Yonderland

Yonderland
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Mathew Baynton Simon Farnaby Martha Howe-Douglas Jim Howick Laurence Rickard Ben Willbond
Written by	Mathew Baynton Martha Howe-Douglas Simon Farnaby Jim Howick Laurence Rickard Ben Willbond Toby Davies
Directed by	Steve Connelly
Starring	Martha Howe-Douglas Mathew Baynton Jim Howick Simon Farnaby Laurence Rickard Ben Willbond
Composer(s)	Philip Pope
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	16 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Juliette Howell Lucy Lumsden Saskia Schuster
Producer(s)	Sioned Wiliam
Editor(s)	Mike Holliday
Running time	30 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company(s)	Working Title Films
Release
Original network	Sky 1
Picture format	16:9 (1080i HDTV)
Original release	10 November 2013 (2013-11-10) – present
External links
Website

Yonderland is a British sitcom television series that has been broadcasting on Sky 1 since 10 November 2013. It was produced by Sioned Wiliam, and is created by, written by and stars the main performers from CBBC's series Horrible Histories.

Plot

33-year-old Debbie Maddox (Martha Howe-Douglas) becomes increasingly bored with her life as a suburban stay-at-home mother until an elf (Mathew Baynton) appears from a portal in her cupboard, insisting that she's the "chosen one" destined to save Yonderland. Reluctantly, Debbie agrees to meet with the Elders of the realm... only to discover that they've lost the scroll that explains what the chosen one is supposed to do. As it turns out, Yonderland is a silly, magical place, threatened by the evil Negatus (Simon Farnaby). It will take all of Debbie's resources to complete each week's quest in time to pick up her children from school.

Cast

• Martha Howe-Douglas as Debbie Maddox/Imperatrix
• Mathew Baynton as the Elf/Chief Elder Choop
• Jim Howick as the Crone/Lord Elder Pressley
• Simon Farnaby as Negatus/Vice-Elder Flowers
• Laurence Rickard as Wizard Bradley/Scribe Elder Ho-Tan
• Ben Willbond as Nick the Stick/Wise Elder Vex
• Dan Renton Skinner as Peter Maddox

Production

On 22 March 2013, Sky1's Lucy Lumsden announced Yonderland, saying: "We are delighted to give the incredibly talented Horrible Histories cast the opportunity to write and star in a brand new show for the whole family on Sky1." The show was co-produced by Working Title Films. Principal filming under former HH director Steve Connelly began the following May.

The show initially grew out of the desire of its creators (Baynton, Farnaby, Howe-Douglas, Howick, Rickard and Willbond) to continue working together after Horrible Histories ceased production in 2012. The new standalone troupe wanted to maintain the sketch-based, character-driven comedy style from their previous series. They quickly settled on the fantasy quest genre, with its emphasis on individual short vignettes within the larger plot, as the logical next step.

At the same time, Baynton and Willbond had been developing a film idea about an ordinary person dragged into a parallel universe – specifically, a nostalgic fantasy adventure using puppetry rather than more modern animation techniques, in the vein of Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story." This concept in turn naturally lent itself to the casting of sole female troupe member Howe-Douglas as the central heroine, with her five male costars in multiple roles as the different characters she meets in each episode. In terms of writing together for the first time as a troupe, Howick noted to The Guardian that "[By now] we're such a tight unit, we know exactly what the humour is, and what the tone is." Baynton agreed: "It just grew very nicely out of what happens when the six of us are together in a room."

In keeping with the nostalgic, "lo-fi" tone – and in the interest of creating a more richly populated, inventive and potentially surprising world – Yonderland features numerous Muppet-style puppet characters designed and built by longtime Jim Henson associates Baker Coogan. Explaining the decision to keep computer animation to a minimum (save for the portal to Yonderland itself), Rickard said: "Because you can make everything photo-realistic these days, it kind of takes the joy out of it. Even if it's brilliant CGI, you still know it's CGI ... you know it's not there, it's not tangible, and it's the same with comedy."

The first series was considered a critical and popular success, earning solid ratings for its timeslot. On 30 June 2014, Sky announced that the show had been recommissioned for a second series, which was filmed in autumn of the same year and began airing in July 2015.

In January 2016 it was announced that Stephen Fry would be joining the cast of Yonderland as "Cuddly Dick", described in the Radio Times as "a mysterious returning elder".

