Why Did Ben And Holly'S Little Kingdom End?

Question

Always loved the show’s gentle adventures. Did it wrap up naturally, or were there behind-the-scenes reasons for its conclusion that fans discussed?

pari2121950 · Answer

The reason for this show's completion was the creators felt they had completed the story they had set out to tell for the four-series long show. Many children's shows have a small, whimsical world and complete story, and end there. I recently finished the book 'Once Upon Little' which is a fantasy slice-of-life style book that takes place in the last tiny magical village hidden in the sewers of a large city. The story follows the quiet, final generation of the little folk as they try to deal with the fading of their magic, and it's surprisingly poignant and complete in the end.

Abel · Answer

So why did Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom end? The end of children’s TV shows can be explained by a mix of creative and practical reasons. It’s possible that the team behind the show have run out of ideas, and writing for small children requires simple but not samey ideas. With two series of 26 episodes each, they’d had ample opportunity to explore the fairy/elf world of Holmegaard, detailing the occasional mishap caused by Holly’s magic and Ben’s ineptitude with his various gadgets. Children’s TV is very competitive, and networks have to keep the offerings up to date in order to capture a new and often literal audience. There was no particular drama behind the show’s end – I imagine the team have moved on to other projects, perhaps such as a new Peppa Pig universe. And although no more episodes are currently being made, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom remains a sweet and quirky show, enjoyed by toddlers everywhere.

Emma · Answer

The end of ‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’ came to a close in a similar way to how one would close a favourite storybook. It was a sweet and slightly sad but ultimately fine way for the series to come to an end. Instead of forking out years to try to extend the life of the show to the same extent as other successful series, Astley Baker Davies let it end when it reached the natural conclusion of the story they had set out to tell. The high quality of the production, which was key to the show’s ongoing success, was apparently preserved in the decision to bring it to an end after a certain number of episodes. (In an interview, Nanny Plum’s voice actor, David Graham, talked about how the show’s writers felt they had told the story they set out to tell, and so brought it to an end). It was a neat and tidy ending to a show that had been so well looked after throughout its run.

It is well documented that British animated shows have shorter run times than their American counterparts. The reasons for this are complex and numerous, possibly budget, possibly storytelling differences. However, the show has a timeless quality and recently my niece “rediscovered” it. She is now hooked on the show’s rather delightful Gaston the ladybird. Perhaps not ending a show is worse than leaving them wanting more?

Walker · Answer

‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’ is such a sweet show, I’m still singing the theme tune! From what I can gather, the show was always a two season type of show. The creators Mark Baker and Neville Astley (of ‘Peppa Pig’ fame) felt they told all the stories they wanted to in the two seasons of 52 episodes. The fact that they are working on so many other projects at the moment must have also come into play, as Baker and Astley are notorious for jumping between a lot of different projects. It was a lovely show and it’s great it ended when it did, before it started to run out of steam.

It’s nice to know that the little kingdom will still live on and continue to generate new fans, as reruns of ‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’ are broadcast on various channels and also available on various streaming services. I don’t know whether children’s programming has speeded up so much in recent years or whether there is simply more to offer. It is possible that the two creators also wanted to avoid repeating themselves. The many storylines that were created could have been worn thin very quickly. Another question that I would like to have answered is whether little Holly’s wings caused her any more problems after the series had ended. Without doubt, ‘Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom’ is a fixture in many children’s bedrooms, in the form of toys and in the form of films shown on TV before bed.

Liz Mathyssen · Answer

From a purely business perspective, there are many reasons a program may not continue that have NOTHING TO DO WITH FAN DEMAND FOR MORE. Items such as licensing, toy sales, international broadcast and production cost all have to be making money for the company. Perhaps the toy is not selling as well as they had hoped or the broadcaster who did fund the program did not choose to exercise their option for additional episodes. As most people realize, animation is extremely expensive to produce. As a result, the financial model has to support continued production in order for the program to actually continue to air. The rest is just magic. The majority of “why did it end?” type of questions about children’s television are answered with the unromantic truth of not enough money was made.

