Meees (Welsh for Baaas, as in the sound of bleating sheep) is a Welsh-language children's television show from Wales. It is about a family of multicultural opera-singing sheep, played by performers in sheep costumes. It is shown on S4C, the Welsh equivalent of Channel 4. 52 episodes over two series of the 15-minute show have been made.
Characters
editThe family run their own recycling plant from their home at Acropolis Cottage, and are headed by Costaaas, a male sheep from Greece, who is married to Baaalwen, a black Welsh ewe, (played by Tamsin Heatley) whom he supposedly met in a Milanese choir. The couple live with their daughter Meeegan, her husband Meeelvyn, and their twins called Jaaason and Meeedea (named after the Greek mythological figures Jason and Medea, who also feature in opera). The characters in the series all have names which include an "eee" or "aaa", to reflect the sounds made by sheep. The fifteenth episode features the appearance of Aurora, Baaalwen's older sister, who has her nephew called Oscar, who never married an ewe or had children. Baaalwen and Costaaas live with Meeegan's older sister Alice, her husband Louis, and their three children called Terrence, Carol and David.
Show history
editThe show was first broadcast in 2005, and later in that year went on to win a Bafta Cymru for the Best New Media TV or Film Related.[1]
In April 2006 the rights to air the show were purchased by Al Jazeera, the Arabic news network, after Sheikha Mozah, the wife of the Emir of Qatar and channel founder supposedly "fell in love with" them. In Arabic it is known as 'آل ماااع'[2]
An English-language version of the show is now in the planning stages, in part written by former The Housemartins guitarist Stan Cullimore.[3]
On 17 April 2007, the show was also broadcast on Discovery Kids Latin America. In the Latin American Dubs, Costaaas (Andrés in Latin America) is voiced by Andrés Bustamante, Baaalwen (Angélica in Latin America) is voiced by María Santander, Meeeegan (Sofía in Latin America) is voiced by Liliana Barba, Meeelvyn (César in Latin America) is voiced by Humberto Vélez, Jaaason (Luis in Latin America) is voiced by Irving Corona, and Meeedea (Teresita in Latin America) is voiced by Verania Ortiz. The fifteenth episode features Rocío Garcel as the voice of Baaalwen's older sister Aurora, Gael García Bernal as the voice of Costaaas and Baaalwen's youngest son Oscar, Laura Torres as the voice of Meeegan's older sister Alice (Alicia in Latin America), Xavier Lopez "Chabelo" as the voice of Meeegan's brother-in-law Louis (Luis in Latin America), Diego Ángeles as the voice of Terrence (Javier in Latin America), Verania Ortiz (Meeedea's Latin American dubber) as the voice of Carol (María in Latin America) and Ángel García as the voice of David.
Staff
edit- Director: Helen Sheppard
Sian Reid
John Walker
Cliff Jones - Music: Paddy Kingsland
- Voices: Tamsin Heatley
Wayne Forester
Joanna Ruiz
Ian Sexon (season 2)
Nick Mercer - Voices (Welsh): Huw Ceredig
Sharon Morgan
Clare Hingott
Olwen Rees
Liÿr Ifans
Rhys Parry Jones
Saran Morgan
Gwynfor Dafydd - Costume Characters: Jenny Hutchinson
Sian Reid
Colin Purves
Samamtha Dodd
Holli Hoffman
Garath Jones - Producer: Nia Ceidiog, of Cynhyrchiadau Ceidiog Creations
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "S4C - Press Releases". Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
- ^ Sherwin, Adam (3 April 2006). "A family of Welsh sheep the new stars of alJazeera". The Times. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Pop star writes for singing sheep". BBC Wales. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008.