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Nina and the Neurons

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.

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

Synopsis

Most of the show is 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 Nina, 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 it's 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])

Series 2 (2008)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Brilliant Bodies (2011)

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

Go Engineering (2013)

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

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.

Get Sporty (2014)

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

Go Digital (2014)

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

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.

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.

External links