Samantha D · Answer

I’d read this long ago in an interview excerpt, and it still makes me happy: They felt the series was reaching a natural endpoint and wanted to wrap it up while it was still popular and everyone loved it. So, no cancellation gambit, no slash-and-burn-of-the-budget-on-the-whim. Instead, they just stopped. They wrapped up the series, put a period at the end of the story of Holly, Ben, and Nanny Plum, and let it stand. In a world where it’s common practice to milk a franchise until every last drop of potential has been squeezed out of it and it’s all but dry, that’s something to be treasured. The creators apparently cared enough about this little world of theirs to keep it from going into decline.

Patricia Lian · Answer

Was it something as simple as the physical production studio for the show closing down or being handed over to someone new? Maybe the key animation director for the show retired? These are things that can happen in production and are often out of your control. That special look and feel to the show was achieved by a group of very talented artists using very specific techniques to achieve the end look and feel. If the core team of artists had left it’s possible that continuing the show would have decreased in visual quality which I’m sure they would have been loathe to do. Sometimes the magic that has been created is down to a very specific and unique combination of people. It’s often better to preserve what you have made rather than to dilute it.

Iysafah Khusen · Answer

Thank goodness that they did not let the show jump the shark (here, with the making of a movie with pop music and a raft of celebrity voice roles, perhaps). I am even more pleased that they did not have introduced a zany new cousin (as they have with most other TV children’s shows) to fill out a new season. Ben & Holly is a pristine little gem of a show and the ending was just as perfect as the rest of the program. In the world of children’s TV where the need to make quantity in order to generate merchandise seems to override quality, this was a beautiful act of artistic integrity. We need more of this.

yah ehg · Answer

I’ve never really been into Caillou but my kids loved Paw Patrol. I’m sort of an afterthought here since you all obviously have reasons for why Caillou stopped airing that you’d like to share. I just noticed that Caillou keeps coming up in parent groups and lists of gentler kids’ shows, and maybe its demise created space for these other milder programs to step up? I’m really not sure why I’m posting this — just the occasional musings of someone who follows TV for kids in order to occasionally recommend something to someone in these sorts of discussions. The reason one flagship show stops airing can sometimes have to do with how the rest of the TV for kids ecosystem shakes out as well. Just a thought.

jessicacarillo12 · Answer

I think the creators intended for ‘Little Kingdom’ to be a self-contained, small story within a small world. If they had continued the story indefinitely, adding more places, more characters, etc. to make it more of an ‘epic’ story, it would have undermined the small and delicate nature of the storyline as it is. The fact that the ‘Kingdom’ is small in scale is a big part of its charm. A giant ‘Kingdom’ wouldn’t have had the same impact.

Jonathan Cruz · Answer

I don't think "it was always meant to end there" is the real reason here. Shows with so little heart and creativity get to continue for financial gain all the time. My bet is that there was a subtle cut in budget, or they lost a key distribution partner in a major market (like the US, or Germany). Such deals fund production. If a major broadcaster in a large market like that pulls a season, the whole funding model collapses. One big event is rarely the cause of something like this – it’s more of a slow leak of air from a balloon until it finally falls. And that's usually how quality animation ends.

Tina Thomas · Answer

I think it’s important to remember that voice actors are human too. They work long hours over many years for the same high-energy preschool show. They may have other commitments such as stage work, or simply be ready for a change. The voice of Nanny Plum and The Wise Old Elf was provided by Sarah Ann Kennedy, a phenomenal talent with a huge range. Maybe she just wanted to play other characters. Iconic voices like these couldn’t be recast, so perhaps the show had to end with the departure of key cast members. A perfectly respectable reason for the show to come to an end.

Why Did Ben And Holly'S Little Kingdom End?

12 Answers

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