# Nina and the Neurons

Nina and the Neurons is a British live action/animated television programme shown on the CBeebies channel, aimed at young children to help them understand basic science. Nina is a neuroscientist who enlists the help of five Neurons (animated characters representing the senses) in her brain to answer a scientific question. It was first aired on 26 February 2007.
The show was produced by Lucille McLaughlin, who has also produced the children's programmes like Balamory, Me Too! and Bits and Bobs. The series is commissioned by CBeebies Controller, Michael Carrington.

## Synopsis

Most of the show was based at Glasgow Science Centre, with a little part taking place outdoors. At the start of the show, Nina conducts experiments in front of an unseen audience of children. At one point of the show, Nina is 'contacted' by (usually two or three, but rarely four) children, who appear on a computer screen asking a science-related question (e.g., 'What makes rainbows appear and disappear?') Nina then chooses one (or more) of the five Neurons inside her brain based upon which of the senses is most appropriate to answer the question. Once the Neuron has been selected by Nina, the children (called the 'experimenters') then visit her, using fun experiments and games.
Afterwards, Nina takes the children out to find out more about the answer to the question, sometimes with the help of their friends and family. After they have found out the answer to the question, they travel back to the Glasgow Science Centre to do another experiment and then the experimenters leave.
At the end of each show, a song is sung, which changes from series to series depending on the theme of the series. Then, the Neurons discuss what they have done and the individual role they have played. The show ends with Nina and the Neurons bidding farewell to the viewers.

## Characters and cast

* Nina (played by Katrina Bryan), the main character of the series. She is a scientist who works in a laboratory in the Glasgow Science Centre and is always happy to help children solve their scientific problems. She wears a white lab coat with brightly coloured cuffs and lapels in her lab and either a bright yellow coat or a blue jacket when outside. Her mode of transport is either a pale blue 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 (Transporter) minibus in Series 1, or a New MINI in all other seasons, both bearing numberplates reading 'N1NA'. In "Go Eco!", she rides a bicycle to fit the environmental theme.

### Neurons

The Neurons are five animated human characters (stylised with human facial features and body, but no legs) who live together inside Nina's brain and are named to reflect the five senses which they represent:
* Felix (Voiced by James Dreyfus in the first series and Lewis MacLeod in the rest), the oldest of the Neurons who is particular about his appearance and speaks in a posh accent. He is coloured green, and represents touch and feel.
* Belle (Voiced by Kelly Harrison), the vice leader of the Neurons who can be quite loud and bossy but is still friendly and nice. She speaks in a Yorkshire accent, coloured red with a pink face, and represents hearing and sound.
* Luke (Voiced by Patrice Naiambana), the group leader of the Neurons with a laid-back/relaxed personality and speaks in a Jamaican accent. He is coloured yellow, and represents sight and looking.
* Ollie (Voiced by Siobhan Redmond), A Neuron referred to as being 'sweet, self-assured and a bit of a goth.' She speaks in a Scottish accent, is coloured purple and violet, and represents smell and scent.
* Bud (Voiced by Sharon Small), the youngest of the Neurons and Ollie's younger brother. Being young, can be quite enthusiastic and easily excited within the world around him. As with Ollie, Bud also speaks with a Scottish accent. He is coloured blue and represents taste and eating.

## Awards and nominations

* BAFTA Scotland 2007
   * Awarded Best Children's Programme
* BAFTA Scotland 2008
   * Nominated as Best Children's Programme
Composer: Scottish Composer Graham Ness

## Exhibits

There is a themed Nina & the Neurons activity trail at the Glasgow Science Centre.. There was also an attraction located at Alton Towers themed to the show called Nina's Science Lab which opened in 2014 and closed in 2018.

## Episodes

The series has seen many different changes through its eight-year run, with a majority of seasons focusing on specific themes of science or technology.

### Series 1 (2007)

The first series premiered on 26 February 2007, functioning as one of the many new additions to the rebranded CBeebies channel, and ran until 30 March 2007. Episodes centre on Nina visiting a family, whose kids are in need of the answer to a scientific problem. They become "Experimenters" for the day, adorning light blue T-shirts and solve the question with the help of the Neurons.
(The titles for Series 1 and 2 are from Digiguide)
* Stars
* Do We All Smell Different?
* Amazing Maze
* Trumpet
* Snowballs
* Eyebrows
* What's Cooking?
* All Bunged Up
* Nina Needs A Wee
* Spy kit
* Granny's Glasses
* Where's The Bad Smell?
* Wakey Wakey
* Why Is My Tongue Wet?
* Shadows
* Birthday Surprise
* Different Tastes
* Monster Hunt
* Making Music
* Distance
* Staying Cool
* Too Much Salt
* Bud Needs Help
* Echoes
* Colours

### Series 2 (2008)

The second series aired on CBeebies from 31 March-2 May 2008. This series retained the format of Series 1 but focused more on topics about physics and human functionalities. There were more kid-only episodes than in Series 1, and would continue on for the rest of the show.
* Hide And Seek
* Getting Goosebumps
* Nina's Cake Bake
* I Can See A Rainbow
* Terrific Teeth
* Touching The Clouds
* Smelly Feet
* In A Spin
* Bubble Trouble
* Fun in the Sun
* Tummy Rumbles
* Finding Flowers
* Lovely Lollies
* Brilliant Bones
* Rumbling Thunder
* Nina Gets Nosey
* What A Fright
* Let's Hear It For Ears
* Making Waves
* Splish Splash
* Baby Talk
* Funny Honey
* Digging Dogs
* When the Wind Blows
* Tremendous Toes

