He is a a trained ballet dancer and choreographer
and admitted he was initially reluctant to take on the
role that led to him being sent fan mail from adults
as well as children and feeling like a member of The
Beatles.
'I started my career as a ballet dancer and had just
started working as a choreographer. I thought it was
a bit of a risky move but it certainly paid off,' he
once told The Sun . 'We used to receive a lot of fan
mail from kids AND parents. I suppose we were a bit
like the Beatles or the Take That of children's
television.'
Tinky Winky: Ballet dancer and choreographer Simon Shelton
was the man behind the large purple creature
Shelton was not the original Tinky Winky. Actor Dave
Thompson, who now works as a stand-up comedian,
was controversially sacked by production company
Ragdoll for 'misinterpreting' the role and implying the
Teletubby was gay.
Shelton said it was a question he was frequently
asked because of Tinky Winky's penchant for hand
bags.
'People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay. But the
character is supposed to be a three-year-old so the
question is really quite silly,' he said.
The 'cool' one: Dipsy was played by stand-up comedian John
Simmit
Bright green Dipsy, the 'coolest' Teletubby, who was
fond of hats was played by John Simmit, 49, who
was and still is a stand-up comedian.
'I was a stand-up before I became Dipsy so I carried
on doing that when the series came to an end five
years ago,' he said at the show's ten year anniversary
celebrations. 'The stand-up circuit is pretty close-knit
so people got to know that I was Dipsy - but I never
mentioned it on stage.'
Meanwhile, dancer Nikky Smedley, 49, got the role of
Laa-Laa after replying to a newspaper ad.
While the Teletubbies always looked like they were
having a jolly old time, life in the suit was difficult,
Nikky revealed. The actors worked 11-hour days and
the suits were heavy and hot.
Since the show's conclusion, Nikky's contributed to
children's TV show Boohbah and choreographed
another of the BBC's hit children shows, In the Night
Garden.
Eh-oh! Dancer Nikky Smedley landed the role of Laa-Laa
Popular Po: Pui Fan Lee was the actress behind Po; Pui now
hosts Show Me, Show Me
Actress Pui Fan Lee, 40, played the cute, red Po.
When the show ended 12 years ago, the British-
Chinese actress moved on to hosting CBeebies, the
BBC's channel for children aged six and under.
Today, she presents Show Me, Show Me, which is
aimed at pre-school children.
In 2001, Pui stirred some controversy after playing a
seductive lesbian in the Channel 4 show
Metrosexuality. Some were shocked when, in one
episode, the actress performed a sex act with
another woman.
In response, Pui said: 'I didn't taken the lesbian role
to be deliberately controversial. Yes, I was Po. But I
am an actress too and the role looked interesting,
exciting and challenging.'
She added: 'When we were in the show it was weird
because we never dreamed anyone would be the
slightest bit interested in us. But at the height of our
popularity there were photographers jumping out of
bushes.'