The Wiggles history-makers on the pressures of the job, diversity, and life in the Yellow Skivvy
When you think of Australian cultural icons – your head might jump to Kylie, or AC/DC, or even Crocodile Dundee.
But it’s Aussie children’s group The Wiggles that continues to take the world by storm, with their colourful uniforms, catchy songs and unique understanding of early childhood education.
The hearts of parents and children alike broke last week, when the phenomenally popular Yellow Wiggle (aka Emma Watkins), announced she was stepping back after more than a decade, to spend more time on her PhD and with her family.
Emma Watkins has been the Yellow Wiggle for almost a decade
Watkins, who was the first female member of The Wiggles, will be replaced in the yellow skivvy by 15-year-old Tsehay Hawkins – who will not only be the youngest ever Wiggle, but also the first black member of the group.
It comes as The Wiggles attempts to diversify its ranks to make it more representative not only of Australia, but of the world.
“I feel quite bittersweet about everything,” Watkins told Sky News on a Zoom call from Sydney. “I really will miss everybody – all the fans particularly because when we’re on the road, and we’re travelling, we get to see children and families when we perform.
“I feel a little bit more relaxed now that people will still be able to connect with whatever incarnation of The Wiggles that they used to watch or are currently watching. And now with this introduction of Tsehay, we’re so lucky to have her be part of our cast – and so to have her continue this musical adventure on in the yellow skivvy is a real treat.”
Hawkins, a teenage dance champion who told Sky News that producers reached out on social media to see if she would audition for the group, said she was initially nervous about backlash for stepping into the yellow jersey.
Tsehay Hawkins will join the main cast of The Wiggles
“I expected some negative comments,” she said.
“But I really didn’t get that much, and it was really all supportive. People from different communities were messaging me, like the adoptive community, the African community, the Latino community – they were all writing to me and letting me know how they’re happy that they have representation on the screen.
“I got such a good reaction from people saying they’re excited to see the new hip-hop side, and it’s really exciting to see how they’re embracing it.”
Before being announced as a main cast member, Hawkins was a Wiggly Dancer, and would tour with the group and take part in show recordings.
She says looking out on to an audience would mean seeing a sea of Watkins’ signature yellow bows, which made her aware of her predecessor’s popularity.
“She did so well, and she inspired so many people. So the pressure has somehow lifted because if Emma could do it, I felt like I can do what Emma did.
“But yeah, it definitely is a bit of pressure with being the first person of colour. But I feel like I can bring my own version and that people will embrace it.”
Tsehay Hawkins says she grew up watching The Wiggles
Amid an ever-changing world, cultural institutions are finding themselves discussing ways of diversifying and becoming more progressive to reflect the wider populations – and The Wiggles are no different.
What started in the early 90s with four men, has now developed into a gender and racially diverse project.
“I think [the group] has moved on,” Watkins explained. “I think Australia still has time to be more aware of our community, even though we are a very multicultural and a very new country, but I think there’s still a long way to go.
“Everyone’s got room for improvement. So, here and upwards – I hope that we can continue to make sure that our content is really inclusive and progressive and accessible.”
Hawkins added: “Everyone’s become very open to identifying the need for more inclusivity and diversity. There’s always room for improvement.
“I think it’s just a stepping stone, and I’m very excited to be a part of that stepping stone.”
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So what’s the secret to running the world’s most popular group of children’s performers for three decades?
Watkins says it’s a mixture of the understanding of early childhood development and the group’s laid-back Aussie attitude.
“We’re able to connect with the children where it’s not so overexcited, but it is obviously a very exciting and positive environment,” she said.
“We make sure that we are respecting our audience and talking to them in the way that they would like to interact with us as like fellow play friends.
“When I joined, I think some children thought that I was mum, or they related to me as mum – but we don’t really carry that role, obviously, as we don’t work as hard as mums.
“But it’s about creating a really positive and fun moment of escape, and with that comes music and dance.”
For 15-year-old Hawkins, who wasn’t even born when the group first formed, she says as a child she was drawn to the bright colours, infectious energy and repetitive music.
“I just loved The Wiggles,” she said, adding: “I think every little kid will.
“There’s always aspects of music that every kid loves. So when everyone grew up to it, all my friends did, my parents, friends, would listen to them on repeat with their kids, and everyone just knows The Wiggles is the iconic children’s group that’s been there for years.”
The Wiggles can be found on Netflix, and will be heading out on tour next year, beginning in North America.
Entertainment
Creatives having to be even more creative as National Theatre overhauls how it stages productions
The National Theatre is overhauling how it stages productions – as its ambitious climate targets mean creatives are having to be even more creative.
After setting itself the goal of achieving net zero as an organisation by 2030, off-stage quietly radical changes are under way.
