Green Balloon Club
Green Balloon Club is a BBC children's television program that started on CBeebies on 20 June 2008.[1]
| Green Balloon Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's |
| Created by | Claire Bradley |
| Developed by | Gary Stevenson |
| Starring | Jake Pratt Isabella Blake-Thomas Debbie Korley Adam Wells Thai Murray-Edwards Aliex Yuill Chris Howard Bill Oddie |
| Narrated by | Gary Martin |
| Theme music composer | Paul Mossel |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 63 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Graham Lawson |
| Producer(s) | Claire Bradley |
| Production location(s) | Capital Group Studios Gruffalo Studios |
| Camera setup | Tony Bragg Derek Gruszeckyi |
| Running time | 20 Minutes |
| Distributor | BBC Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 20 June 2008 – 29 May 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | CBeebies Springwatch/CBeebies Autumnwatch |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Format
Green Balloon Club (2008–2009)
Green Balloon Club is a wildlife club on CBeebies, both on screen and online. It is hosted by 4 children: Lily-Rose who loves flowers and plants, Ant whose specialty is minibeasts, Cat who is the animals expert and Jay whose interest is in birds. Together with Skipper the dog and their balloonist, Sky, the children fly around the UK looking out for other Green Balloon Club Members and having a look at what wildlife they have in their patch. Special reporters for the programme are Jelly (The Story Makers, CBeebies Springwatch), Nature Chris and Bill Oddie. The programme was conceived and made by Clare Bradley, Lotte Elwell and the CBeebies Production team, and grew out of their previous award-winning work on CBeebies Springwatch and Autumnwatch.
The show was originally part of the "EcoBeebies" brand. It started with a launch show named Easy Peasy Eco Beebies on 13 June 2008, and this was followed by 48 episodes, one every week from 20 June 2008 to 29 May 2009.
Each episode starts with the children doing the register, then joining in with the "Green Balloon Club" chant. At the end of the show, the balloon "lands" and everybody sings a song.
Green Balloon Club Goes on Holiday (2009)
In 2009, a stand-alone series of 10 episodes was broadcast. The first half featured the Green Team visiting the Isle of Arran and the second half featured the Green Team becoming zookeepers in Belfast Zoo for a week.
Winter Special (2009)
A stand-alone Winter Special was aired in December 2009 (Recorded in November 2009), which featured the entire cast going on a winter camping adventure.
Green Balloon Club Scrapbook (2010)
In 2010, a spin-off series of 15 episodes entitled "Green Balloon Club Scrapbook" was produced which showed "what the Green Team get up to when they're not in the Green Balloon. Different members of the team check the laptop to find out what the other members of the Green Balloon Club are getting up to". This series also included 2 song specials. "[2]
Songs
All the music for the series was written by Paul Moessl and performed by the cast.
- Theme Song
- Let's Go Play Outside
- It's Our World
- Listen
- All Earth's Creatures
- Underwater
- Fun on the Beach
- Minibeast Madness
- Flying
- Whatever's Good at Christmas (written by Bill Oddie and produced by Paul Moessl)
- Dig In
- Good to get away (Arran song)
- At the Zoo (Belfast song)
- Animal Alphabet,
- Waggle Dance
- It's a Dog's Life
- and a final special arrangement of the Title song for the Winter Special
Cast
- Isabella Blake-Thomas as Lily Rose: the youngest of the kids. Her interest is flowers and she is often seen holding some.
- Jake Pratt as Jay (absent for one episode): A bird expert in the group. He is interested in birds. Pratt was the only presenter to be in a professional Drama school.
- Debbie Korley as Sky: the balloonist of the group. She also leads the group on various adventures.
- Adam Wells as Ant: A bug expert who knows about various bugs and ants.
- Thai Murray-Edwards as Cat: an Animal expert. She likes cats.
- Aliex Yuill as Jelly
- Chris Howard as Himself
- Bill Oddie as Himself (in The Green Balloon Club only)
- Ellie-Jo Pratt as the voice of Skipper the dog (in Green Balloon Scrapbook only) Ellie-Jo Pratt is Jake Pratt's younger sister.
The cast were ordinary children all found at extensive auditions. Jake Pratt was the only one of the children who was at drama school. Isabella Blake-Thomas was the youngest at just 5 when she started on the series.
