NOW it's the story of Balanomory. After four phenomenally successful years, the BBC yesterday surprised fans, actors and the Scottish tourist industry by confirming the hit children's programme Balamory was being axed.
The BBC has brought an end to the tales of Miss Hoolie, Suzie Sweet and PC Plum after more than 250 episodes all filmed in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
The show, which has proved an international success as well as a boon for the island's economy, will not disappear from the TV screens just yet - the corporation has 50 more episodes to show and the cast are to film a Christmas special.
But the announcement saddened the actors involved.
Andrew "PC Plum"Agnew said the cast only found out on Thursday that the show was to be axed.
He said: "We are quite sad because we have been doing it for so long and now that's the end of it. It's a great show and a great cast, there's a lot of love for them and the place, and I will really miss it.
"But it does mean as actors we can go on and do other things - and the show will still be huge, it will keep being repeated and new children will grow up and see it."
He added: "I will miss Tobermory, it is such a lovely place, but I won't miss the journey up there from Glasgow - it's quite a way. But the place itself is beautiful.
"I think there will be a few tears amongst us when we have to finally say goodbye."
The show began on the digital channel CBeebies, but within weeks had outstripped both the Teletubbies and the Tweenies in television ratings.
It has won a children's Bafta prize and in recent months has been successful in a theatrical version on the stage, and the corporation has made significant income from DVDs and videos of the show.
But the BBC believes it is now time to "explore new programme ideas for the increasingly competitive pre-school market".
Simon Parsons, the creative director of Children's BBC, said: "Over the last four years, we have made 254 episodes - which equates to showing one a day on every weekday for a year - so we now have enough to keep the schedule fresh for a long time to come.
"Series four has only just begun to air and appears to have been as well received as previous series, but it will be the last as we've decided to quit while we're ahead."
The show's success led to a steep rise in the number of visitors to Tobermory and yesterday some of those who benefitted from young families visiting the candy-coloured homes of the town had mixed feelings about the cancellation.
Kay MacDonald, who helps run the post office in the town's Main Street, said the series still had a televisual life left to run. The post office sells Balamory cards and other merchandise.
She said: "It has been terrific here in recent years, I've never seen so many people, young families, especially when they were filming here. I don't think I would have stopped it so soon. We've had coachloads of people coming here in the last four years.
"I think Tobermory will go back to being very quiet. There will be much less people here than in the last few years, because without the filming, all they will see are the buildings."
Zoe Russell, who works at Alison's Corner Shop in the town, said: "We've already had a few people ringing today to see if the Balamory T-shirts were selling out, in case there weren't any more.
"I don't think people will stop coming because you can still watch the show on videos.
"It's been a real boost for us in the past three years.
"We're not too worried about the end of the show at the moment - although we might not say that in a few months time. We'll see what happens."
A new stage show based on the programme, called Strike Up The Band, will start a six week run in September.
POPULAR PROGRAMME Since it first aired back in 2002, Balamory has regularly attracted two million viewers in Britain.
It is estimated to have sold six million items of merchandise for the BBC.
The exteriors are shot in Tobermory, the interiors in a TV studio in Maryhill, Glasgow.
It attracts 15 million viewers each week across Europe, and is watched in Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and South Africa.
The Vatican receives it on the BBC Prime channel, and the late Pope John Paul II was rumoured to be a fan.
In January 2004, Balamory was voted best children's programme at the Broadcast awards and in November 2004 won a children's Bafta for best pre-school live action show.
Share