Pic: Reed Watts
Sky News was invited to see how the theatre, based in Southbank, central London, has gone about overhauling its approach to staging productions, meeting with some of those who’ve worked on its adaptation of the much-loved children’s classic Ballet Shoes.
While critics have been full of praise for the visual spectacle on-stage, how the whole look was created required a fundamental shift in approach.
“All of the team have had to be on board with reinventing, recutting and reimagining items rather than just making them from scratch,” costume designer Samuel Wyer said.
A new resource they had to work with was the National Theatre Green Store in Bermondsey, southeast London.
The warehouse has more than 131,000 items of costume and almost 22,000 props now housed under one roof so that designers can repurpose items from previous productions to try to cut their carbon footprint.
It’s a surprisingly satisfying challenge.
Mr Wyer said they were able to “dip and cut clothes… which meant I was finding things even outside my imagination that were more perfect than I could have drawn on a piece of paper”.
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Trying to lead by example, the theatre hopes to demonstrate how the industry needn’t take a fast fashion approach to making sets, props and costumes from scratch.
“I think if it’s demonstrated that we can do things in this way that helps all of us imagine a world where we can use what we’ve got rather than new, new, new, because we need that balance,” Mr Wyer said.
“Theatre is where we come to imagine who we could be.”
Pic: Reed Watts
‘Every piece has its own little quirks’
Last year, the National set itself targets of 50% of the materials used in its productions having had a previous life, and 65% being repurposed at the end of each production.
For set designer Frankie Bradshaw, hitting those targets has meant working with a lot more repurposed furniture.
“Lots of second-hand cabinets, bookshelves,” she said. “Ordinarily [carpenters] would have been used to building from scratch following a drawing and this has been quite different.
“Every piece has its own little quirks, and they’ve had to adapt their processes to fit that way of working.”
While it’s by no means straightforward, the process is proving rewarding.
“It requires everyone to be a little bit more flexible, a little more patient, but it does mean you can end up with a product you’re a lot more proud of,” Ms Bradshaw added.
Ballet Shoes runs at the National Theatre until Saturday 22 February.
Neil Young has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Glastonbury – despite saying he was dropping out due to the BBC’s involvement in the festival.
The 79-year-old Canadian musician wrote on his website earlier this week that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.
He has now said in a statement that this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.
Emily Eavis, the organiser of the Glastonbury Festival, posted on Instagram on Friday: “Neil Young is an artist who’s very close to our hearts at Glastonbury.
“He does things his own way and that’s why we love him.
“We can’t wait to welcome him back here to headline the Pyramid in June.”
Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.
Posting on Neil Young Archives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer wrote in his initial statement: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs.
“We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”
Young performing at Glastonbury in 2009. Pic: AP
Young, who headlined the festival’s Pyramid stage in 2009, added: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.
“Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
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In an updated statement, he wrote: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury festival, which I always have loved.
“Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing! Hope to see you there!”
Young, who is married to US actress Daryl Hannah, was booked to play Glastonbury in 1997 but pulled out after cutting his left index finger while making a ham sandwich.
Glastonbury, one of the UK’s largest music festivals, is set to take place between 25 and 29 June, with Sir Rod Stewart booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot.
Wayne Osmond, one of the original members of The Osmonds, has died aged 73.
The singer, who rose to fame alongside his siblings including Donny, Jimmy and Marie Osmond, died on New Year’s Day with his wife and five children by his side after suffering a stroke, family members said in posts on social media.
“His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world,” a family statement said.
“He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly.”
Donny Osmond, 67, paid tribute to his “dear brother” and said he was grateful to have seen him in hospital before his death.
“Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me,” he said. “He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone.”
The Osmonds in 2008 (L-R): Merrill, Jimmy, Donny, Alan, Marie, Jay and Wayne. Pic: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
Born in Ogden, Utah, Wayne Osmond was the fourth of nine siblings. The two oldest Osmond brothers, Virl and Tom, were both born with hearing problems.
The family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Wayne’s musical career started when he was just a boy, when he formed a barbershop quartet with three of his brothers, Alan, Merrill and Jay. They were later joined by younger siblings Donny and Jimmy and became household names in the 1970s, with hits including One Bad Apple, Crazy Horses, and Love Me For A Reason.
Sister Marie also rose to fame as a singer.
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Merrill and Jay Osmond were among the family members sharing tributes, with Merrill, 71, also saying he visited Wayne before his death.
“I’ve never known a man that had more humility,” Merrill said. “A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met…
“My brother Wayne endured much. He gave it his all. His legacy will go down as someone who was not only a genius in his ability to write music, but was able to capture the hearts of millions of people and bring them closer to God.”
Jay, 69, said he had always “felt most connected to Wayne out of all of my siblings” and that a “true legend” had left the world.
Wayne Osmond is survived by all of his siblings, as well as his wife Kathlyn and their children.
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