourite thing about the Furchester?
The extra characters, sometimes called “AMs” or "anything muppets", in Sesame Street vernacular are usually an opportunity for the puppeteers to get really silly. So, some of my favorites are the Tea Time Monsters, who trounce through screen speaking monsterese in each episode or Gonger, a tiny bright pink guy, whose gong is their call to action!
The guests are of all varieties - animal, vegetable and mineral - and some of the zaniest are a Super Banana in a dashing green cape, a deep voiced orange in bedazzled headphones resting in the fruit ripening lounge, a giant squid dancersizing with 8 trainers on her tentacles, an indignant alligator who is disturbed while bathing, and a ridiculous blue lullaby accordionist.
Have there been any particular highlights or funny moments from the shoot?
We put on a “Friends and Family Day” in which we treated our guests to a very brief on set show with the puppets. David and I introduced the show and in true muppet style, the monsters upstaged us, layering us in feather boas, hats and ridiculous accessories during our introduction speech. It was very bonkers and totally delightful. This day also captured children (and adults, I must say) meeting and hugging and laughing with muppets. It's magic. Like fireworks of the heart for everyone!
Who is your favourite Furchester character?
This is like asking which is my favourite child! I love them all so much, they’re family.
The Furchester Hotel opens its doors on CBeebies on the 26th September at 5pm.
Do you have a little one who is already a big fan of the furry Furchester characters? Join the chat on the CBeebies Grown-ups social media communities on Facebook or Twitter.
Follow The Furchester Hotel countdown on the CBeebies website and unlock a furry treat every day until the first show.
