Nina and the Neurons

Last updated

Nina and the Neurons
Nina And The Neurons Official Logo.png
Genre Children's
Presented by Katrina Bryan (as "Nina")
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
(Scotland)
Original languageEnglish
No. of series11
No. of episodes225
Production
Running time15 minutes
Original release
Network CBeebies
Release26 February 2007 (2007-02-26) –
2 October 2015 (2015-10-02)

Nina and the Neurons is a British live action/animated television programme shown on the CBeebies channel, aimed at young children to help them understand basic science. Nina is a neuroscientist [1] who enlists the help of five Neurons (animated characters representing the senses) in her brain to answer a scientific question. It was first aired on 26th February 2007.

Contents

The show was produced by Lucille McLaughlin, who has also produced the children's programmes like Balamory , Me Too! and Bits and Bobs . [2] The series is commissioned by CBeebies Controller, Michael Carrington.[ citation needed ]

Synopsis

Most of the show was based at Glasgow Science Centre, with a little part taking place outdoors. At the start of the show, Nina conducts experiments in front of an unseen audience of children. At one point of the show, Nina is 'contacted' by (usually two or three, but rarely four) children, who appear on a computer screen asking a science-related question (e.g., 'What makes rainbows appear and disappear?') Nina then chooses one (or more) of the five Neurons inside her brain based upon which of the senses is most appropriate to answer the question. Once the Neuron has been selected by Nina, the children (called the 'experimenters') then visit her, using fun experiments and games.

Afterwards, Nina takes the children out to find out more about the answer to the question, sometimes with the help of their friends and family. After they have found out the answer to the question, they travel back to the Glasgow Science Centre to do another experiment and then the experimenters leave.

At the end of each show, a song is sung, which changes from series to series depending on the theme of the series. Then, the Neurons discuss what they have done and the individual role they have played. The show ends with Nina and the Neurons bidding farewell to the viewers.

Characters and cast

Neurons

The Neurons are five animated human characters (stylised with human facial features and body, but no legs) who live together inside Nina's brain and are named to reflect the five senses which they represent:

Awards and nominations

  • Awarded Best Children's Programme [4] [5]
  • Nominated as Best Children's Programme [6]

Composer: Scottish Composer Graham Ness

Exhibits

There is a themed Nina & the Neurons activity trail at the Glasgow Science Centre.[ citation needed ]. There was also an attraction located at Alton Towers themed to the show called Nina's Science Lab which opened in 2014 and closed in 2018.

Episodes

The series has seen many different changes through its eight-year run, with a majority of seasons focusing on specific themes of science or technology.

Series 1 (2007)

The first series premiered on 26 February 2007, functioning as one of the many new additions to the rebranded CBeebies channel, and ran until 30 March 2007. Episodes centre on Nina visiting a family, whose kids are in need of the answer to a scientific problem. They become "Experimenters" for the day, adorning light blue T-shirts and solve the question with the help of the Neurons.

(The titles for Series 1 and 2 are from Digiguide [7] )

  1. Stars
  2. Do We All Smell Different?
  3. Amazing Maze
  4. Trumpet
  5. Snowballs
  6. Eyebrows
  7. What's Cooking?
  8. All Bunged Up
  9. Nina Needs A Wee
  10. Spy kit
  11. Granny's Glasses
  12. Where's The Bad Smell?
  13. Wakey Wakey
  14. Why Is My Tongue Wet?
  15. Shadows
  16. Birthday Surprise
  17. Different Tastes
  18. Monster Hunt
  19. Making Music
  20. Distance
  21. Staying Cool
  22. Too Much Salt
  23. Bud Needs Help
  24. Echoes
  25. Colours

Series 2 (2008)

The second Series 2 aired on CBeebies from 31 March-2 May 2008. This series retained the format of Series 1 but focused more on topics about physics and human functionalities. There were more kid-only episodes than in Series 1, and would continue on for the rest of the show.

  1. Hide And Seek
  2. Getting Goosebumps
  3. Nina's Cake Bake
  4. I Can See A Rainbow
  5. Terrific Teeth
  6. Touching The Clouds
  7. Smelly Feet
  8. In A Spin
  9. Bubble Trouble
  10. Fun In The Sun
  11. Tummy Rumbles
  12. Finding Flowers
  13. Lovely Lollies
  14. Brilliant Bones
  15. Rumbling Thunder
  16. Nina Gets Nosey
  17. What A Fright
  18. Let's Hear It For Ears
  19. Making Waves
  20. Splish Splash
  21. Baby Talk
  22. Funny Honey
  23. Digging Dogs
  24. When the Wind Blows
  25. Tremendous Toes

Go Eco! (2008)

The third series - Go Eco!, premiered on 13 June 2008 and continued on weekly until 15 August. It was commissioned as part of CBeebies' year-long green initiative called EcoBeebies, and so episodes focus on green-related topics. For this series only, the Experimenters wore green T-shirts instead of the light blue or red ones in other series.

  1. Branching Out
  2. Food, Glorious Food
  3. Keeping Cosy
  4. Super Slimy Slugs
  5. Mouldy Food
  6. Something Fishy
  7. Recycling
  8. Flying High
  9. Monkey Business
  10. Every Drop Counts

Go Inventing (2009)

The fourth series - Go Inventing, aired from 18 May-19 June 2009. This series focuses on how things work as Nina invites several young inventors to her lab to invent their own versions. This was the first series to have the children (referred to as "Inventors" in this series) wear red T-shirts, which would continue on for the rest of the series.

