- Source: Nina and the Neurons
Nina and the Neurons is a British live action/animated television programme shown on the CBeebies channel, aimed at young children to help them understand basic science. Nina is a neuroscientist who enlists the help of five Neurons (animated characters representing the senses) in her brain to answer a scientific question. It was first aired on 26th February 2007.
The show was produced by Lucille McLaughlin, who has also produced the children's programmes like Balamory, Me Too! and Bits and Bobs. The series is commissioned by CBeebies Controller, Michael Carrington.
Synopsis
Most of the show was based at Glasgow Science Centre, with a little part taking place outdoors. At the start of the show, Nina conducts experiments in front of an unseen audience of children. At one point of the show, Nina is 'contacted' by (usually two or three, but rarely four) children, who appear on a computer screen asking a science-related question (e.g., 'What makes rainbows appear and disappear?') Nina then chooses one (or more) of the five Neurons inside her brain based upon which of the senses is most appropriate to answer the question. Once the Neuron has been selected by Nina, the children (called the 'experimenters') then visit her, using fun experiments and games.
Afterwards, Nina takes the children out to find out more about the answer to the question, sometimes with the help of their friends and family. After they have found out the answer to the question, they travel back to the Glasgow Science Centre to do another experiment and then the experimenters leave.
At the end of each show, a song is sung, which changes from series to series depending on the theme of the series. Then, the Neurons discuss what they have done and the individual role they have played. The show ends with Nina and the Neurons bidding farewell to the viewers.
Characters and cast
Nina (played by Katrina Bryan), the main character of the series. She is a scientist who works in a laboratory in the Glasgow Science Centre and is always happy to help children solve their scientific problems. She wears a white lab coat with brightly coloured cuffs and lapels in her lab and either a bright yellow coat or a blue jacket when outside. Her mode of transport is either a pale blue 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 (Transporter) minibus in Series 1, or a New MINI in all other seasons, both bearing numberplates reading 'N1NA'. In "Go Eco!", she rides a bicycle to fit the environmental theme.
= Neurons
=The Neurons are five animated human characters (stylised with human facial features and body, but no legs) who live together inside Nina's brain and are named to reflect the five senses which they represent:
Felix (Voiced by James Dreyfus in the first series and Lewis MacLeod in the rest), the oldest of the Neurons who is particular about his appearance and speaks in a posh accent. He is coloured green, and represents touch and feel.
Belle (Voiced by Kelly Harrison), the vice leader of the Neurons who can be quite loud and bossy but is still friendly and nice. She speaks in a Yorkshire accent, coloured red with a pink face, and represents hearing and sound.
Luke (Voiced by Patrice Naiambana), the group leader of the Neurons with a laid-back/relaxed personality and speaks in a Jamaican accent. He is coloured yellow, and represents sight and looking.
Ollie (Voiced by Siobhan Redmond), A Neuron referred to as being 'sweet, self-assured and a bit of a goth.' She speaks in a Scottish accent, is coloured purple and violet, and represents smell and scent.
Bud (Voiced by Sharon Small), the youngest of the Neurons and Ollie's younger brother. Being young, can be quite enthusiastic and easily excited within the world around him. As with Ollie, Bud also speaks with a Scottish accent. He is coloured blue and represents taste and eating.
Awards and nominations
BAFTA Scotland 2007
Awarded Best Children's Programme
BAFTA Scotland 2008
Nominated as Best Children's Programme
Composer: Scottish Composer Graham Ness
Exhibits
There is a themed Nina & the Neurons activity trail at the Glasgow Science Centre..
There was also an attraction located at Alton Towers themed to the show called Nina's Science Lab which opened in 2014 and closed in 2018.
Episodes
The series has seen many different changes through its eight-year run, with a majority of seasons focusing on specific themes of science or technology.
= Series 1 (2007)
=The first series premiered on 26 February 2007, functioning as one of the many new additions to the rebranded CBeebies channel, and ran until 30 March 2007. Episodes centre on Nina visiting a family, whose kids are in need of the answer to a scientific problem. They become "Experimenters" for the day, adorning light blue T-shirts and solve the question with the help of the Neurons.
(The titles for Series 1 and 2 are from Digiguide)
Stars
Do We All Smell Different?
Amazing Maze
Trumpet
Snowballs
Eyebrows
What's Cooking?
All Bunged Up
Nina Needs A Wee
Spy kit
Granny's Glasses
Where's The Bad Smell?
Wakey Wakey
Why Is My Tongue Wet?
Shadows
Birthday Surprise
Different Tastes
Monster Hunt
Making Music
Distance
Staying Cool
Too Much Salt
Bud Needs Help
Echoes
Colours
= Series 2 (2008)
=The second Series 2 aired on CBeebies from 31 March-2 May 2008. This series retained the format of Series 1 but focused more on topics about physics and human functionalities. There were more kid-only episodes than in Series 1, and would continue on for the rest of the show.
