Teletubbies begins

Teletubbies said "Eh-Oh" for the first time on 31 March 1997. The programme was created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport, and starred, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La-La and Po, brightly coloured creatures with aerials on their heads. It was an immediate hit with its pre-school audience. It went on to become a phenomenal international success, and even produced a number One single.

Some people were concerned over the Teletubbies' language, which was based on the first words children say. But by encouraging the viewers to join in and play, Teletubbies successfully stimulated children of all abilities to communicate with confidence. The show was deliberately repetitive, which drove some parents to distraction, but was loved by toddlers, who invariably wanted to see the films screened on the Teletubbies tummy screens "again again". Tellytubbyland was created on a farm in Warwickshire, and the set was populated with giant Flemish rabbits. The actors playing the Teletubbies were Dave Thompson, John Simmit, Nicky Smedley and Pui Fan Lee.

Teletubbies finished after 365 episodes were made, and then led to Teletubbies Everywhere, which debuted on Cbeebies. The BBC has continued to lead the way in pre-school programming, creating colourful popular shows for young children, including Tweenies, Fimbles and In the Night Garden.