What's the story? Balamory comeback revealed 19 years after last new series

The originally cast of Balamory, including Miles Jupp as Archie the Inventor, Buki Akib as Josie Jump the fitness instructor, Andrew Agnew as Policeman PC Plum, Julie Wilson Nimmo as Miss Hoolie the nursery teacher, Rodd Christensen as Spencer the Painter, Kim Tserkezie as Penny Pocket from the Sweet Shop, Juliet Cadzow as Edie McCredie the bus driver and Mary Riggans as Suzie Sweet from the Sweet Shop. Picture: Jaap Buitendijk | Jaap Buitendijk

It was the hit children's TV series that sparked a prolonged tourism boom for a colourful Hebridean village.

Now a new wave of Balamory fever is on the horizon after the BBC revealed plans to revive the show with two new series for its CBeebies channel.

However another part of Scotland could be set to benefit from an influx of Balamory fans as the BBC has admitted the reboot – which is due to return in 2026 – could be filmed in an alternative location to Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull.

Tobermory was the main filming location for the children’s TV series Balamory, which ran for 253 episodes.

The picture-postcard village has seen a huge influx of Balamory fans seeking out the different coloured homes and workplaces of characters including nursery teacher Miss Hoolie, PC Plum, Edie McCredie, Archie the inventor, Spencer the painter, Josie Jump, Suzie Sweet and Penny Pocket ever since the show first aired in 2002.

Julie Wilson Nimmo played nursery teacher Miss Hoolie and Juliet Cadzow played Edie McCredie the bus driver in Balamory. Picture: Jaap Buitendijk/BBC | Jaap Buitendijk/BBC

Andrew Agnew and Julie Wilson Nimmo shot to fame for their roles as PC Plum and Miss Hoolie in the hit children’s TV show Balamory, which was filmed in Tobermory. | Contributed

Production companies are being asked to pitch their ideas for the reboot of Balamory, which was created by Brian Jameson, and starred Julie Wilson Nimmo, Juliet Cadzow, Miles Jupp, Buki Akib, Kim Tserkezie, Mary Riggins, Rodd Christensen and Andrew Agnew.

The BBC has pledged will feature a mix of original and new characters, with the show targeted at both pre-school audiences again, but with appeal to “parents who grew up watching the show themselves.”

Julie Wilson Nimmo played Miss Hoolie in Balamory. | Contributed

However the BBC has insisted it is open to ideas of where a “revamped” Balamory could be filmed, as long as it is “a picturesque village where pretty, coloured houses nestle around a charming harbour, and has even suggested Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, as a possible alternative.

More than 250 episodes of Balamory, which focuses on a nursery in a fictional island community, were shown across four series screened between 2002 and 2005, with the show attracting more than two million viewers a week in its heyday.

Juliet Cadzow played the bus driver Edie McCredie in Balamory.

However Balamory’s popularity has endured thanks to repeat screenings, DVD dales, the sale of the show to broadcasters all over the world and two live Balamory tours around the UK.

The official Tobermory website still has a guide to finding the various Balamory locations, which are mostly private homes, saying that most residents “are happy for children to be photographed outside their houses.”

Julie Wilson, her husband Greg Hemphill and their dog Bonnie visited Tobermory recently to film the series Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim. Picture: Solus Productions/BBC | Solus Productions/BBC

Julie Wilson Nimmo, who played Miss Hoolie, told The Scotsman: “It’s amazing and surreal news. I know Oasis have just got back together, but this is bigger.

"I still get asked about Miss Hoolie and Balamory every single day, without fail. I would jump at the chance to be involved.

Balamory was filmed in the village of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Picture Peter Thompson/Heritage Images/Getty Images | Heritage Images/Getty Images

"If you get to be on set with people that you love as much as I am with the people I worked with on that show you would be mental not to do it again.

"When you get to the age of 52 like me you want to be working with people that you love and trust who create the best atmosphere.

"I would run back any day for the laughs that we had on that show. But it almost felt like we were a theatre company making Balamory. Everybody who worked on it worked their socks off. I loved it from the word go."

Juliet Cadzow, who played bus driver Edie McCredie, told The Scotsman: “I don’t believe Balamory’s popularity has ever gone away. It’s like the Peter Pan of children’s shows. It seems to have been timeless.

"I think the music and songs had a lot to do with its success. They were very identifiable with each character, who were all such good fun. We felt as if we could have gone on and on making it.

“It’s a wonderful idea to bring it back. I’d be very keen to return, as it was such a fabulous job and brought such joy to people, not just the viewers, but all of us who made it as well.

”It was hard work – we were like little hamsters on a wheel churning out the episodes – but we all got on so well and had so much fun.”

Margaret Matthew, chair of tourism body Visit Mull and Iona: “I think people in Tobermory would be quite possessive of Balamory. The setting hasn't really changed at all. It can get very busy, particularly in the summer, and doesn’t really need any more promotion, but it’s a great place for families to visit.”

The official BBC announcement on Balamory’s return states: “It is expected that the new series will be set in the picturesque village of Balamory, where pretty, coloured houses nestle round a charming harbour, with stories centred around a nursery school and their teacher.

"We are interested in ideas from producers where some of the original characters will be included in the series, alongside a host of new faces for pre-schoolers to get to know.”

Kate Morton, the BBC’s head of pre-school commissioning and acquisitions, said: “A whole new generation will discover and enjoy Balamory as we bring families together with this new update for CBeebies.

"It will be a real treat for parents who grew up with the show to now introduce their little ones to the brightly coloured world getting to know a host of old and new characters together.”