Sesame Tree | |
---|---|
Genre | Educational |
Theme music composer | Duke Special |
Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 40 |
Production | |
Running time | 15 minutes |
Production companies | Sixteen South Sesame Workshop BBC Northern Ireland |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two CBeebies |
Release | 5 April 2008 – 28 January 2011 |
Sesame Tree is an adaptation of the American children's television series, Sesame Street , which was made entirely in Northern Ireland. The series was produced by Belfast based production company, Sixteen South and Sesame Workshop. The first episode aired on BBC Two in Northern Ireland on 5 April 2008, with the first series subsequently airing nationwide on CBeebies in August 2008. [1] [2]
A second series was launched in November 2010, and broadcast on CBeebies and BBC Two from 22 November 2010. [3]
The project had been under consideration since 2004; in Sesame Workshop's presentation on their international projects, Northern Ireland was listed as a goal, with the intent of 'building the Sesame model for respect and understanding curriculum across the sectarian divide." [4]
In January 2006, The American Ireland Fund provided support to realise the project. [5] [6] Additional funding was secured from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and the Northern Ireland Fund for Reconciliation. [7] Funding for the second series was provided by IFI and Northern Ireland Screen.
All the characters were developed by Sesame Workshop and Sixteen South, and the Muppets for the series were built by The Jim Henson Company in New York, who worked with exclusively local writers and Muppet Performers. Martin P. Robinson assisted in auditioning and training local performers, who include Lesa Gillespie, Paul Currie, Michael McNulty, Mike Smith, Helen Sloan and Alana Kerr. [8]
The Northern Irish science fiction writer, Ian McDonald, has contributed scripts to the series, along with local writing trio Kieran Doherty, Danny Nash and Ian Nugent. Each of these four writers has written five episodes each, comprising the full twenty episodes of the first series.
The initial series of Sesame Tree comprised twenty seventeen minute programmes, aimed at an audience of children aged 2–5. Following a format similar to that of The Hoobs , it is composed of original puppet segments featuring Muppets created specifically for the series, local mini documentaries depicting a child's eye view of life in Northern Ireland, and classic Muppet segments from the library of Sesame Street. [9]
The common area of the programme is the "Sesame Tree" – a hollow tree where children can ask questions and have them answered; [10] the Sesame Tree is the programme's analogue to the street in the original Sesame Street programme. The residents of the Tree are Potto; Hilda and Archie, a new arrival for the second series.
The production also coincides with Tar ag Spraoi Sesame , an Irish dubbed package of Play with Me Sesame , airing on TG4 in Ireland. The title and background music for the programme was composed by artist of Northern Ireland, Duke Special. [11]
Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. It is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. It premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership. It has aired on the United States national public television provider PBS since its debut, with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16, 2016, then its sister streaming service (HBO) Max in 2020.
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Duke Special is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctive long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic". Nowadays, he performs mostly out of makeup and desires to be more like his true self. His live performances have a theatrical style inspired by Vaudeville and music hall, and often incorporate 78s played on an old-fashioned gramophone, or sound effects from a transistor radio. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle and a Shruti box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul Pilot (guitar), Réa Curran, Ben Castle, Ben Hales, Gareth Williams, "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards), Dan Donnelly and Serge Archibald III.
Big Bag is an American live-action/animated puppet children's television series created by Nina Elias-Bamberger for Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop. It was targeted at preschool viewers. The show was co-produced by Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop, with Muppet characters created by the Jim Henson Company. It aired from 1996 to 1998, with reruns airing through 2001, alongside another program titled Small World. Localized versions of Big Bag aired on Canal J in France and Yorkshire Television in the UK.
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