Hey Duggee launches special episode to welcome Ukrainian children to UK
Children’s show Hey Duggee has launched a special episode featuring Ukrainian characters and subtitles to welcome the thousands of Ukrainian children taking refuge in the UK as a result of the Russian invasion.
As well as the much-loved character of Duggee (a large dog), the episode – titled The Welcome Badge – will star Ukrainian-known characters Mavka and Swampy the Kittyfrog, and some new guests at the squirrel club too.
To welcome their new friends, the regular characters in the show – Happy, Betty, Tag, Roly and Norrie – will sing The Welcome Song complete with translations of Ukrainian phrases and words.
Swampy the Kittyfrog is from Ukrainian animation Mavka: The Forest Song. Pic: BBC
The characters of Mavka and Swampy are from Ukrainian animation Mavka: The Forest Song made by Animagrad studio and based on ancient Slavic legends and a classic Ukrainian novel by author Lesya Ukrainka.
Hey Duggee narrator Alexander Armstrong voices the story and he is joined by children from the UK and recently arrived youngsters from Ukraine – who all sing the words of the song in their native language.
The award-winning BBC programme hopes the episode will reflect the real experiences of Ukrainian children coming to the UK and make them feel even more welcome.
It also hopes to encourage British children to learn words from the language and set an example of being warm and kind to others.
Mavka and Hey Duggee were introduced by independent creative company Mother, as part of its Friendly Faces project.
Felix Richter, a Partner at Mother London, said: “Collaborating together on this project to help thousands of children see the value of friendship, across language barriers, has been an absolute privilege.”
Harriet Newby-Hill, vice president of marketing for kids and family at BBC Studios added: “We feel very proud that Hey Duggee is playing its part to help children coming to the UK from Ukraine feel welcome in such a charming and educational way.”
Hey Duggee, which has recently had a fourth season commissioned, has nearly 200 episodes and more than 40 original songs available to young fans.
Each episode features members of the Squirrel Club exploring, learning and overcoming challenges to earn a new badge from Duggee – a big dog who looks after them.
Since launching in 2014, the show has become a six-time BAFTA and international Emmy award-winner and was the most-watched kids’ show on BBC iPlayer in 2021 and 2020.
It has over 2.4 million fans across its social channels and its official YouTube channel has over a billion lifetime views.
Recently Hey Duggee teamed up with Sir David Attenborough for The Green Planet Badge a special episode to share the wonder of plants and importance of protecting the environment with young children.
Hey Duggee embarks on its first-ever live theatre show from December through until late August 2023, touring 37 theatres across the UK and Ireland.
The new episode, along with all three existing seasons, is available across all Hey Duggee social channels, on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
Entertainment
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’
Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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