Production team
- Producer – Clare Bradley
- Director – Lotte Elwell, Graham Forester, Peter Eyre
- Location Directors – Sally Wilkinson, Iwan Watson, Charlotte Child, Leslie Pitt, Annabel Greenleaf
- Researchers – Emine Yalchin, Anna Weatherhead, Kat Woolfe, Sarah Nichols
- Production Manager – Gilly Court, Gary Stevenson
- Runners – Rebecca Sanders, Justyna Wrucha, Kat Lynch,
- Interactive Lead – Jon Howard
- Design Lead – Jane Williams
Episode list
(Titles sourced from the BBC Australia website (The episodes on the UK BBC website don't have episode titles))
Green Balloon Club
| Episode | Original air date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Meet the Green Balloon Club | 20 June 2008 | Lily-Rose, Ant, Cat, Jay, Sky and Skipper the dog meet at the foot of the Green Balloon in a clubhouse, made Frome recycled bottles and boxes. |
| Animals Under the Waters | 27 June 2008 | The kids find out about animals under the water. |
| Dragonflies | 4 July 2008 | The team find out about fruit and dragonflies and travel over the Scottish Highlands to find out what wildlife lives there. |
| Bugs Hunt | 11 July 2008 | The gang are on a bug hunt and Jelly is visiting the Isles of Scilly. |
| Lilly-Rose Plants Nasturtiums | 18 July 2008 | Lily-Rose plants some nasturtiums and finds out about the night-time creatures. |
| The Team go to the Coast | 25 July 2008 | The team goes to the coast to find out about the wildlife living there. |
| Episode 7 | 1 August 2008 | Ant brings a very special visitor to the club.
NOTE: The Episode was skipped over in Australia, and because of this it doesn't have an episode title.’’ |
| Heathland | 8 August 2008 | The balloon travels over heathland and the children look out for wildlife. |
| Busy Bee Boogie | 15 August 2008 | The team discover a forest of flowers and the ground crew learn how to do a busy bee boogie. |
| Under the Sea | 22 August 2008 | The balloon is flying over the coast and the team explore under the sea. |
| Sweet Lavender | 29 August 2008 | The team discover how sweet lavender is. |
| All the Senses | 5 September 2008 | The Green Team use all their senses to explore the world around them. |
| Building a Nest | 12 September 2008 | Jelly sends in her special report as she finds out what it is like to hug a tree. Jay and Ant will be showing us how tricky it is building a nest and Cat and Lily-Rose will be making paper cup squirrels. |
| Life on the Waterways | 19 September 2008 | The Green Team are finding out about life on the waterways and Cat finds out about water voles. Jelly is spotting her very first Jay in Bill's garden. |
| Mud Festival in Wales | 26 September 2008 | The balloon is heading to a mud festival in Wales and the green team are having much messy fun with compost and clay. |
| Canal Boat | 3 October 2008 | Jelly meets up with Green Balloon Club members Louie and Stanley for a trip on a canal boat and look at the wildlife along the banks. |
| Basil the Cat | 10 October 2008 | The Green Team have a special visitor with them in the balloon. Basil the kitten has come to Balloon Club with Cat, and the team look at how he is like his larger African cousins. |
| Apples | 17 October 2008 | Today Jelly is harvesting apples in an orchard while Lily-Rose and Ant are starting a planting experiment to see if they can grow an apple tree. Cat and Jay are finding out about deer with the help of Green Balloon Club members |
| Animals and the Seashore | 24 October 2008 | The Green Team find out about owls and Club Members Ellie, Jodie and Erin meet a tawny owl. The Ground Crew check out what wildlife can be found on the seashore at this time of year and even try a bit of snorkelling. |
| Halloween | 31 October 2008 | It is Halloween and there are some spooky goings-on in the Green Balloon. Jelly visits Bill to see if her pumpkin has grown big enough to become a lantern, and looks for bugs in Bill's garden. Cat finds out about bats and asks why people find them scary. Also, the Green Team take on the challenge of the Tower of Flour. |
| Birds in Autumn | 7 November 2008 | As part of the Autumnwatch season Green Balloon Club team are having a good look at Autumn – how the leaves change colour and whether it is possible to preserve their lovely shades. Jelly pays a visit to Bill Oddie and finds out what's happening in his bird boxes at this time of year. Many birds migrate now, but Jay and the Ground Crew have a look at the ones that stay at home and find out how experts research their lives. |
| Wild About Woods | 14 November 2008 | This week the Green Team are going wild about woods. Green Balloon Club member Ralf is reporting from a woodland event, finding out what fun can be had in your local wood. |
