Nina and the Neurons

Synopsis

Most of the show was based at Glasgow Science Centre, with a little part taking place outdoors. During the show's earlier series, at the beginning of each episode, Nina conducted 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 Northern 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 nine-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 shadowing shows like Supernanny, 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: Luke

Do We All Smell Different?: Ollie

Amazing Maze: All Neurons

Trumpet: Belle

Snowballs: Felix

Eyebrows: Luke

What's Cooking?: All Neurons

All Bunged Up: Ollie And Bud

Nina Needs A Wee: Felix

Spy kit: Belle

Granny's Glasses: Luke

Where's The Bad Smell?: Ollie

Wakey Wakey: Belle

Why Is My Tongue Wet?: Bud

Shadows: Luke

Birthday Surprise: Felix

Different Tastes: Bud

Monster Hunt: All Neurons

Making Music: Belle

Distance: Luke

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: Luke

Getting Goosebumps: Felix

Nina's Cake Bake: All Neurons

I Can See A Rainbow: Luke

Terrific Teeth: Bud

Touching The Clouds: Felix

Smelly Feet: Ollie

In A Spin: Belle

Bubble Trouble: Luke

Fun in the Sun: Felix

Tummy Rumbles: All Neurons

Finding Flowers: Luke And Ollie

Lovely Lollies: Bud

Brilliant Bones: Felix

Rumbling Thunder: Belle

Nina Gets Nosey: Ollie

What A Fright: Felix

Let's Hear It For Ears: Belle

Making Waves: Luke

Splish Splash: Felix

Baby Talk: Bud

Funny Honey: All Neurons

Series 3: 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: Luke

Food, Glorious Food: Ollie And Bud

Keeping Cosy: Felix

Super Slimy Slugs: Luke

Mouldy Food: Luke

Something Fishy: Felix

Recycling: Luke

Flying High: Felix

Monkey Business: Bud

Every Drop Counts: Luke

Series 4: 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: Felix

Pen and Paper: Luke

Loud and Clear: Belle

In the Box: Luke

Mirror Mirror: Luke

Wheels: Felix

Clean It Up: Felix

Lift Off: Luke

Round and Round: Belle

Get Wet: Felix

Sliding Doors: Luke

Handy Handles: Felix

Cooking With Waves: Ollie And Bud

Time for Cogs: Belle

Hot and Cold: Felix

Buckle Up: Felix

Dirty Dishes: Luke

Top Taps: All Neurons

Keys: Belle

Eyes in the Dark: Luke

Near and Far: Luke

Hubble Bubble: Belle

In a Flush: Belle

Series 5: 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: Bud And Ollie

Sleepy Dust: Luke

Rattling Pan: Belle

Burnt Toast: Bud And Ollie

Sugar and Teeth: Bud

Super Sand: Luke

Ferocious Fire: Felix

Soap Suds: Felix

Boats Float: Luke

Grass Stains: Luke

Salty Sea: Bud

Wobbly Jelly: Bud And Ollie

Steamy Mirrors: Luke

Fragrant Flowers: Ollie

Noisy Foods: Belle

Popcorn Pops: Belle

Sniffing Smells: Ollie

Mighty Metal: Luke

Sticky Jam: Felix

Bubbles Burst: Luke

Onions Make Us Cry: Luke

Wrinkly Fingers: Felix

Glow Stars: Luke

Series 6: Brilliant Bodies (2011)

The sixth series – Brilliant Bodies, focused on parts of the human body, and aired from 5 September 2011.

Heart: All Neurons

Handy Hands: Felix

Sneeze: Ollie

Two Ears: Belle

Blood: Luke

Brain: All Neurons

Wrinkly Face: Luke

Earwax: Belle

Exercise: Felix

Tickly Feet: Felix

Yawn: Belle

Digestion: Bud

Sleep: All Neurons

Eyelashes: Luke

Bellybuttons: Luke

Scabs: Luke

Eyes See: Luke

Burp: Bud

Spine: Felix

Breath: Ollie And Bud

Skin: Felix

Balance: All Neurons

Memory: All Neurons

Broken Bones: Felix

Fingertips Feel: Felix

Series 7: 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

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

Series 8: Earth Explorers (2013)

The eighth series – Earth Explorers, premiered in Late-2013 and has Nina and the explorers looking at earth, the sea, and beyond.

Space Rockets: Belle

Grand Canyon: Luke

Sand Dunes: Felix

Living in Space: Bud

Mountains: Luke

Volcanoes: Belle and Luke

Giant's Causeway: Felix

Solar System: Luke

Rivers: Felix and Belle

Exploring Space: All Neurons

Cliffs: Belle and Luke

Night and Day: Luke

Dinosaurs: Felix and Luke

Living on Earth: Felix

Stripy Rocks: Luke

Geysers: Ollie

Loch Ness: Felix

Moon Shape: Luke

Caves: Belle

Shooting Stars: Luke

Coal: Ollie

Earth Is Round: Luke

Deserts: Felix

Gravity: Felix

Series 9: 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: Felix

Curling: Belle

Football: Luke

Trampolining: Felix

Climbing: Felix

Rugby: Bud

Marathon: Ollie And Bud

Sprinting: Belle

Swimming: Felix

Long Jump: Felix

Snooker: Luke

Gymnastics: Felix

Diving: Belle

Cricket: Luke

Basketball: Luke

Series 10: Go Digital (2014)

The tenth series – Go Digital, premiered in Late-2014, and focuses on technology and gadgets, and how it works.

Driverless Cars: All Neurons

Internet: Belle and Luke

3D Printing: Felix

Coding: All Neurons

Animation: Luke

Series 11: Get Building (2015)

The final series – Get Building, aired in 2015 and focused on how buildings and structures are constructed and how they stay together.

Triangles: Luke

Pointy Roofs: Belle

Piers: Ollie

Nests: Luke

Houses: Luke

Windmills: Belle

Beaver Dams: Belle

Skyscrapers: Felix and Luke

Bridges: Felix

Demolition: Belle

Floating Houses: Luke

Rollercoasters: Felix

Arches: Luke

Lighthouses: Luke

Living Underwater: All Neurons

Living Underground: Felix

Igloo: Felix

Spider's web: Bud

Domes: Luke

Amphitheatres: Belle