The return of Balamory to TV screens could spark a visitor boost to the Scottish island where it is filmed.
The children's show was confirmed as returning to BBC in 2026 and during its first run two decades ago, it saw visitor numbers to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull rise.
Film and TV is a regularly given reason for tourists to come to Scotland in general with one in five visitors naming it as a reason, but the colourful harbour front at Tobermory attracted people because of their love for Balamory.
The show, which is about a nursery school and its head teacher Miss Hoolie who is played by Julie Wilson-Nimmo, has been commissioned for two new series and is expected to be given a revamp.
It also included English comedian Miles Jupp as Archie the Inventor, River City actress Juliet Cadzow as Edie McCready, and Andrew Agnew as PC Plum.
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The show had become popular because of its catchy theme tune which began with the line ‘what’s the story in Balamory, wouldn’t you like to know?’. That sparked interest in the area it was filmed and VisitScotland hope that it can do the same again, but they admit it is too early to be sure whether a reaction will be as big.
The show initially ran until 2005 but visitors to Scotland were still naming it as a reason to visit a decade later in a Scotland Visitor Survey that was held in 2015.
A VisitScotland spokesperson said: “We know from our own research that visitors are inspired to travel to locations after seeing them on the big or small screen. Around one in five visitors to Scotland are motivated by film, tv and literature, with screen tourism being particularly popular with international visitors.
“When Balamory was first broadcast it drove many visitors to the colourful harbour front of Tobermory to follow in the footsteps of Miss Hoolie and the gang and explore the rest of the Isle of Mull.
“Its impact continued long after the series finished and was still mentioned by visitors as recently as our 2015 Scotland Visitor Survey. It’s too early to say whether this new series could spark a similar reaction, but we look forward to seeing how it develops.”
Kate Morton, head of commissioning 0-6 for BBC Children’s and Education, 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.”
In 2022 the BBC celebrated 20 years of Balamory by uploading episodes of the programme to BBC iPlayer.
The two new series will consist of 10 episodes each, and further information and cast details will be announced in due course.
It is expected that the new series will be set in the picturesque village of Balamory where pretty, coloured houses nestle around a charming harbour, with stories centred around a nursery school and their teacher.
BBC Children’s and Education are interested in ideas from producers where some of the original characters will be included in the series alongside a host of new faces for preschoolers to get to know.
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