| Hibernating Birds | 21 November 2008 | The Green Team are learning about hibernation and Jay is finding out if birds hibernate. Ant looks at hibernating insects and makes a bug box for minibeasts to sleep in over the winter. Lily-Rose is looking at how her seeds do in winter, while Cat finds the champion hibernator of them all – the dormouse. |
| Jumping Salmon | 28 November 2008 | The Green Team marvel at just how athletic some creatures are. Green Balloon Club members from Cardiff show us what brilliant jumpers their local salmon are whilst the balloon is visited by a very athletic little friend: Georgina the ferret. |
| Mini Christmas Trees | 5 December 2008 | The Green Team are starting to think about Christmas. They have an idea for making mini Christmas trees and Cat finds out about Pine Martens. Green Balloon Club members Josh, Oscar, Henry and Ben file a special report on winter vegetables, while the Ground Crew set out in search of badgers. We finally really get in the Christmas mood with our new song Whatever's Good at Christmas, featuring Bill Oddie and Jelly alongside the Green Team. |
| Christmas Tree | 12 December 2008 | Christmas is getting near and Sky has bought a Christmas tree for the Green Balloon. May and Alfie send in a report on choosing their Christmas tree too and the Green Team set about making decorations – festive snowflakes for the tree. Green Balloon club members Jorge and Zoe are lucky enough to meet some reindeer and send in a special report whilst Antoinne and Chantel set a seasonal spot to look out for this week. Bill Oddie, Jelly, Nature Chris and a host of children and animals join the Green Team for the fantastic Green Balloon Christmas song, Whatever's good at Christmas. |
| The Story of Christmas | 19 December 2008 | Christmas is almost here and the Green Team are thinking about presents. They receive a beautiful book, The Story of Christmas, and within its pages see the story of the Nativity told by the animals. Children from Hillhouse Primary school team up with Nature Chris and the animals from Lee Valley Farm to bring us the story. Back in the balloon the team look at the Christmas presents they could provide for their local wildlife and make a beautiful star for the Christmas tree. After a seasonal spot, the team join up with Bill Oddie, Jelly, the Nativity cast, Bollywood dancers, Irish dancers and break dancers in the Green Balloon's Christmas song, Whatever's good at Christmas.
NOTE: There was a two-week break between this episode and the next, due to the cast going on Christmas holidays.’’ |
| New Year Special | 9 January 2009 | The Green Team are all together again and full of wishes for the New Year. Jelly and her friends find out how to recycle your Christmas tree, whilst Green Balloon Club members, Alice, Oscar and Rory, are having fun in the snow. Cat and Skipper are finding out about squirrels and Ant and Lily-Rose make a New Year collage showing all the wildlife they hope to spot this year.
NOTE: Jake Pratt was absent for this episode as he had the flu. |
| Lilly-Rose Hates Winter | 16 January 2009 | It is January and Lily-Rose is feeling fed up with the Winter. Her flowers have died and there is no wildlife around to spot. The Green Team set about showing her that there is still plenty to do and see in the winter. |
| Bird in Winter | 23 January 2009 | The Green Balloon Club have a good look at the birds in the winter garden. Cat and Lily-Rose are making comical dancing birds and we have a close look at stoats who are also great movers. Green Balloon Club members Amy and Ellie set another widespread bird as this week's spot and finally the whole team imagine what it would be like to go flying South like a migrating bird. |
| Pantomime | 30 January 2009 | It is panto time in the Green Balloon. Join the Green Team as they tell the story of Lily-Rose Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolves. Green Balloon Club member Andrew shows us how to plant a tree and Bill Oddie introduces Jelly to some of the creatures that visit his garden. |
| Making Bread | 6 February 2009 | It is panto time in the Green Balloon. The Green Team learn how bread is made. Jelly files a special report from a flour mill and the team try their hand at making bread hedgehogs. Cat is finding out about real hedgehogs while Green Balloon Club members from the Lee Valley are looking for winter wildfowl and set us a seasonal spot. |
| Blue Tits | 13 February 2009 | The first signs of Spring are starting to appear and birds are looking for places to build their nests and start a family. Jake is putting up a new home for his robins and introduces us to a family of blue tits. The Green Team have a look at the different homes that animals live in whilst Jelly visits some children in West Sussex who are making a wormery. |
