Touch-screen Teletubbies?

LONDON — The classic show is returning, almost 20 years after Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po made their debut — then with television screens on their fronts.

The creatures, famous for their Eh-oh! catchphrase, still have antennas on their heads but the TV screens have been replaced by “21st century touch screen tummies”.

The screens will be used to broadcast live-action films, from a child’s perspective.

Teletubbyland and Home Hill “have been visually enriched” and now feature an eco-friendly windmill crafted from natural materials and flowers that viewers will see grow from buds in to fully-fledged blooms.

Harry Potter star Jim Broadbent was among those previously announced as part of the new voice cast, along with actress Jane Horrocks, who will voice a must-have 21st century gadget — a mobile-style phone in the pre-school series, which is due to air later this year on CBeebies.

The original show, which spawned a chart-topping single Teletubbies Say Eh-oh!, was seen by around one billion children in more than 100 countries following its launch in 1997.

But its co-creator, Anne Wood, said earlier this year she would not watch its return and criticised television bosses for reviving a glut of former children’s shows, from Thunderbirds to The Wombles.

“I’m a bit sad. It comes down to the times we’re in,” said Wood, who sold the rights to the show to raise money to make new programmes, said.

“People feel safer remaking hits of the past rather than investing in something new.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH