The dark story behind Balamory: The scenes shot in a disused morgue, why locals were left enraged and a VERY risque audition… all revealed by its original creator
Actor Miles Jupp, who played PC Plum in the beloved children's TV series Balamory, has spoken about the show's less wholesome behind-the-scenes history, including filming in a disused morgue and the anger of local residents on the Isle of Mull, where the programme was set and filmed. The BBC show, which ran from 2002 to 2005, remains a nostalgic favourite for millennials but its production was reportedly messier than its cheerful tone suggested.
Details revealed include scenes shot in a former mortuary, tensions with locals who felt disrupted by the production's presence, and an audition process for the show that was described as surprisingly risqué. The article draws on recollections from Jupp and the show's original creator to give a franker account of how the popular series came together.
- Balamory's original creator reveals darker behind-the-scenes production stories.
- Scenes were filmed in a disused morgue on Mull.
- Local residents were reportedly angered by the show's filming.
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Miles Jupp, best known to millennials as PC Plum, played one of the friendly grown-ups in Balamory, a BBC children's programme set in a brightly coloured fictional Scottish town. The real-life location was Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, and the show ran from 2002 to 2005, becoming one of the best-loved pre-school series of its era thanks to its cheerful characters and songs.
Jupp has now given a more candid account of what went on behind the cameras, working from recollections shared with the show's original creator. This includes filming taking place in a disused morgue, friction with local residents whose town was taken over by the production, and an audition process that was apparently far removed from the show's family-friendly image.
The story matters because it offers a rare, more grown-up look at a series that many now think of purely through a nostalgic, childhood lens. It also sheds light on the practical and social realities of filming a major children's show in a small, real community.