### Go Eco! (2008)

The third series – Go Eco!, premiered on 13 June 2008 and continued on weekly until 15 August. It was commissioned as part of CBeebies' year-long green initiative called EcoBeebies, and so episodes focus on green-related topics. For this series only, the Experimenters wore green T-shirts instead of the light blue or red ones in other series.
* Branching Out
* Food, Glorious Food
* Keeping Cosy
* Super Slimy Slugs
* Mouldy Food
* Something Fishy
* Recycling
* Flying High
* Monkey Business
* Every Drop Counts

### Go Inventing (2009)

The fourth series – Go Inventing, aired from 18 May-19 June 2009. This series focuses on how things work as Nina invites several young inventors to her lab to invent their own versions. This was the first series to have the children (referred to as "Inventors" in this series) wear red T-shirts, which would continue on for the rest of the series.
* Bouncy Beds
* Pen and Paper
* Loud and Clear
* In the Box
* Mirror Mirror
* Wheels
* Clean It Up
* Lift Off
* Round and Round
* Get Wet
* Sliding Doors
* Handy Handles
* Cooking With Waves
* Time for Cogs
* Hot and Cold
* Buckle Up
* Dirty Dishes
* Top Taps
* Keys
* Eyes in the Dark
* Near and Far
* Hubble Bubble
* In a Flush
* Extraordinary X-Rays
* Swish Swish

### In the Lab (2010)

The fifth series – In the Lab was broadcast weekly from 27 September-10 December 2010. In the show, Nina and the experimenters discover changes and reactions. From this series onwards, the experimenters also wore replicas of Nina's white coat alongside their red T-shirts.
* Melty Chocolate
* Sleepy Dust
* Rattling Pan
* Burnt Toast
* Sugar and Teeth
* Super Sand
* Ferocious Fire
* Soap Suds
* Boats Float
* Grass Stains
* Salty Sea
* Wobbly Jelly
* Steamy Mirrors
* Fragrant Flowers
* Noisy Foods
* Popcorn Pops
* Sniffing Smells
* Mighty Metal
* Sticky Jam
* Bubbles Burst
* Onions Make Us Cry
* Wrinkly Fingers
* Glow Stars
* Wet Paint
* Marvellous Milk

### Brilliant Bodies (2011)

The sixth series – Brilliant Bodies, focused on parts of the human body, and aired from 5 September 2011.
* Heart
* Handy Hands
* Sneeze
* Two Ears
* Blood
* Brain
* Wrinkly Face
* Earwax
* Exercise
* Tickly Feet
* Yawn
* Digestion
* Sleep
* Eyelashes
* Bellybuttons
* Scabs
* Eyes See
* Burp
* Spine
* Breath
* Skin
* Balance
* Memory
* Broken Bones
* Fingertips Feel

### Go Engineering (2013)

The seventh series – Go Engineering, premiered at the start of 2013. It also focuses on inventions and how things work.
* Aeroplanes Luke
* Glass Luke
* Electricity Belle
* Bin Lorry Ollie
* Hovercraft Belle
* Robots All Neurons
* Cranes Luke
* Hot Air Balloons Luke
* Ships Felix
* Roads Luke Wellies
* Tunnels Luke
* Cereal Bud
* Cable Cars Luke
* Steam Pump Ollie
* DVDs All Neurons
* Diving Felix
* Luggage Luke
* Biscuits Bud
* Cars Belle
* Computers Felix and Luke
* Tall Buildings Luke
* Canal Locks Felix
* Sticky Fabric Felix
* Bridges Luke
* Mobile Phones Belle

### Earth Explorers (2013)

The eighth series – Earth Explorers, premiered in Late-2013 and has Nina and the experimenters looking at earth, the sea, and beyond.
* Space Rockets
* Grand Canyon
* Sand Dunes
* Living in Space
* Mountains
* Volcanoes
* Giant's Causeway
* Solar System
* Rivers
* Exploring Space
* Cliffs
* Night and Day
* Dinosaurs
* Living on Earth
* Stripy Rocks
* Geysers
* Loch Ness
* Moon Shape
* Caves
* Shooting Stars
* Coal
* Earth Is Round
* Deserts
* Gravity
* Waterfalls

### Get Sporty (2014)

The ninth series – Get Sporty, premiered in Early-2014, and focuses on the realm of professional sports and how they work.
* Cycling
* Curling
* Football
* Trampolining
* Climbing
* Rugby
* Marathon
* Sprinting
* Swimming
* Long Jump
* Snooker
* Gymnastics
* Diving
* Cricket
* Basketball

### Go Digital (2014)

The tenth series – Go Digital, premiered in Late-2014, and focuses on technology and gadgets, and how it works.
* Driverless Cars
* Internet
* 3D Printing
* Coding
* Animation

### Get Building (2015)

The eleventh and final series – Get Building, aired in 2015 and focused on how buildings and structures are constructed and how they stay together.
* Triangles
* Pointy Roofs
* Piers
* Nests
* Houses
* Windmills
* Beaver Dams
* Skyscrapers
* Bridges
* Demolition
* Floating Houses
* Rollercoasters
* Arches
* Lighthouses
* Living Underwater
* Living Underground
* Igloo
* Spiders
* Domes
* Amphitheatres