Balamory returning to Cbeebies after 20 years off air

Bigger than the Oasis reunion?

The Bafta-winning pre-school show about a fictional town called Balamory was originally set in Tobermory, the colourful harbour town on the Isle of Mull.

The show focused on the town’s nursery school and its teacher Miss Hoolie, attracting two million viewers a week in the UK at its peak.

The BBC has announced that the show has been commissioned for a reboot on CBeebies in 2026 and is expected to include some of the original characters.

BBC Children’s and Education said the new programme would be filmed in Scotland once again, possibly in Tobermory or Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.

Producers have pitched the idea for two series' of ten 14-minute programmes which the BBC are interested in developing.

Kate Morton, head of commissioning 0-6, said: “A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies.

"It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together.”

Julie Wilson Nimmo who played Miss Hoolie in the original show told the Daily Record that it was the ‘craziest and best news ever that Balamory is coming back’.

She added: “I seriously think this is bigger than the Oasis reunion.”

Nimmo went on to star on BBC Scotland’s Scot Squad and CBeebies Olga da Polga.

Andrew Agnew, who played PC Plum has previously said he would be open to being part of a new series of the show, though he now works in theatre.

The original show was broadcast from 2002 to 2005 and was aired around the world, becoming a hit with audiences in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and South Africa.