It’s been almost 20 years since the pastel-hued houses in the picture-perfect harbour village of Balamory appeared on television screens. But now, The BBC has announced it had commissioned two new series of the beloved CBeebies show to return in 2026.
Originally produced between 2002 until 2005, it is expected that the new series will once again be set in the Scottish village of Balamory where coloured houses nestle round a charming harbour with stories centred on a nursery school and teacher. Balamory’s first run attracted millions of viewers across the world, spawned a live show and won best pre-school live action series at the 2004 Bafta children’s awards.
The show will once again be filmed in Scotland, the broadcaster said, either in the original location of Tobermory or another Scottish location such as Rothesay.
Kate Morton, head of commissioning 0-6 for BBC Children’s and Education, said: “A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies.
“It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together.”
The BBC said it was interested in ideas from producers where some of the original characters will be included in the series alongside a host of new faces for preschoolers to get to know. The two series will consist of 10 episodes of 14 minutes each. The BBC said further information and cast details would be announced.
The highly popular show, set in Tobermory, Scotland, about a nursery school and its teacher Miss Hoolie (Julie Wilson Nimmo) ran from 2001 until 2008. Other popular characters included Edie McCredie, Archie, PC Plum and Penny Pocket.
In a press release, Kate Morton, the head of commissioning 0-6 for BBC Children’s and Education, said: “A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies.
“It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together.”
BBC Children’s and Education said the new programmes would be filmed in Scotland, either in Tobermory, the original filming location of Balamory, or a location such as Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.
The original cast included actor and comedian Miles Jupp as Archie the inventor, Andrew Agnew as Pc Plum, and Kim Tserkezie as Penny Pocket.
The programme became famous for its catchy theme tune, which began with the line: “What’s the story in Balamory, wouldn’t you like to know?”
In 2022 the BBC celebrated 20 years of Balamory by uploading episodes of the programme to BBC iPlayer.
The two new series will consist of 10 episodes each, and further information and cast details will be announced in due course.
In 2022, Nimmo and Juliet Cadzow, who played Edie McCredie, spoke about their hopes for a reunion.
“It’s weird when you think about it, because different bands get back together, and I was saying the other day, we were kind of like a band, our gang could get back together,” Nimmo told BBC Radio WM.
“You see The Rolling Stones doing it, so you think, why not?” she continued, before asking Cadzow: “I’d be up for it. Would you Juliet?”
“Definitely, absolutely, I could slide down that pole again, no bother!” said Cadzow, referencing the famous fireman’s pole inside Edie McCredie’s home.
The pair described their experience filming Balamory as “such a lovely time for us all”
“It was very magical and I was so proud to have been a part of something so special,” Cadzow said.
The original show focused on a nursery school and its teacher Miss Hoolie, with each episode focusing on a character’s problem before visiting one of the island’s characters to help resolve the issue.
It starred the likes of Miles Jupp, Julie Wilson Nimmo, Buki Akib, Kasia Haddad, Juliet Cadzow, Andrew Agnew, Rodd Christensen, Mary Riggans and Kim Tserkezie, though it is unclear who will return.
“A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies,” said the BBC Children’s and Education head of commissioning 0-6, Kate Morton.
“It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together.”
The new episodes are set to be filmed in either Tobermory (its original location) or Rothesay, with 10 episodes airing per season.
Reacting to the reboot news, Nimmo said (via Daily Record): “It’s the craziest and best news ever that Balamory is coming back. I seriously think this is bigger than the Oasis reunion. Everyone I know loves the show and has been missing it.”
Balamory will return on CBeebies in 2026.
