Biff & Chip have been teaching children to read for years but now they are jumping onto our screens in this new live-action adaptation on CBeebies. The Biff and Chip books are as much a part of childhood as our ABCs nowadays but now they’ve been brought to life on CBeebies.
The series will tell the fun adventures of twins Biff and Chip Robinson, their inquisitive brother Kipper and pet dog Floppy. We will see the characters makeup games, solve problems and create incredible make-believe worlds as they explore the world around them — often with the grown-ups in tow.
From the plots to the characters, to interviews with its stars, here’s everything you need to know about the new CBeebies series Biff & Chip…
Biff & Chip release date
Biff and Chip will air daily on CBeebies in the UK from Monday September 13, while all episodes can be watched on BBCiPlayer from then too. There are 25 episodes in this first series which are all 11 minutes long. CBeebies’ Biff & Chip is produced by BBC Children’s In-House Productions with Sue Nott as Executive Producer and Tom O’Connell as Series Producer
Biff & Chip cast including Kellie Shirley and Melanie Walters
Joining Biff and Chip is former EastEnders star Kellie Shirley (who played Walford's Carly Wicks). She stars as the twins’ mum Mrs Robinson. She’s also known for playing Kirsty in the series In The Long Run and has had roles in Death in Paradise, Doctors and Call The Midwife.
Jack Wilkinson will play Mr Robinson while Des Yankson and Shauna Shim will play neighbours, Mr and Mrs Page.
Meanwhile, Melanie Walters, who’s best known for playing Gwen in Gavin and Stacey, is fun-loving, and sometimes mischievous Gran. Read our chat with Melanie Walters right here.
"When I read the scripts, she sort of leapt off the page," Melanie told us. "She’s quirky and mischievous, and I think there’s part of her that is still a kid. There’s part of her that has not grown up and I think that’s why she can’t wait to go and see the kids. She has an inner child which is almost on the outer surface. I think everyone would want a gran like her in their lives because she’s very loving, but the biggest thing about her is that she’s very energetic and great fun to be with. She’s brilliant at football, she hurdles and she’s good with a hula hoop. I tell you what, she certainly kept me fit!"
Biff & Chip — the younger cast
See our main picture above of the Biff and Chip younger cast. Tilly Kaye will play Biff. She previously appeared in Gentleman Jack and Last Tango in Halifax. Her twin Chip is played by George Robinson, while Freddie James is their cheeky little brother Kipper. They are joined on their adventures by their best friends Wilf (Inathi Rozani) and Wilma Page (Dorothy Peters-Lowe).
Tilly Kaye, George Robinson and Freddie James on starring in Biff & Chip...
How are you like your characters?
George says: "Basically, no difference really, we’re quite similar. Chip is a little younger than me and he has a fringe which I don’t usually, I had one cut for this role."
Tilly says: "We’re very similar, I’m very energetic and confident and like to take charge. When I saw the script, I was SO excited to play her as she’s just like me."
What’s it like playing your character?
Tilly: "It’s so surreal, I read the books growing up and Biff was my hero as a four year old so it’s great playing her now."
George: "Amazing, amazing, amazing! I love it. I read the books as a kid, Chip was my favourite character and I’m so excited to be playing him."
Freddie: "It’s so much fun, we get to dress up a lot. Kipper is really funny and he makes me laugh."
George and Tilly, what’s it like playing twins?
Tilly: "George and I are so similar! At the first audition I met him and really hoped he was going to get the part, we became friends that day and now we are best friends."
George: "I love it, we’re quite similar people and we’re best friends now."
Sometimes we see Biff and Chip falling out, how does that work?
Tilly: "The characters often fall out and Biff will often say “Oh Chip, why’d you do that for”. At the end of those scenes we would have a big hug, arrange what we are going to do that evening and tell each other it’s all fine and that we’re still best friends."
What’s it like working with Floppy the dog?
Freddie: "He’s so funny, he ran away once when we were on set - he’s very silly."
George: "In one scene we were in the park and Floppy just ran off and it took us ages to get him back. We had to keep filming the scene whilst the animal trainer went to look for him."
Tilly: "We discovered early on that Floppy used to run when the Director said ‘action’ so we had to change it to ‘bananas’."
Why should kids watch Biff & Chip?
Tilly: "You should watch it because you will have a laugh and love it."
George: "It’s the funniest show in the world!"
Biff & Chip — episodes and stories
New storylines will be written exclusively for this 25-episode TV version of Biff and Chip and will see the characters playing in the park, making up stories at home and exploring with their best friends. Their imaginations have no boundaries!
Executive Producer Sue Nott said: “We are so excited for our CBeebies viewers to see how we’ve brought the characters from the books to life in this warm, family-friendly series. At the heart of the show are the friendships of the children and how they play and work together to solve problems, and we hope our young viewers will be inspired to play, problem solve, have fun and use their imaginations to go on wonderful adventures.”
Biff and Chip was filmed in the north west of England, across Warrington and Urmston.
Biff and Chip — the books
The Biff and Chip books are written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta. They were created in 1986 after the author said he wanted to develop a reading programme based on "humour and fun and motivation". They form part of the Oxford Reading Tree Books and are used in 80 per cent of British primary schools.
