Julie Wilson Nimmo was swimming in White Loch, a few miles outside Glasgow, when she got the call to say children’s telly show Balamory was coming back after a 20-year gap.
The East Kilbride-born actor, who played nursery teacher Miss Hoolie in the original, is best known to grown-ups for her wild swimming series with husband and former Still Game star Greg Hemphill.
But to a generation of children, she will always be cheery, olive-green clad Miss Hoolie, telling the story of Balamory with the help of nursery children and a cast of cheerful characters.
“It was a lovely call to get,” she nods. “I didn’t know if it would really come back, or if it did, whether I would even be involved.”
She beams. “So this is really good,” she adds. “I feel very protective of the show. I think people will love the nostalgia of it - the Scottishness of it.
“I hope it will cheer kids up. Balamory is like a big warm blanket. It’s a lovely world to be part of.”
When the show first aired, it made stars of the cast, including Julie, who was 29 at the time and a new mum to seven-months-old Benny.
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Now she is 53, and Benny and his brother Chevy have grown up and left home. “I’m sure people will tune in just to see how old we have all got,” says Julie, wryly.
Gone is the stripey cardigan and long straight skirt (“I was not a fan,” she admits) and in their place are baggy trousers (“easier to get down on the floor in”) and a soft green tank top.
“It's emotional being back - this was the most amazing time of my life,” she says. “I mean, I am pals with the Wiggles because of Balamory - they have been in my living room.”
Aside from Australian children’s TV superstars, everyone loved Balamory, with its colourful houses by the sea – the show is filmed in Tobermory on Mull - and cheerful characters.
The excitement has been building since the announcement about Balamory’s return hit social media – within three days, it had had eight million views.
Julie is one of four original cast members returning, alongside Andrew Agnew (PC Plum), Juliet Cadzow (Edie McCredie, now driving a boat rather than a bus) and Kim Tserkezie (Penny Pocket, now a businesswoman dressed in smart casual red, a nod to her former shop-owner partner Suzie Sweet, played by Mary Riggans, who sadly died in 2013.)
The Glasgow Times got a sneak peek behind the scenes at an early filming session for the new show at studios in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall. Inside Penny’s shop, multi-coloured sun hats hang on pegs; the nursery is full of teeny chairs, and everything is bright and beautiful.
(On Mull, Miss Hoolie’s house is still green, although the wisteria around the door has grown. The real house was recently on the market and Julie jokes she considered buying it. “Can you imagine though?” she says, aghast. “People would have been like, okay, we like you, but beat it.”)
On the day of our visit, children from a local nursery – around 100 take part over the series, with only eight on set at a time – are having a brilliant time.
“See how you remember your lines? I’m very old so I have trouble, but you all get them first time,” says Julie, sweetly, to the little group.
In between takes, Julie, Kim, Andrew and Penny are sharing stories about the early days of the show, when Balamorymania was at its peak.
“We had the time of our lives on the original show, but nothing prepared us for the reaction,” says Kim.
Andrew agrees. “I think the most unusual place I was recognised was in a swimming pool in Turkey - I didn’t even have my uniform on,” he marvels. “There was a real mixture of feelings walking on to the set again - happy but nervous, but as soon as we started, we realised we were in safe hands.”
The new characters are Dr Ollie (Carl Spencer), a vet and showman, resplendent in yellow scrubs and the occasional golden, glittery cape; Ava (Danielle Jam), a young inventor, who wears pink dungarees with patches of her dad’s tartan (her character is the daughter of the original Archie the inventor, played by comedian and actor Miles Jupp); and the Harbourmaster (Will Andrews, who gets an unexpected soaking every episode.)
For new cast member Will, it is “really cool” to be part of the show.
“Miles Jupp sent me a good luck message,” he says. “Tobermory is so beautiful. Going there with the cast was like hanging out with Beyonce. People absolutely love them.”
Julie adds: “Balamory was huge, it went all over the world. We even did a pilot for America, where we all spoke in American accents.”
She frowns. “Let’s hope that never sees the light of day. It’s great to back and I hope everyone enjoys it.”
Balamory returns to CBeebies and BBC iPlayer on April 20.
