IT was lights, camera, action for four budding TV starlets from Tynedale as they starred in a popular children’s nature programme.
Youngsters Tatiana Dickinson, Molly Pigg, Luke Reiling and Toby Dickinson are set to appear on the small screen this week.
The quartet are appearing on the CBeebies channel on Friday in the nature show Mr Bloom’s Nursery.
Appearing alongside actor Ben Faulks, who plays Mr Bloom, the foursome are seen making strawberry cakes and sweets in Brocksbushes farm shop near Corbridge.
The episode was actually filmed last summer but has waited “in the can” to take its place in the programme’s long-running calendar.
Tatiana and Toby, from Stocksfield, are the grandchildren of Brocksbushes owner Caroline Dickinson, and Molly, of Ovingham, is the niece of farm shop administrator Amanda Pigg.
Amanda said: “The children, including Luke, who’s from Corbridge, went through interviews before going on to the recording.
“The researcher asked them questions about gardening and all that sort of thing.
“They had to decide what they were going to make to put the story round it. It was to be strawberry jam and they set about growing and picking the fruit.
“It was all done outdoors in the sunny summer weather when it was really hot, and the children loved it.
“Then Mr Bloom signed his autograph for them all at the end, which they were really pleased with.”
Proud Caroline added: “The cameras spent a day here last August and it was a really nice occasion for everybody.
“We’ve got a lovely picture of the children with Mr Bloom hanging in our tea shop at Brocksbushes to remind us of the day.”
Mr Bloom’s Nursery combines live action and puppets to show how young children can learn from the experience of nurturing plants and vegetables. In each episode, a team of young helpers or “Tiddlers” come to the allotment to help Mr Bloom tend his plants and produce.
Award-winning Brocksbushes, situated just off the A69 at Corbridge, has been featured regularly on TV in recent years. And they have another slice of stardom coming up in April.
Head chef Sarah Buckingham is to appear in an ITV episode of Ade in Britain, in which North Wales actor and comedian Adrian Edmondson travels across Britain meeting traditional food producers.
The programme goes out on Tuesday, April 2, and Amanda said: “We’re getting quite used to all these television appearances!”