Hide And Seek
Getting Goosebumps
Nina's Cake Bake
I Can See A Rainbow
Terrific Teeth
Touching The Clouds
Smelly Feet
In A Spin
Bubble Trouble
Fun In The Sun
Tummy Rumbles
Finding Flowers
Lovely Lollies
Brilliant Bones
Rumbling Thunder
Nina Gets Nosey
What A Fright
Let's Hear It For Ears
Making Waves
Splish Splash
Baby Talk
Funny Honey
Digging Dogs
When the Wind Blows
Tremendous Toes
= Go Eco! (2008)
=The third series - Go Eco!, premiered on 13 June 2008 and continued on weekly until 15 August. It was commissioned as part of CBeebies' year-long green initiative called EcoBeebies, and so episodes focus on green-related topics. For this series only, the Experimenters wore green T-shirts instead of the light blue or red ones in other series.
Branching Out
Food, Glorious Food
Keeping Cosy
Super Slimy Slugs
Mouldy Food
Something Fishy
Recycling
Flying High
Monkey Business
Every Drop Counts
= Go Inventing (2009)
=The fourth series - Go Inventing, aired from 18 May-19 June 2009. This series focuses on how things work as Nina invites several young inventors to her lab to invent their own versions. This was the first series to have the children (referred to as "Inventors" in this series) wear red T-shirts, which would continue on for the rest of the series.
Bouncy Beds
Pen and Paper
Loud and Clear
In the Box
Mirror Mirror
Wheels
Clean It Up
Lift Off
Round and Round
Get Wet
Sliding Doors
Handy Handles
Cooking With Waves
Time for Cogs
Hot and Cold
Buckle Up
Dirty Dishes
Top Taps
Keys
Eyes in the Dark
Near and Far
Hubble Bubble
In a Flush
Extraordinary X-Rays
Swish Swish
= In the Lab (2010)
=The fifth series - In the Lab was broadcast weekly from 27 September-10 December 2010. In the show, Nina and the experimenters discover changes and reactions. From this series onwards, the experimenters also wore replicas of Nina's white coat alongside their red T-shirts.
Melty Chocolate
Sleepy Dust
Rattling Pan
Burnt Toast
Sugar and Teeth
Super Sand
Ferocious Fire
Soap Suds
Boats Float
Grass Stains
Salty Sea
Wobbly Jelly
Steamy Mirrors
Fragrant Flowers
Noisy Foods
Popcorn Pops
Sniffing Smells
Mighty Metal
Sticky Jam
Bubbles Burst
Onions Make Us Cry
Wrinkly Fingers
Glow Stars
Wet Paint
Marvellous Milk
= Brilliant Bodies (2011)
=The sixth series - Brilliant Bodies, focused on parts of the human body, and aired from 5 September 2011.
Heart
Handy Hands
Sneeze
Two Ears
Blood
Brain
Wrinkly Face
Earwax
Exercise
Tickly Feet
Yawn
Digestion
Sleep
Eyelashes
Bellybuttons
Scabs
Eyes See
Burp
Spine
Breath
Skin
Balance
Memory
Broken Bones
Fingertips Feel
= Go Engineering (2013)
=The seventh series - Go Engineering, premiered at the start of 2013. It also focuses on inventions and how things work.
Aeroplanes Luke
Glass Luke
Electricity Belle
Bin Lorry Ollie
Hovercraft Belle
Robots All Neurons
Cranes Luke
Hot Air Balloons Luke
Ships Felix
Roads Luke Wellies
Tunnels Luke
Cereal Bud
Cable Cars Luke
Steam Pump Ollie
DVDs All Neurons
Diving Felix
Luggage Luke
Biscuits Bud
Cars Belle
Computers Felix and Luke
Tall Buildings Luke
Canal Locks Felix
Sticky Fabric Felix
Bridges Luke
Mobile Phones Belle
= Earth Explorers (2013)
=The eighth series - Earth Explorers, premiered in Late-2013 and has Nina and the experimenters looking at earth, the sea, and beyond.
Space Rockets
Grand Canyon
Sand Dunes
Living in Space
Mountains
Volcanoes
Giant's Causeway
Solar System
Rivers
Exploring Space
Cliffs
Night and Day
Dinosaurs
Living on Earth
Stripy Rocks
Geysers
Loch Ness
Moon Shape
Caves
Shooting Stars
Coal
Earth Is Round
Deserts
Gravity
Waterfalls
= Get Sporty (2014)
=The ninth series - Get Sporty, premiered in Early-2014, and focuses on the realm of professional sports and how they work.
Cycling
Curling
Football
Trampolining
Climbing
Rugby
Marathon
Sprinting
Swimming
Long Jump
Snooker
Gymnastics
Diving
Cricket
Basketball
= Go Digital (2014)
=The tenth series - Go Digital, premiered in Late-2014, and focuses on technology and gadgets, and how it works.
Driverless Cars
Internet
3D Printing
Coding
Animation
= Get Building (2015)
=The eleventh and final series - Get Building, aired in 2015 and focused on how buildings and structures are constructed and how they stay together.
Triangles
Pointy Roofs
Piers
Nests
Houses
Windmills
Beaver Dams
Skyscrapers
Bridges
Demolition
Floating Houses
Rollercoasters
Arches
Lighthouses
Living Underwater
Living Underground
Igloo
Spiders
Domes
Amphitheatres
References
External links
Glasgow Science Centre Activity Booklet