Nina and the Neurons

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Nina and the Neurons

 Genre Children's

Presented by Katrina Bryan (as "Nina")

 James Dreyfus (s1)

Starring
 Lewis MacLeod
 Kelly Harrison
 Patrice Naimbana
 Siobhan Redmond
 Sharon Small
Country of origin Scotland, United Kingdom

Original language English

No. of series 11

No. of episodes 225

Production

Running time 15 minutes

Original release

Network CBeebies

Release 26 February 2007 –

2 October 2015

Nina and the Neurons is a British television programme shown on

the CBeebies channel, aimed at young children to help them understand
basic science. Nina is a neuroscientist[1] who enlists the help of five Neurons
(animated characters representing the senses) in her brain to answer a scientific
question.
The show is produced by Lucille McLaughlin, who has also produced the children's
programmes Balamory, Me Too! and Bits and Bobs.[2] The series is commissioned
by CBeebies Controller, Michael Carrington[citation needed]

Synopsis[edit]
Most of the show is 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 Nina,
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[edit]

The main character of Nina is played by Scottish actress Katrina Bryan. She is a
scientist who works in the lab. Nina 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. In the programme, Nina drives either a pale blue 1970s Volkswagen Type
2 (Transporter) minibus or a New MINI, both bearing numberplates reading 'NINA',
or rides a bicycle in the Go ECO! version.
The Neurons are five computer-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 Series 1 and later by Lewis MacLeod ,
represents touch and feel. He is green and also the oldest Neuron, speaks in
a posh accent and is particular about his appearance.
Belle, voiced by Kelly Harrison, represents hearing and sound. She has a pink
face & a red body but also loud and can be bossy. She speaks in a Yorkshire
accent and is the group's vice leader.
Luke, voiced by Patrice Naiambana, represents sight and looking. He is yellow and
is also the group leader. His character is laid back and relaxed and speaks with
a Jamaican accent.
Ollie, voiced by Siobhan Redmond, represents smell and scent. She speaks with
a Scottish accent, just like Bud. She is purple and described as 'sweet, self-
assured and a bit of a goth.'[3] She is the elder sister of Bud.
Bud, voiced by Sharon Small, represents taste and eating. He speaks with
a Scottish accent, just like Ollie. He is blue and also the youngest Neuron and can
be enthusiastic and easily excited. He is the younger brother of Ollie.
Bud and Ollie are often chosen together by Nina due to the way taste, eating,
smell and scent all work together. *Note* they were only chosen together in the first
episode of the “In The Lab” series.
Ollie later helps Luke in Series 2 by Nina Finding Flowers and Digging
Dogs due to the way smell and scent and sight and looking all work together.
Felix and Luke got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, sight and
looking all work together.
Belle and Luke got chosen together by Nina due to the way hearing, sound, sight
and looking all work together.
Felix and Belle got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, hearing
and sound all work together.
All 5 Neurons got chosen together by Nina due to the way touch, feel, hearing,
sound, sight, looking, smell, scent, taste and eating all work together.

Awards and nominations[edit]

 BAFTA Scotland 2007

 Awarded Best Children's Programme[4][5]

 BAFTA Scotland 2008

 Nominated as Best Children's Programme[6]

