COLOURFUL kids series Balamory ended 16 years ago but it is still treasured today in the minds of its fans.
The legendary CBeebies series was set in a fictional Scottish village with happy-go-lucky characters like Miss Hoolie and Suzie Sweet being favourites with young viewers.
Balamory, which ran from 2002 – 2005, won Best Pre-school Live Action Series at the 2004 BAFTA Children’s Awards.
So what’s the story for the cast of Balamory now?
Miss Hoolie – Julie Wilson Nimmo
Smiling Balamory teacher Miss Hoolie narrated the kids drama and always donned an all-green outfit.
She was played by actress Julie Wilson Nimmo, 46, who made the long journey from kids telly to Craiglang in drama Still Game two years ago.
Julie featured in one episode alongside her Still Game star husband Greg Hemphill, who plays main character Victor McDade.
She’s currently appearing in stage play Eavesdropping at Edinburgh‘s Traverse theatre.
Archie the Inventor – Miles Jupp
Wacky inventor Archie lived in the huge pink castle and wore a purple kilt.
He was played by comedian Miles Jupp who has enjoyed regular TV appearances elsewhere in The Thick of It, Outnumbered, Netflix’s The Crown, and on Michael McIntyre‘s Comedy Roadshow.
He also played the weatherman in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and his other movie credits include The Legend of Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Johnny English Reborn.
Miles previously revealed he was forced to cut rude gags from his Edinburgh Festival stand-up performance after seeing young Balamory fans in the audience.
“I went on stage and there were 10 children in the front row. Nightmare,” he told The Guardian.
“The show was only 40 minutes long and I had to keep cutting huge chunks of filth.”
Penny Pocket – Kim Tserkezie
Penny Pocket had a talent for mathematics and ran the village shop and cafe with Suzie.
The role won Geordie actress Kim Tserkezie an award for her reputation of disabled people.
After Balamory ended she became a writer and producer with her own company.
Last year she starred in shortfilm Obsession, earning two gongs at the Royal Television Society awards for her role as Jasmine.
Spencer the Painter – Rodd Christensen
Smiling Spencer was tasked with painting the colourful houses of Balamory, but he also made music with his famous ladder that had musical steps.
After Balamory ended actor Rodd Christensen quit showbiz and became a driver for theatre school Stagecoach, admitting the kids sometimes recognised him from the show.
Though he shunned the limelight, his daughter made headlines when it was revealed she was a porn star.
Raylin Joy, who lives in LA, said she got into porn “for the giggles”.
PC Plum – Andrew Agnew
Friendly neighbourhood officer PC Plum patrolled the crime-free village of Balamory as he dreamed of becoming a detective one day.
He was played by actor Andrew Agnew, who has gone on to direct kids TV programmes and had his own CBeebies live theatre show.
Andrew is a regular on the annual panto circuit, having played Muddles in festive pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Sunderland since 2014.
He’s also popped up in Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter Pan, and the 44-year-old is already lined up to star in Cinderella this Christmas.
Suzie Sweet – Mary Riggans
One of the most popular characters was Suzie Sweet who ran the village shop with Penny Pocket.
She would wave a feather duster around while welcoming visitors into her shop.
Actress Mary Riggans was best known for Balamory, but also played Effie Macinnes in Take The High Road.
She won a Sony award for her performance as Jean Armour in the radio play Till A’ the Seas Run Dry in 1993 – and starred in Taggart and Still Game.
Balamory fans were saddened to learn in 2013 that she had died “peacefully holding her daughter’s hand” after suffering a stroke the year before.
Josy Jump – Buki Akib and Kasia Haddad
Josy Jump was the fitness instructor at the primary school next door to Miss Hoolie’s nursery school.
She encouraged the young Balamory viewers to exercise and loved storytelling through movement and dance.
Actress Buki Akib (pictured) played Josy but she quit in 2004 as the role clashed with her university studies.
Akib was replaced by Kasia Haddad, but the show’s young fans couldn’t understand why Josy looked different and their parents complained.
After Balamory ended in 2005 Kasia starred as Wendy in Doctors.
Edie McCredie – Juliet Cadzow
Edie McCredie drove the nursery school bus but had travelled all over the world, and had a variety of photographs and souvenirs to talk about.
She was also a motor mechanic, and when she wasn’t singing in the driver’s seat she would fix vehicles in her garrage, and occasionally snap at other road users.
Actress Juliet Cadzow, now 70, went on to appear in Doctor Who and Skins after Balamory ended.
She also starred as Winston’s fantasy woman in Still Game back in 2006.
In 2016, Juliet then landed the role of Suzie Fraser in Scottish soap River City and joined the cast of pantomime Snow White in 2018.
