★★★☆☆
The original LaaLaa herself (Nikky Smedley) spills more than just Tubby Custard in a fascinating (and foul-mouthed) look behind the scenes of one of the biggest kids’ shows on the planet. Here’s our Confessions of a Teletubby review.
It’s hard to remember exactly when I first heard LaaLaa the Teletubby say, “Fuck.”
In her appropriately confessional hour-long stage memoir, Nikky Smedley throws out the word with a casualness that can’t help but feel discombobulating – like going behind the scenes of The Tweenies to find Milo with his head propped open smoking a cigarette.
FANTASTIC audience at my first show this morning – Uh-Oh!ed in all the right places and everything. Only two more shows to go , so do hurry if you want to catch #ConfessionsOfATeletubby nx#edfringe #edfringe23 #theSpaceUK pic.twitter.com/44kelnwfl8
— Confessions of a Teletubby (@RealTubbyLaa) August 7, 2023
Smedley is allowed to say “fuck,” of course. As she mentions during the show, part of the problem of being a Teletubby means people often forget that there’s a real human inside the sweaty yellow foam suit. In fact, for most of the now-grown-up Teletubby generation, this moment of dissonance is the main appeal of LaaLaa’s first Fringe show. That still doesn’t make hearing her mention sex any less weird.
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Part stand-up, part Ted Talk, Smedley’s show traverses her complete LaaLaa story, from her audition and the show’s creation right up to the legacy she feels a part of in the modern day. Smedley proves to be an upbeat and bubbly performer outside the suit as well as inside – taking to the stage in a LaaLaa onesie, her early insistence on using her catchphrase (“eh-oh”) as a call-and-response with the audience can’t help but bring a smile to your face.
Nikky Smedley
Of course, Confessions does feature a healthy helping of insider Tubby-gossip. From vivid descriptions of steam coming out of the suits when the head was taken off to playing “Bum Darts” in front of Vanessa Feltz, there’s plenty of sensationalist stuff to keep audiences engaged – even if none of it quite reaches the I-can’t-believe-it levels likely to reach the front page of a tabloid.
But the most interesting part of Confessions of a Teletubby might be the making-of story behind one of the most iconic and groundbreaking children’s shows in the history of TV. Despite the years that have passed, and despite the objectively punishing act of making the programme, Smedley clearly remains completely enthusiastic and very proud of the job she started in 1997. So while her Fringe debut might not prove as jaw-droppingly confessional as the title suggests, the show’s limited three-day run proves the perfect way to kick off a lazy Fringe morning.
Confessions of a Teletubby is playing at The Space – Surgeons’ Hall on 7, 8 and 9 August. You can view our comprehensive guide to the entire Fringe here.
