Eh-oh! There’s big trouble in Teletubbyland
TINKY-WINKY AND LAA-LAA UNDER FIRE OVER SHOW’S ‘TOXIC CULTURE’
FOLLOWING a spate of scandals, the future of the much-loved TV show Teletubbies is in doubt. in March, noo-noo, the cheery vacuum- cleaner, was forced to resign following a series of anonymous complaints from colleagues.
Some were offended that noonoo would only communicate with junior members of staff through a series of ‘disrespectful’ slurping and sucking noises. in an angry riposte on Twitter, noo-noo expressed his ‘shock and outrage’ at the show’s ‘toxic culture of bullying’, adding that ‘ behind my back, the other Teletubbies used to call me cruel and demeaning names like “naughty noo-noo”.’
Then in April, senior Teletubby MeMe was criticised for ‘ hogging the limelight’. An anonymous source told this column that ‘ on screen, you couldn’t meet a friendlier Teletubby, but the moment the cameras are off she just sits there scowling.’
Fa n s we r e further shocked when laa- laa, adored by millions for her curly antenna and smiley on- screen personality, took to social media to distance herself from noo-noo.
laa-laa failed to refer to noonoo by name, but only as ‘an experienced vacuum-cleaner with whom it has been my privilege to work’. Some felt that her sign-off wishing noo-noo ‘all the very best for the future, if you have one’ was not as supportive as it might have been.
For years, the Teletubbies enjoyed a cherished spot in the nation’s heart, brightening the day for millions of viewers. Hosts Tinkywinky and laa-laa were particular favourites, seemingly capable of turning their hands to anything, from splashing in puddles to playing choo-choos. They regularly spoke of their admiration for each other.
But it has since emerged that all was not what it seemed. Front man Tinky-winky — who, with his purple costume and triangular antenna, rejoiced in his boy-next-door image — had for years pursued secret liaisons with a Teletubby office junior, Rumpy-Pumpy.
His censorious colleague oi- oi claimed that many senior Teletubbies were aware of his off- screen behaviour, but chose to turn a blind eye. ‘The atmosphere in Teletubbyland was toxic. we all lived in fear. Sometimes, the Sun Baby would refuse to come out at the end of a show, for fear of repercussions.’
But Tinky-winky strongly denied these accusations. ‘it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice,’ he said in a post on Twitter.
‘it was actually the best show to work on, with the best people. in all the years i worked there, there was no toxicity. Teletubbies is a wonderful, talented, kind, hardworking family. Except, of course, for Tut-Tut and Tittle-Tattle and oi-oi — and let’s not forget BlahBlah the newsreader, not to mention the Sun Baby, who was always trying to elbow his way in . . .’
in an interview screened last night, veteran second- fiddle Teletubby Tut-Tut accused Tinkywinky of lying, and of ‘creating an atmosphere where people hated him. it’s a total cover-up. A lie unchallenged becomes the truth — not on my watch it doesn’t, winky.’
Tut-Tut added that ‘everything on the show was geared towards making laa-laa and Tinky-winky happy . . . all i’m here to do is to speak for the little tubbies who haven’t got a voice . . . i’m speaking on behalf of them.’
He went on to claim Tinky-winky would often snap at the rabbits. it then emerged that the pair originally fell out after Tut-Tut’s wife Ding-Dong filed an official complaint against Tinky-winky after she was cut off mid-air by the presenter while explaining how the Tubby Custard Machine worked.
TUT- TUT, who now works for rival show Bellytutties, sponsored by a leading burger company, also hit out at laa-laa. ‘She doesn’t remember people’s names. She once even confused Daa-Daa with Baa. She likes to portray herself as the happy-golucky Teletubby, riding around on her pink scooter and blowing soap bubbles. But the moment the show was over, she’d pour the bubbles over an underling and ride the scooter over someone’s feet.’
The future of Teletubbies is in the balance. insiders think the only future for them is to rename themselves Telebaddies, start swearing and punching each other, and aim for the post-watershed slot previously occupied by Peaky Blinders.