Review: Confessions of a Teletubby, Corn Hall, Diss

Review: Confessions of a Teletubby, Corn Hall

Whether you grew up watching them, or sat mystified as your child or grandchild was entranced, its unlikely the global phenomenon that was the Teletubbies passed you by.

It’s probably equally unlikely that you knew, or even wondered about, who was inside the costumes. Such was the quirky, fantastical world they inhabited, even the most cynical viewer soon forgot these were characters performed by actors.

Nikky Smedley is one of those actors, and in her intimate one-woman show at the Corn Hall, we got to peek behind the wizard’s curtain and find out what it was like to spend all day sweating inside Laa-Laa’s claustrophobic costume, surrounded by giant rabbits while dying to go to the loo.

The show is billed as a series of confessions, but those seeking salacious scandal should have gone elsewhere.

What Smedley delivered was a fascinating insight into the practical realities of auditioning, performing and living with the legacy of the show, but barring the health and safety nightmare she confronted every day just by wearing that giant head, this was a sweet story of mutually supportive people committed to the singular vision of Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport.

Her affection for the show, her role and her colleagues was apparent throughout her performance.

The toilets and the catering did come into her firing line, but only briefly, and whimsically.

Only the notoriously intrusive British press received genuine criticism. In a rare sober moment, Smedley confessed that when Lady Di had her car accident, her immediate thought was that at least the press would now leave the Teletubbies alone. That said, it was to her surprise and relief that the same press handled the tragic death of fellow Teletubby Simon Shelton so sensitively. Perhaps by then the magic of the show had touched the hardest of hearts.

David Vass