Nikky Smedley (Laa-Laa)
Niccola Jane "Nikky" Smedley (born October 20, 1970) is a British actress and choreographer known for portraying Laa-Laa. She's also the voice of the Talking Flowers, and the Voice Trumpet featured in My Dad's a Tram Driver.
While she is mostly known for her portrayal of Laa-Laa, Nikky Smedley is also a choreographer. After the original series ended, she continued to work with Ragdoll and helped in the choreography for the CITV series Boohbah, the CBeebies series In The Night Garden... and the CBeebies 2015 reboot series of Teletubbies. Smedley also works as a storyteller for children. She even wears a special outfit with a very long skirt which she uses for her storytelling. In the 2015 reboot, she was replaced by Rebecca Hyland (though Smedley is still involved as a cinematographer).
Guest Appearances:
Today (2007) guest (as Laa-Laa and herself) (NBC)
The Paul O'Grady Show (2009) guest (as Laa-Laa) (Channel 4)
The Big Fat Quiz Of The 90's (2012) herself (Channel 4)
Ragdoll Filmography[]
Trivia[]
- She is currently the only Teletubby actor from the original series to have a YouTube channel.
- She came up with Laa-Laa's "Bibbaly cheese" catchphrase when she oversaw a group of children playing with blocks while saying, "cheese."
- She's written two books, Over the Hills and Far Away: My Life as a Teletubby and Create, Perform, Teach!
- In 2022, there were news reports that Nikky Smedley had passed away, and Smedley herself confirmed in interviews that she was not dead and was on holiday when the news came around.
- Teletubbies and Boohbah are the only Ragdoll shows where Smedley was credited, with the exception of In the Night Garden.
Interview[]
Jack's Throwback Attack Podcast - S1 E6 - A Chat With Nikky Smedley (Teletubbies)