| Lilly-Rose's Tooth | 20 February 2009 | Lily-Rose has lost her first tooth and she brings it in to show the Green Team. So Ant in turn shows her his collection of animal teeth and they look at what jobs the different kinds of teeth do. Jelly and Bill set up a fantastic experiment to see if they can see a snail's teeth. Green Balloon Club members Ellie and Tilly find some beautiful garden birds – but not the sort you usually find in your back garden. |
| Weather with Nature Chris | 27 February 2009 | The team are joined by Nature Chris and are having a weather day. They discover different ways of making rainbows and have a look at one of Britain's most brightly coloured birds. Green Balloon Club members Megan and Ellie are out in the snow showing us how a hedge is planted, whilst Jelly and her friends are down on the farm to meet some racing pigs. |
| Skipper's Birthday | 6 March 2009 | The Green Team wonder when Skipper's birthday is, because she is a rescue dog and Cat does not know exactly when she was born. There is no time like the present, so the Team decide it is the perfect day to celebrate Skipper's birthday. Jelly and her friends visit the Dogs' Trust and find out about rescue dogs whilst Green Balloon Club Members Aaron, Alia, Lillas and Kyle report on the daffodils which have come into bloom where they live. |
| Creatures Communicate | 13 March 2009 | The Green Team are finding out about creatures that communicate using vibrations. Green Balloon Club members Lukasz, Tabitha and Xavier are on the trail of a greater spotted woodpecker, whilst Jelly and her friends head to Scotland to go dolphin spotting. The Green team find out about how spiders use their webs and even make a communication system of their own. |
| Ladybirds in Spring | 20 March 2009 | Spring is on the way. Ant has found his first ladybird of the year; it looks as if they are coming out of hibernation. Lily-Rose's hyacinth has bloomed and Green Balloon Club members Malikah, Centaine and Zahra are finding first buds and shoots where they live. Sky starts off a bean seed experiment whilst Jelly is visiting some friends who are working in a kitchen garden |
| The Lifecycle | 27 March 2009 | The Green Team are finding out about the life cycle. Ant has brought in some pupas that he is watching, hoping that they will soon hatch into butterflies. Green Balloon Club members Maisie, Christopher and Jada have found some frogspawn in their local pond, whilst Jelly and her friends are checking out the bird life on the estuary and Jay is finding out about puffins. |
| Animal Tracks | 3 April 2009 | The Green Team are going tracking. Every creature makes a different print, but can they recognise them? Green Balloon Club members Joanne, Jack, Jonathan and Niamh are on the East Anglian coast looking for a beautiful bird called an Oyster Catcher. The Ground Crew set off on a tracking mission too and find something quite a bit larger. Cat finds out about Hares, whilst Lily-Rose and Ant make a peacock using their own prints. |
| City Farm and Baby Rabbits | 10 April 2009 | Lily-Rose, Ant, Cat, Jay, Sky and Skipper the dog travel Great Britain in a green hot air balloon. The team have some very special visitors in the balloon: a pair of baby rabbits. Jelly and her friends set off to a city farm to discover what baby animals they have there, and at the same time get involved with some pig racing. Green Balloon Club members Ben, Elliot, Macey and Benjamin are planting some bulbs ready for summer whilst Lily-Rose is getting very excited about planting some vegetable seeds and growing her own dinner. |
| Dig In | 17 April 2009 | The Green Team are joining the BBC's Dig In Campaign – time for some spring vegetable planting. Lily-Rose has a lovely new windowbox which she plants with carrots, beetroots, red lettuce and butternut squash, at the same time planting tomato seeds in a propagator. Ant and Cat think of a clever way to make seed markers from polystyrene food trays. |
| Toy Farm and Baby Animals | 24 April 2009 | Cat has brought a great toy farm to Club and the Green Team find out about baby farm animals. Green Balloon Club members Eddie, Joe and Bethany head off to a farm to find some baby animals and report back on them. Nature Chris has an amazing surprise for everyone – he's brought in an incubator. Could it be that a chick will hatch before their eyes? Jelly is visiting the Isles of Scilly and looking for seals – perhaps she will find a baby seal? |
| Bluebells | 1 May 2009 | The Green Team are amazed by just how fast things can grow. Green Balloon Club members Lydia, Thomas, Edward and Kimberley report on the beautiful bluebells in their local wood. The Ground Crew is up very early to listen to the dawn chorus. Jay and Cat find out how to replant their runner beans and kidney beans into larger pots as they have grown so much, whilst Lily-Rose and Ant find some clever ways of printing a vegetable garden |
