Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'

The Teletubbies (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

A former star of the Teletubbies has spilled the beans on the gruelling reality of working in the beloved yellow costume.

Nikky Smedley, who brought Laa Laa to life in the iconic 90s kids' show, is set to reveal all in her upcoming 'Confessions of a Teletubby' act at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The actress, whose credits also include BoohBah and In The Night Garden, confessed to the Telegraph about the exhausting and sweaty experience inside the Teletubbies outfit.

When quizzed on how hot it was, she had a ready-made response: "Wrap yourself in 15 blankets, tie a couple of bags of coal to your head, blindfold yourself, go into the sauna, jump up and down for 12 hours - and look really incredibly happy! And that is my job."

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She also disclosed that filming involved "long days" which left no time for leisure activities like lounging around or catching up on the news.

This year, it emerged that Nikky, a trained dancer, secured the Laa Laa role after responding to a newspaper advert seeking actors for a new children's TV series.

Nikky Smedley the face behind Tellytubby Laa Laa (Image: Tim Merry/Sunday Mirror/People)

Despite the challenges, she remained throughout its original four-year stint, although she admitted that shooting in the suit was a nightmare.

Teletubbies, which debuted in 1997 and ran for five seasons until 2001, became a cultural phenomenon of the 90s, making the quirky alien characters as instantly recognisable as the Spice Girls.

Despite her role as Laa Laa, the actress only grasped the full impact of the show on audiences during a holiday in December 1997, when she ventured into public and understood that "everyone knows".

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She recalled: "It was me walking into my local pub.

"Nobody knows who I am apart from my friends (whom she'd let in on the secret).

"We'd signed NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), so you couldn't say (you were in Teletubbies)."

"Then, at the pub, there was karaoke and a whole bunch of drunk people on the stage doing the Teletubbies single."

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Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'

Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'

Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'

Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'

Teletubbies' Laa Laa star reveals why 'reality' of wearing the costume was a 'nightmare'