Composer: Scottish Composer Graham Ness

Exhibits[edit]
There is a themed Nina & the Neurons activity trail at the Glasgow Science
Centre.[citation needed]. 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[edit]
The first series began on 26 February 2007 and ended on 30 March 2007.
The 2nd series began airing on Cbeebies on 31 March 2008 and ended on
2 May 2008. It was followed by a third, this time called Nina and the
Neurons: Go Eco!, on 13 June 2008 as part of CBeebies' year-long green
initiative called EcoBeebies, which ended on 15 August 2008. A fourth
series called Nina and the Neurons: Go Inventing started on 18 May 2009,
where Nina invites several young inventors to her lab to discover how
things work by inventing their own versions. It ended on 19 June 2009. The
fifth series, Nina and the Neurons: In The Lab, was broadcast from 27
September 2010 to 10 December 2010. In the show, Nina and the
experimenters discover changes and reaction.
A sixth series, called Nina and the Neurons: Brilliant Bodies, premiered on 5
September 2011. The show focuses on the parts of the human body. The
seventh series, Nina and the Neurons: Go Engineering, is another series
about inventions. It started in 2012. Series 8 is called Nina and the
Neurons: Earth Explorers, explores the Earth, the sea and beyond. The
series also started in 2013. The last three series, Get Sporty (2014), Go
Digital (2014) and Get Building (2015) focus on sport, gadgets and building
respectively.
(The titles for Series 1 and 2 are from Digiguide[7])
Series 1[edit]
 1. Stars
 2. Do We All Smell Different?
 3. Amazing Maze
 4. Trumpet
 5. Snowballs
 6. Eyebrows
 7. What's Cooking?
 8. All Bunged Up
 9. Nina Needs A Wee
 10. Spy kit
 11. Granny's Glasses
 12. Where's The Bad Smell?
 13. Wakey Wakey
 14. Why Is My Tongue Wet?
 15. Shadows
 16. Birthday Surprise
 17. Different Tastes
 18. Monster Hunt
 19. Making Music
 20. Distance
 21. Staying Cool
  22. Too Much Salt
 23. Bud Needs Help
 24. Echoes
 25. Colours
Series 2[edit]
 1. Hide And Seek
 2. Getting Goosebumps
 3. Nina's Cake Bake
 4. I Can See A Rainbow
 5. Terrific Teeth
 6. Touching The Clouds
 7. Smelly Feet
 8. In A Spin
 9. Bubble Trouble
 10. Fun In The Sun
 11. Tummy Rumbles
 12. Finding Flowers
 13. Lovely Lollies
 14. Brilliant Bones
 15. Rumbling Thunder
 16. Nina Gets Nosey
 17. What A Fright
 18. Let's Hear It For Ears
 19. Making Waves
 20. Splish Splash
 21. Baby Talk
 22. Funny Honey
 23. Digging Dogs
 24. When the Wind Blows
 25. Tremendous Toes
Go Eco[edit]
 1. Branching Out
 2. Food, Glorious Food
 3. Keeping Cosy
 4. Super Slimy Slugs
 5. Mouldy Food
 6. Something Fishy
 7. Recycling
 8. Flying High
 9. Monkey Business
 10. Every Drop Counts
Go Inventing[edit]
 1. Bouncy Beds
 2. Pen and Paper
 3. Loud and Clear
 4. In the Box
 5. Mirror Mirror
 6. Wheels
 7. Clean It Up
 8. Lift Off
 9. Round and Round
 10. Get Wet
 11. Sliding Doors
 12. Handy Handles
 13. Cooking With Waves
 14. Time for Cogs
 15. Hot and Cold
 16. Buckle Up
 17. Dirty Dishes
 18. Top Taps
 19. Keys
 20. Eyes in the Dark
 21. Near and Far
 22. Hubble Bubble
 23. In a Flush
 24. Extraordinary X-Rays
 25. Swish Swish
In the Lab[edit]
 1. Melty Chocolate
 2. Sleepy Dust
 3. Rattling Pan
 4. Burnt Toast
 5. Sugar and Teeth
 6. Super Sand
 7. Ferocious Fire
 8. Soap Suds
 9. Boats Float
 10. Grass Stains
 11. Salty Sea
 12. Wobbly Jelly
 13. Steamy Mirrors
 14. Fragrant Flowers
 15. Noisy Foods
 16. Popcorn Pops
 17. Sniffing Smells
  18. Mighty Metal
 19. Sticky Jam
 20. Bubbles Burst
 21. Onions Make Us Cry
 22. Wrinkly Fingers
 23. Glow Stars
 24. Wet Paint
 25. Marvellous Milk
Brilliant Bodies[edit]
 1. Heart
 2. Handy Hands
 3. Sneeze
 4. Two Ears
 5. Blood
 6. Brain
 7. Wrinkly Face
 8. Earwax
 9. Exercise
 10. Tickly Feet
 11. Yawn
 12. Digestion
 13. Sleep
 14. Eyelashes
 15. Bellybuttons
 16. Scabs
 17. Eyes See
 18. Burp
 19. Spine
 20. Breath
 21. Skin
 22. Balance
 23. Memory
 24. Broken Bones
 25. Fingertips Feel
Go Engineering[edit]
 1. Aeroplanes
 2. Glass
 3. Electricity
 4. Bin Lorry
 5. Hovercraft
 6. Robots
 7. Cranes
 8. Hot Air Balloons
 9. Ships
  10. Roads
 11. Tunnels
 12. Cereal
 13. Cable Cars
 14. Steam Pump
 15. DVDs
 16. Diving
 17. Luggage
 18. Biscuits
 19. Cars
 20. Computers
 21. Tall Buildings
 22. Canal Locks
 23. Sticky Fabric
 24. Bridges
 25. Mobile Phones
Earth Explorers[edit]
 1. Space Rockets
 2. Grand Canyon
 3. Sand Dunes
 4. Living in Space
 5. Mountains
 6. Volcanoes
 7. Giant's Causeway
 8. Solar System
 9. Rivers
 10. Exploring Space
 11. Cliffs
 12. Night and Day
 13. Dinosaurs
 14. Living on Earth
 15. Stripy Rocks
 16. Geysers
 17. Loch Ness
 18. Moon Shape
 19. Caves
 20. Shooting Stars
 21. Coal
 22. Earth Is Round
 23. Deserts
 24. Gravity
 25. Waterfalls
Get Sporty[edit]
 1. Cycling
  2. Curling
 3. Football
 4. Trampolining
 5. Climbing
 6. Rugby
 7. Marathon
 8. Sprinting
 9. Swimming
 10. Long Jump
 11. Snooker
 12. Gymnastics
 13. Diving
 14. Cricket
 15. Basketball
Go Digital[edit]
 1. Driverless Cars
 2. Internet
 3. 3D Printing
 4. Coding
 5. Animation
Get Building[edit]
 1. Triangles
 2. Pointy Roofs
 3. Piers
 4. Nests
 5. Houses
 6. Windmills
 7. Beaver Dams
 8. Skyscrapers
 9. Bridges
 10. Demolition
 11. Floating Houses
 12. Rollercoasters
 13. Arches
 14. Lighthouses
 15. Living Underwater
 16. Living Underground
 17. Igloo
 18. Spiders
 19. Domes
 20. Amphitheatres
References[edit]

1. ^ BBC Scotland Press Release

2. ^ Lucille McLaughlin at IMDb
3. ^ Cbbeebies Grownups Archived 2 December 2009 at
the Wayback Machine at the BBC
4. ^ "The Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards 2007". BAFTA
Scotland. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
5. ^ "Last King rules at Scots Baftas". BBC News. 19 November
2007. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
6. ^ "The Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards 2008". BAFTA
Scotland. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
7. ^ "Nina and The Neurons Episode Guide". Digiguide. 2009.
Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 17
November 2009.