Comic Relief: Baldrick does CBeebies Bedtime stories
Balamory aired 250 episodes over the span of three years and at its peak attracted two million viewers a week in the UK, being one of the channel’s biggest shows.
The children’s show saw seven main characters who all represented a certain colour and some with unique jobs.
Express.co.uk has looked at where the cast are now since the show ended back in 2005.
Miss Hoolie – Julie Wilson Nimmo
Julie played upbeat, green-wearing school teacher Miss Hoolie who was the main character of the show, narrating and summarising for its viewers.
At the beginning of every episode, Miss Hoolie would leave her house and skip to work through the town saying hello to each and every person she passed.
During her time on the show, she admitted that she had become so well known from the show that she was no longer able to take her children to the park without being mobbed by fans.
When Balamory came to an end, Julie starred in a couple of radio shows and was cast as DS Megan Squire in BBC Scotland comedy show Scot Squad, she even arrested TV legend Lorraine Kelly in one episode.
Julie is now married to Still Game star Greg Hemphill, who plays main character Victor McDade and appeared in an episode alongside her husband in 2018.
Spencer the Painter – Rodd Christensen
With his orange overalls, Spencer was known for painting extravagant pictures and decorating all the colourful houses in Balamory.
His ladder had musical steps and each one made a different sound when he stepped on it. Spender was the only American resident.
After the show ended and his acting career dried up, Rodd became a bus driver with Stagecoach, admitting: “Kids still recognise me.”
He moved back to America where he got married and had two children, with his daughter Raylin Joy hitting headlines.
Raylin went into the world of adult entertainment, before going to do nude modelling and starting a career as an adult star as her alter ego Skin Diamond.
However, in 2017 she revealed she ditched the X-rated films and launched her pop career: “I’ve given so much of my sexuality to the public for such a long time. Now it’s time to show them something else.”
“I realised I was so focused on work all the time that I was living this Skin Diamond persona 24/7 and losing sight of who I was as a person.”
Archie the Inventor – Miles Jupp
Archie lived in a huge pink castle at the top of the street and sported a pink and purple kilt, being proud of his Scottish heritage.
He was known for making unusual yet incredible inventions from random household objects, often encouraging the children at home to invent along with him.
However, after the show, the character caused some issues with his stand-up career as parents started to bring their children to the shows.
Speaking to The Guardian, Miles explained: “I went on stage and there were 10 children in the front row. Nightmare.
“The show was only 40 minutes long and I had to keep cutting huge chunks of filth.”
Despite first struggling to find his feet, Miles went on to star in films and series’ such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sherlock Holmes, Johnny English Reborn and The Legend of Tarzan, The Thick of It, Outnumbered and Netflix’s The Crown.
Suzie Sweet – Mary Riggans
Suzie was the town’s little gem who ran the village shop with Pennt Pocket and would often be seen waving her feather duster around.
Mary was a famous actress before her time on Balamory after starring in Take the High Road, Till A’ the Seas Run Dry, Taggart and Still Game
Sadly, Mary died in December 2013 at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke the year before.
Hearing the news Julie Wilson Nimmo expressed: “Shocked and saddened to hear about Mary’s passing.
“We worked together for years, she was a brilliant actress and will be remembered fondly by the Balamory family.”
Edie McCreadie – Juliet Cadzow
Edie was always there to get the children to nursery school on time for their classes with Miss Hoolie.
The mechanic, who had travelled across the world, also helped to fix any broken down vehicles in her blue garage.
After Balamory, Juliet went on to appear in Still Game, Doctor Who and Skins, as well as Scottish soap River City.
Her most recent role was in BBC thriller series Clique in 2018.
Julie recently touched on her surprise that the show was 20 years old and told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “I was absolutely astonished when I was rung up and told it was 20 years of Balamory.
“I don’t know where the time has gone. I think it was the first pre-school soap, it combined drama, documentary and fun activities for pre-school children. There was a lot of humour and good characters.”
Penny Pocket – Kim Tserkezie
Penny ran the shop and cafe alongside Suzie Sweet and was particularly good at maths, often being behind the till and serving their customers.
Kim was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disorder spinal muscular atrophy as a child and used a wheelchair for most of her life.
Away from Balamory, Kim hasn’t been in the entertainment world much but did scoop two Royal Television Awards for her leading role in short film Obsession.
She was also named as one of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK, for the Shaw Trust Power 100 in 2019.
PC Plum – Andrew Agnew
PC Plum was Balamory’s only police officer, but left him with little to do as the village was completely crime-free.
He often spent his days cycling around using his aspiring detective skills to watch wildlife and ensure everyone was following the rules and regulations.
As Balamory came to an end, Andrew used his knowledge for children’s TV and became a director for children’s TV programmes.
He also starred in pantomimes such as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Aladdin and Cinderella, and also had his own CBeebies live theatre show.
Josie Jump – Buki Akib/Kasia Haddad
Josie was the fitness fanatic of the town and would often help Miss Hoolie teach with children in the nursery.
Often dressed in her yellow fitness tracksuit, she taught a range of sports such as gymnastics to dance and got children exercising in their living rooms.
Buki Akib originally played the role of Josie but had to leave her filming commitments clashed with pursuing an arts degree, going on to become a stylist and fashion designer.
She was replaced by Kasia Haddad in series three, which led to some confusion for younger viewers.
Some children couldn’t understand why Josie looked different and parents demanded to know what had happened to the original Josie.
After Balamory, Kasia went on to play Wendy in Doctors.
Balamory is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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