Yes... OK, I admit it, that was me..!

TRAINEE NORTH MEDIC’S CONFESSION!

A BOY who starred in the first episode of Teletubbies is now in Newcastle - training to be a doctor.

Ned Frost was just three when he appeared in Tinky Winky’s “tummy screen”. He was seen riding his bike, trying to fix it using toy tools and trying to pump air into a tyre before going out on a ride.

Now, Ned is a 23-year-old medical student.

Talking about the show, he said: “They were looking for a family riding bikes in London. I was very talkative, was filmed on my bike, and didn’t mind the camera.

“Friends found out about the episode I was in and it was later used during a paediatrics teaching session to show child development.

“I was in two more episodes.” he added. “And I still ride a bike, all the time.”

The original series was created by County Durham-born Anne Wood and Andy Davenport for the BBC, which is airing a new series.

The programme is celebrating 20th anniversaryK.

The world first said “Eh-Oh” to Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po on March 31, 1997. The brightly coloured characters with their distinctive antennae, Tummy TV screens, child-like movements, and simple language were like nothing ever seen before on children’s television.

The audience was instantly capti- its Ned Frost, top, and inside Tinky Winky’s TV tummy, and above right, as a child vated but it took a little longer to win the sceptical adult audience over.

But once the adult audience began to understand the thinking and developmental process behind the show and saw how it struck a chord with pre-schoolers, the tide started to turn.

Parents scrabbled to find the latest ‘must have’ Teletubby toy for their children at Christmas, photographers hid in hedges around the set to get exclusive pictures of the actors and the fab four even hit the number one spot in the UK with their song “Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh”.

The original series went on to win numerous awards, including the Japan Prize Grand Prix, the most prestigious accolade in children’s educational television.

Teletubbies is now one of the most successful children’s brands of all time. It has reached over one billion children to date and the original episodes have aired in over 120 territories in 45 different languages. It was the very first western pre-school property to air on China’s CCTV, reaching an audience of 300 million children.

In 2013, the brand was acquired by DHX Media and relaunched for TV audiences in 2015 with a new series commissioned by CBeebies. It is filmed in London.

Steven DeNure, president of DHX Media, said: “When we bought Teletubbies back in 2013, we embarked upon a multiyear strategy to refresh Teletubbies and re-engage today’s kids.

“Following the launch of our new Teletubbies series on CBeebies in the autumn of 2015, I’m happy to report that Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po are thriving.”

The new series’ executive producer, Maddy Darrall, added: “It’s only every so often that such a classic global show like Teletubbies comes onto the children’s television landscape and I think for all of us it’s incredible that they’re still delighting children 20 years later.

“Making new episodes and being part of the Teletubbies’ 20th anniversary year has been fantastic for all the team involved – cast, crew, all the visual effects producers, the whole team.”

The first episode can be seen at w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=Tnw4Ze2tBIo