LEGO Building With The BBC

This week, the BBC celebrates its Centenary. For 100 years the British Broadcasting Corporation has been an integral part of not only British culture but the global stage. Covering major events, creating exciting programs and of course, creating characters which have inspired a number of LEGO sets. Although the BBC is a British broadcaster a few of their creations have become global successes. So it’s not surprising that an organisation which has been around for an entire century has linked up with the LEGO Group on a number of occasions.

The first partnership would occur back in the 80s with a much-loved theme called Fabuland. This wonderful little range of sets featured a cast of unique animal characters, many of which appeared in a delightful stop-motion TV series called Edward & Friends. The series was shown on BBC2 in the UK, where it was narrated by the late, great Bernard Cribbins.

Long before, he became an awful CGI man baby, Bob the Builder delighted BBC viewers in the early 2000s. When Bob was storming the Christmas charts, he was also the subject of a series of LEGO DUPLO sets. The DUPLO figure perfectly suited the style achieved by the show’s original animation. Although not created by the BBC, the show is synonymous with the broadcaster.

LEGO BBC Bob the Builder

A few years after Bob the Builder, the LEGO Group and the BBC would work directly together to create a brand new theme and accompanying TV show. Little Robots followed the adventures of a gang of robots. Their adventures were told through a series of stop-motion episodes, which lasted for 5 series. Little Robots was conceived by LEGO Media, which later became a subsidiary known as Create TV & Film. As Little Robot was created by the LEGO Group, they had exclusive toy rights. As well as releasing a number of playsets under the LEGO Explore banner, there was also a range of plush toys which were less unusual toys for the LEGO Group at the time.

LEGO BBC Little Robots

In 2011, the LEGO Group created a special polybag set to raise money for BBC Children in Need. The set recreated the charity’s mascot Pudsey the Bear. It was sold in Asda stores, along with being available from LEGO stores and LEGO S@H. A £1 from the sale of every set was donated to Children in Need.

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One of the BEEB’s most enduring creations is Doctor Who. First broadcast in 1963, the ongoing adventures of The Doctor had a brief break in the 90s before returning to TV in 2005. Since it returned it gained a global audience and this newfound love for the Time Lords helped Andrew Clark’s LEGO Idea project hit 10k and become the 11th fan creation to become a set. It included the TARDIS as well as a separate buildable version of its control deck. The set feature two versions of The Doctor, assistant Clara, a Weeping Angel and a pair of buildable Daleks.

LEGO BBC Ideas

The LEGO Ideas set led to more Doctor Who LEGO adventures thanks to toys-to-life game, LEGO Dimensions. During the game and theme’s first year, there was a Level Pack released featuring a mini TARDIS, a buildable K-9 and a minifigure of the Twelfth Doctor. It was joined by a Fun Pack, which included a buildable Dalek and a Cyberman minifigure. In the game, these unlocked a Doctor Who-themed world and a level inspired by the BBC show. All Doctors up to this point were featured in the game, along with their TARDIS interiors. Audio from the show’s long run was used to give each Doctor a voice.

LEGO BBC Dimensions

The most recent partnership between the BBC and the LEGO Group was in 2020. Long-running motoring Top Gear was the inspiration for an app-controlled LEGO Technic set. The Rally Car let builders become the Stig and take part in challenges inspired by the TV series. Back in 2012, the BBC Top Gear magazine let readers send off for a minifigure keychain version of the Stig.

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In 2018, a number of life-sized Gromit statues were created for a charity discovery trail around Bristol. LEGO UK took part but crafted a unique brick-built version of Gromit in place of decorating one of the base models. The model was later put up for auction where it made £22,000. Wallace & Gromit are much-loved characters who made their debut on the BBC in a stop-motion short film. Since then they have gone on to other adventures, starred in BBC One Christmas channel indents and even inspired various spin-offs such as Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Tme.

Some images via Brickset & BrickEconomy

Author: Adam White

Howdy I'm Adam, The editor of BricksFanz.com - your go to source for the latest LEGO news, reviews and much, much more. Some of you may know me from other LEGO sites so you'll know I have a good experience of the LEGO community and a deep, passionate commitment to all things LEGO. I specialize in seeking out the latest LEGO news and products, as well as being an expert on all things LEGO gaming. So welcome to BricksFanz - Fuelling Your LEGO Lifestyle.

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