  1. Bouncy Beds
  2. Pen and Paper
  3. Loud and Clear
  4. In the Box
  5. Mirror Mirror
  6. Wheels
  7. Clean It Up
  8. Lift Off
  9. Round and Round
  10. Get Wet
  11. Sliding Doors
  12. Handy Handles
  13. Cooking With Waves
  14. Time for Cogs
  15. Hot and Cold
  16. Buckle Up
  17. Dirty Dishes
  18. Top Taps
  19. Keys
  20. Eyes in the Dark
  21. Near and Far
  22. Hubble Bubble
  23. In a Flush
  24. Extraordinary X-Rays
  25. Swish Swish

In the Lab (2010)

The fifth series - In the Lab was broadcast weekly from 27 September-10 December 2010. In the show, Nina and the experimenters discover changes and reactions. From this series onwards, the experimenters also wore replicas of Nina's white coat alongside their red T-shirts.

  1. Melty Chocolate
  2. Sleepy Dust
  3. Rattling Pan
  4. Burnt Toast
  5. Sugar and Teeth
  6. Super Sand
  7. Ferocious Fire
  8. Soap Suds
  9. Boats Float
  10. Grass Stains
  11. Salty Sea
  12. Wobbly Jelly
  13. Steamy Mirrors
  14. Fragrant Flowers
  15. Noisy Foods
  16. Popcorn Pops
  17. Sniffing Smells
  18. Mighty Metal
  19. Sticky Jam
  20. Bubbles Burst
  21. Onions Make Us Cry
  22. Wrinkly Fingers
  23. Glow Stars
  24. Wet Paint
  25. Marvellous Milk

Brilliant Bodies (2011)

The sixth series - Brilliant Bodies, focused on parts of the human body, and aired from 5 September 2011.

  1. Heart
  2. Handy Hands
  3. Sneeze
  4. Two Ears
  5. Blood
  6. Brain
  7. Wrinkly Face
  8. Earwax
  9. Exercise
  10. Tickly Feet
  11. Yawn
  12. Digestion
  13. Sleep
  14. Eyelashes
  15. Bellybuttons
  16. Scabs
  17. Eyes See
  18. Burp
  19. Spine
  20. Breath
  21. Skin
  22. Balance
  23. Memory
  24. Broken Bones
  25. Fingertips Feel

Go Engineering (2013)

The seventh series - Go Engineering, premiered at the start of 2013. It also focuses on inventions and how things work.

  1. Aeroplanes Luke
  2. Glass Luke
  3. Electricity Belle
  4. Bin Lorry Ollie
  5. Hovercraft Belle
  6. Robots All Neurons
  7. Cranes Luke
  8. Hot Air Balloons Luke
  9. Ships Felix
  10. Roads Luke Wellies
  11. Tunnels Luke
  12. Cereal Bud
  13. Cable Cars Luke
  14. Steam Pump Ollie
  15. DVDs All Neurons
  16. Diving Felix
  17. Luggage Luke
  18. Biscuits Bud
  19. Cars Belle
  20. Computers Felix and Luke
  21. Tall Buildings Luke
  22. Canal Locks Felix
  23. Sticky Fabric Felix
  24. Bridges Luke
  25. Mobile Phones Belle

Earth Explorers (2013)

The eighth series - Earth Explorers, premiered in Late-2013 and has Nina and the experimenters looking at earth, the sea, and beyond.

  1. Space Rockets
  2. Grand Canyon
  3. Sand Dunes
  4. Living in Space
  5. Mountains
  6. Volcanoes
  7. Giant's Causeway
  8. Solar System
  9. Rivers
  10. Exploring Space
  11. Cliffs
  12. Night and Day
  13. Dinosaurs
  14. Living on Earth
  15. Stripy Rocks
  16. Geysers
  17. Loch Ness
  18. Moon Shape
  19. Caves
  20. Shooting Stars
  21. Coal
  22. Earth Is Round
  23. Deserts
  24. Gravity
  25. Waterfalls

Get Sporty (2014)

The ninth series - Get Sporty, premiered in Early-2014, and focuses on the realm of professional sports and how they work.

  1. Cycling
  2. Curling
  3. Football
  4. Trampolining
  5. Climbing
  6. Rugby
  7. Marathon
  8. Sprinting
  9. Swimming
  10. Long Jump
  11. Snooker
  12. Gymnastics
  13. Diving
  14. Cricket
  15. Basketball

Go Digital (2014)

The tenth series - Go Digital, premiered in Late-2014, and focuses on technology and gadgets, and how it works.

  1. Driverless Cars
  2. Internet
  3. 3D Printing
  4. Coding
  5. Animation


Get Building (2015)

The eleventh and final series - Get Building, aired in 2015 and focused on how buildings and structures are constructed and how they stay together.

  1. Triangles
  2. Pointy Roofs
  3. Piers
  4. Nests
  5. Houses
  6. Windmills
  7. Beaver Dams
  8. Skyscrapers
  9. Bridges
  10. Demolition
  11. Floating Houses
  12. Rollercoasters
  13. Arches
  14. Lighthouses
  15. Living Underwater
  16. Living Underground
  17. Igloo
  18. Spiders
  19. Domes
  20. Amphitheatres

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References

  1. ↑ BBC Scotland Press Release
  2. ↑ Lucille McLaughlin at IMDb
  3. ↑ Cbbeebies Grownups Archived 2 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine at the BBC
  4. ↑ "The Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards 2007". BAFTA Scotland . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "Last King rules at Scots Baftas". BBC News. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards 2008". BAFTA Scotland . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  7. ↑ "Nina and The Neurons Episode Guide". Digiguide. 2009. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
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