| Stag Beetles | 8 May 2009 | Ant brings in his prize model of a stag beetle and the team find out about Britain's biggest insect, sadly under threat. Green Balloon Club members Robert, Alexia and Joshua report on what they are doing to help build homes for stag beetles. Jelly visits Bill Oddie and they go on a bug hunt to see what they can discover in his garden. |
| Animals That Live in Dens | 15 May 2009 | The Green Team have built a fantastic den inside the Green Balloon and are thinking about animals that live in dens and under the ground. Green Balloon Club members, Jazmin and Pandora, report on a family of foxes that have made a den in their Auntie's garden, whilst Jelly has her very own den made specially for her at a Forest School. Lily-Rose and Ant make beautiful butterflies to decorate their den and Club Members Alex and Rebecca set this week's spot which should be appearing in a tree near you right now. |
| Ocean in a Box | 22 May 2009 | The Green Team make their own nature worlds, and Cat and Ant make an ocean in a box. Jelly visits friends in the Scilly Isles and goes rockpooling. Also, Green Balloon Club member Harry visits his grandad's animal rescue centre and meets some tiny baby birds. Also, club members Rebecca and Christopher set the Spot of the Week. |
| Four Seasons | 29 May 2009 | The Green Team think about the four seasons and try to decide which is best. Could it be spring as it's full of new things? Could it be summer because it is such fun? Could it be autumn because it is so beautiful? Or perhaps it's winter because it's so exciting? Green Balloon Club member Nansi shows the flowers and birds around Cardiff cathedral, while Jack and Dhunya set a special spot of the week.
NOTE: This was the last green balloon club episode until January 2010.’’ |
Ratings
Episode viewing figures from BARB.[3]
| Episode no. | Airdate | Total viewers | CBeebies weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
Green Balloon Scrapbook
| Episode | Original air date | Details | Total viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 January 2010 | Skipper heads off on an adventure where she meets a monkey gang from South Africa. | 278,000 |
| 2 | 20 January 2010 | Skipper heads off on an adventure with a parrot party in the South American rainforest. | 300,000 |
| 3 | 27 January 2010 | Jelly is on a camping trip with some friends in Wales. | 230,000 |
| 4 | 3 February 2010 | Skipper heads off to the jungle where she meets a bird who can make the most amazing sounds. | 268,000 |
| 5 | 10 February 2010 | Ant is making his Bug Files at his local Tropical House. | 249,000 |
| 6 | 17 February 2010 | Jelly reports from the Welsh coast where she meets a surfing family. | 236,000 |
| 7 | 24 February 2010 | Skipper is off on an African adventure, where she meets a lot of water-loving hippos. | 204,000 |
| 8 | 3 March 2010 | Skipper heads underwater where she encounters a giant octopus. | 193,000 |
| 9 | 10 March 2010 | Skipper heads off to Antarctica where she goes for a long and cold walk with a group of penguins. | 191,000 |
| 10 | 17 March 2010 | Skipper heads off to South America on a multi-coloured Macaw adventure. | 105,000 |
| 11 | 24 March 2010 | Ant and his friend Bradley meet some big hissing cockroaches and have a race with them. | 164,000 |
| 12 | 29 March 2010 | Jay is out doing some birdwatching, he's looking at how autumn is a good time for birds. | |
| 13 | 23 December 2009 | Winter Special | 213,000 |
| 14 | 30 March 2010 | Song Special part 1: The Green Team introduce their favourite songs in a special programme of music and verse. | 203,000 |
| 15 | 31 March 2010 | Song Special part 2: Ant is out looking for minibeasts. Can you guess what his favourite song will be? | 350,000 |
Note: episode 13 was not shown between episodes 12 and 14, as it was shown within the Christmas schedule
International airings
- The show began airing in Australia on their version of CBeebies in late 2009, in time for the summer season. As of 2018 the show still airs on the channel, in a late night slot.
- The show also aired on CBeebies Poland from 2010 to 2013, titled Podróże z Zielonym Balonem (Travel with the Green Balloon) and dubbed into Polish by now-defunct dubbing company Eurocom Studio.
gollark: I think all the constraints/thingies here are linear, thus.
gollark: Thus, linear programming!
gollark: To be fair, paralleling vast amounts of extremely slow machines CAN be annoying and expensive.
gollark: I IKR know, right?
gollark: Yes, however there are non-coal-generator things in existence.
References
- Tara Conlan (14 April 2008). "CBeebies to broadcast eco season". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- "Green Balloon Scrapbook". CBeebies. BBC. January 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- http://www.barb.co.uk/
External links
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