Anne Wood, the brain behind Tellytubbies and In The Night Garden, uses her tried and tested formula to create Twirlywoos.
It's so obviously an Anne Wood creation. The similarities are so obvious they shouldn't need stating, but here they are:
- cute, colourful characters that are clearly related to each other in an unspecified way; - aside from the narrator, language has been reduced to squeaky noises and funny sounds; - fabulously detailed set; - no real storyline, just a routine through which the characters get a chance to see into the human world; - use of space/stops to give children opportunities to respond/interpret.
The problem with Twirlywoos isn't that it's bad - it's that it seems to be little more than a repackaging of Wood's previous creations. Instead of Tinky-Winky, Dispy, Laa-Laa and Po (or Upsy-Daisy, Iggle-Piggle, Makka Pakka and the Tombliboos) we have Great Big Hoo, Toodle-oo, Chickadee, Chick and Peekaboo. It's good to look at, but for all the talk it's hardly original.
