Something Special (TV series)

Something Special is a British children's television programme presented by Justin Fletcher. It was created and produced by Allan Johnston. It is broadcast by the BBC, debuting on 1 September 2003. It is designed to introduce children to Makaton signing, and is specifically aimed at children with delayed learning and communication difficulties. It is aired on the CBeebies channel and is currently the longest running CBeebies programme and the longest running preschool series in Britain. In the past, it was also broadcast as part of the CBeebies programme strand on BBC One and BBC Two.

The name of the programme derives from the idea that all children, irrespective of their position on the learning spectrum, are special. The format of the show has evolved considerably since the original series. In 2012, a new series, "Something Special – We're All Friends" started, introducing some minor changes to the "Out and About" format. This format change has also included a change in location, and introduced the Tumble Tapp, a personalised tablet computer showing the "special things" to look for.

The earlier series of the show were taken out of re-run rotation sometime in the early 2010's; CBeebies now only airs the most recent series, currently Series 10-12.

Synopsis
It is presented by Justin Fletcher ("Justin") and features various other characters and clips of children with disabilities. Justin speaks as well as signing, and a spoken narrative is provided over the clips of children.

The other characters played by Fletcher are the Tumble Family: Mr Tumble (a clown), Grandad Tumble, Fisherman Tumble, Lord Tumble and Chef Tumble. Other members of the Tumble family to have made appearances include two Aunts – Polly and Suki (as in the nursery rhyme "Polly Put the Kettle On") and Baby Tumble.

In Series 10, 3 animal characters were introduced to the series, Spotty the Horse, who is Mr Tumble's horse that has appeared in the episodes "Animals" and "Animal Keeper", Dennis the T-Rex, who is a dinosaur who has only appeared in the episode "Dinosaurs" (The T-Rex is also a display at Paultons Park where it was filmed) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who appears in the episode "A Magical Christmas".

Format

 * Series 1 and 2 (2003–2006): Justin showcases things in a white studio set, with Mr. Tumble sections in the middle of the episodes. Each episode has a duration of approximately 15 minutes.


 * Mr Tumble shorts (2007): From 2007, CBeebies occasionally showed short programmes consisting of the Mr Tumble sections from the various episodes, without the sections featuring Justin.


 * Series 3 - "Out and About" (2008): The first "Out and About" series featured Justin wandering out of the white studio set through the magic doors and into a different location set within the UK. Each episode has a duration of approximately 20 minutes.


 * Series 4-6 - "Out and About" (2010–2011): Series 4 of the show followed the Out and About format of Series 3 and introduced a new character, Lord Tumble. The series has Mr Tumble and the other Tumble characters primarily based in "Tumble House", a large detached house located in extensive grounds close to the sea, located in Porlock, Somerset. The house and grounds are populated with large coloured spots, balloons and similar circular / spherical items in keeping with the spots on Mr Tumble's costume. The episodes typically feature Mr Tumble sending photographs of items he is interested in finding out about to Justin using his "Spotty Bag". Justin, with the assistance of the children with him, locates these items or activities and in return sends associated items back to Mr Tumble. There is typically a link in the theme between the actions of Mr Tumble and the other Tumble characters, and the activities Justin and the children participate in.


 * Series 7-12 - "We're All Friends" (2012–present): In 2012, a new series, "Something Special – We're All Friends" started, introducing some minor changes to the Out and About format. This format change included a change of location, and introduced the "Tumble Tapp", a tablet computer. Starting from Series 12, some episodes are co-presented by CBeebies presenter George Webster.

Theatre show
In 2015, a theatrical production called The Tale of Mr Tumble was performed. Starring Justin Fletcher as Mr Tumble and Ronni Ancona as The Unsmiling Principle, the show sees the Mr Tumble character as a baby and as a young boy, and follows him throughout his early life. A filmed version of The Tale of Mr Tumble aired on CBeebies in March 2016.

Awards

 * Royal Television Society Educational Television Awards 2004:Awarded Best Early Years Programme (for the episode Garden)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2005:Awarded Best Pre-school Live Action Series
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2007:Nominated for Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2008:Awarded Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2009:Nominated Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2010:Awarded Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2011:Nominated Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2012:Awarded Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2013:Nominated Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)
 * BAFTA Children's Awards 2018:Awarded Best Presenter (Justin Fletcher)