If you’re reading this then there’s a good chance that you watched Teletubbies growing up, and even if you didn’t then they’re famous enough that you could correctly identify each one.
When it was first broadcast the show was a staggering success, proving that the children yearn for technologically advanced hobbit-hole dwellings and tubby custard all illuminated by a sun with a baby in it.
Speaking of which, it’s actually been so long since Teletubbies was on that the baby from the sun, a woman called Jess Smith, has grown up and had a baby of her own.
The show became a global phenomenon as it was viewed by millions of tender tots around the world, with the notable exception of one episode which ended up getting banned after it traumatised a generation of kids with a creepy lion thing.
As for what this has to do with TV star Emily Atack, it turns out she has a familial connection with one of the Teletubbies.
That’s him on the top left playing Tinky Winky. (BBC)
Between the years of 1997 and 2001, a time one might argue was the golden age of Teletubbies, the role of Tinky Winky was played by Atack’s uncle Simon Barnes Shelton.
Atack is probably best known for appearing on The Inbetweeners and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! but it’s likely that even more people saw her uncle Simon on Teletubbies during their younger years.
People discovering this nugget of information over on Reddit were amazed that you could ‘learn something new every day’ and this was going to be the day’s trivia.
Sadly, he died several years ago at the age of 52.
At the time of his death, Sky News reported that the actor had been found ‘frozen to death’ in Liverpool, with a coroner saying that he had been found dead from hypothermia on 17 January, 2018.
It turns out TV star Emily Atack was niece to the actor behind Tinky Winky. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Sky added that his niece had paid tribute to his memory following his death, calling him ‘the kindest and most talented man you could ever wish to meet’.
He’s not Atack’s only famous relative, as her grandma’s cousin is Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney and she’s also the niece of Phoenix Nights star Ted Robbins.
A famous family indeed.
As for Teletubbies, original sketches of the characters brought onto Antiques Roadshow turned out to be worth an astoundingly large amount of money.
Unfortunately for those hoping to revisit a slice of their childhood, the original set for Teletubbies ended up being flooded by the owner after they got sick and tired of people trespassing and making a nuisance for themselves.
Now all of these beloved memories are submerged.
