When Teletubbies Came to Formby… and the whole place went “nuts”!
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
A brilliant blast from the past has been uncovered here at Formby Bubble, a newspaper clipping from January 1998 revealing the moment our quiet pinewoods became the centre of national attention.
The headline says it all…
“Teletubby fans go nuts!”
And believe it or not, it actually happened right here in Formby!
Back in the late 90s, when the Teletubbies were at the height of their fame, a film crew visited the Victoria Road pinewoods and squirrel reserve. The result? Absolute excitement across the region.
Families travelled from across Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, all hoping to catch a glimpse of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La and Po or at least walk in the same place they had just seen on TV.
But it wasn’t just about the Teletubbies…
🐿️ The real stars of the show were our famous Formby red squirrels, who featured in the programme being fed nuts by children, creating a magical moment that brought nature and television together.
According to the report at the time:
Visitor numbers surged after the episode aired
Children were “coaxing their mums and dads” to visit Formby
Even the reserve wardens were being asked about the Teletubbies
It’s incredible to think that long before social media, viral moments and influencers… Formby went viral the old-fashioned way, through television and word of mouth.
And nearly 30 years later, not much has changed ❤️
Families still flock to our pinewoods, our squirrels are still stealing hearts, and Formby remains one of the most special places on the coast.
💬 Do you remember this?
Were you one of the families who came to see where the Teletubbies had been filmed?
Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear your memories
The article read:
“Going nuts … the squirrels at Formby pinewoods have found new neighbours on TV, the Teletubbies, and the young fans are flocking to the nature reserve hoping for a glimpse of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La and Po.”
TELETUBBIES fans are flocking to a Merseyside squirrel reserve.
Families are heading for Formby pinewoods after Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La and Po said “eh-oh” to their furry friends on the popular BBC children’s series.
A Teletubbies film crew spent the day at the National Trust reserve in Victoria Road and viewers have now seen it featured on the cult programme six times over the past few months.
Famous
Young fans are coaxing their mums and dads to pay a family visit to Formby to feed the rare red squirrels.
Reserve manager Andrew Brockbank said: “The Teletubbies are making us famous and visitor numbers are noticeably up each weekend after we are featured.
“Our wardens have been asked about the Teletubbies and it’s fair to say families have travelled here specially from throughout Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.”
“Some boys and girls even look around for the Teletubbies.”
One young boy waited outside the reserve’s toilets for a glimpse of the Fab Four.
Mr Brockbank added: “The toilets are partially underground and covered with a grass dome to blend into the landscape just like the Teletubbies’ home on TV.
“The boy stood watching the grass roof waiting for them to come out to play.”
The five-minute BBC film shown on Tinky Winky’s magic TV belly features three children feeding nuts to the animals.
The squirrel episode was screened again on Friday.
The reserve which opened in 1967 has an estimated 500 red squirrels and is open each day from 9am to 4.30pm.
Admission costs £2 per car or free to cyclists, walkers and rail passengers using Freshfield station.
By Peter Harvey
Liverpool Echo
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