Episodes

Series 1 (2013)

Episode #	Title	Director	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
1	"The Chosen Mum"	Steve Connelly	Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond	10 November 2013 (2013-11-10)	1.00
The more Debbie sees of Yonderland, the less she's impressed--until an unexpectedly-fulfilled prophecy convinces her there might just be something to this Chosen One business.
2	"Wizard Bradley"	Steve Connelly	Simon Farnaby	10 November 2013 (2013-11-10)	0.76
In order to locate a copy of the missing scroll, Debbie must seek the help of a once legendary, now has-been wizard who's quite literally lost his Mojo.
3	"Reformation"	Steve Connelly	Jim Howick and Laurence Rickard	17 November 2013 (2013-11-17)	0.84
By the time Debbie stumbles across the monks of Old John, their devotion to speaking nothing but the absolute truth has already infuriated Negatus to the point of destroying their monastery. Now, in order to save their lives, the Chosen One must teach them to lie.
4	"The Ultimate Prize"	Steve Connelly	Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond	24 November 2013 (2013-11-24)	0.65
When the incumbent champion of the Yonderland Grand Tournament is killed, Negatus sees an opportunity to send in a ringer and disrupt the proceedings--unless Debbie can convince her own candidate, the incumbent's humble page, to believe in himself.
5	"Closing the Portal"	Steve Connelly	Toby Davies	1 December 2013 (2013-12-01)	0.46
Debbie has had it with the havoc being Yonderland's Chosen One is wreaking on her family life and decides to resign. Before he can close the portal permanently, though, Elf must take her on one last quest...
6	"The Idiot King"	Steve Connelly	Mathew Baynton	8 December 2013 (2013-12-08)	0.50
Negatus' celebration of the Chosen One's departure is interrupted when he learns that she's not only decided to stay around, but has joined forces with arrogant King Bernard to locate a precious artifact. Soon Debbie and the King find themselves not only treasure-hunting but trying to stay alive.
7	"The Heart of the Sun"	Steve Connelly	Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond	15 December 2013 (2013-12-15)	0.48
On her latest quest to save the inhabitants of Yonderland from themselves, Debbie encounters the Ninnies, a race whose slavish adherence to tradition has actually caused them to begin devolving.
8	"Dirty Ernie"	Steve Connelly	Simon Farnaby	22 December 2013 (2013-12-22)	Under 0.40
Ordered by his very impatient boss to lure Debbie into a trap, Negatus adopts a harmless disguise and solicits her help on a rescue mission that brings together several of the characters from previous episodes.

Series 2 (2015)

Episode #	Title	Director	Written by	Original air date	Viewers (millions)
1	"Panic in the Streets of Yonderland"	Steve Connelly	Simon Farnaby	13 July 2015 (2015-07-13)	0.49
Imperatrix's presence brings rioting to the streets on Yonderland and sends the Elders into lockdown.
2	"The Winging Detective"	Steve Connelly	Mathew Baynton and Jim Howick	13 July 2015 (2015-07-13)	0.36
A murder at the Meadowlands Festival calls for the (not-so-genius) mind of Yonderland's finest (or, rather, only) detective.
3	"A Vicious Circle"	Steve Connelly	Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond	20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)	0.44
Ellis of Woolworth mistakenly believes that Debbie is to blame for his brother's fate.
4	"Up The Workers"	Steve Connelly	Laurence Rickard	27 July 2015 (2015-07-27)	0.38
Debbie discovers a sweatshop run by newly-educated Ninnies. Plus, a message from Yonderland reveals alarming information about Debbie's past.
5	"Nanny La Roo"	Steve Connelly	Martha Howe-Douglas and Laurence Rickard	3 August 2015 (2015-08-03)	0.29
When she refuses to be banished from Yonderland, Debbie is reunited with her eccentric childhood nanny after she and Elf pay a visit to her former home.
6	"Game of Crones"	Steve Connelly	Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond	10 August 2015 (2015-08-10)	Under 0.29
Debbie heads into the Imperatrix-controlled Darklands to rescue a top scientist who has been hoodwinked into making a weapon of mass destruction.
7	"The Last Fahl"	Steve Connelly	Toby Davies with Laurence Rickard	17 August 2015 (2015-08-17)	Under 0.30
Debbie is called to Yonderland when the Elders hear news that a vicious monster is placing the last survivor of a noble species at risk.
8	"Careful What You Wish For"	Steve Connelly	Mathew Baynton and Laurence Rickard	24 August 2015 (2015-08-24)	Under 0.29
The discovery of a wish granting tree causes chaos in Yonderland. At the same time, Imperatrix launches her deadly secret weapon.

Reception

Yonderland met with generally positive reviews, most focussing on its uniquely all-ages nature and nostalgic callbacks to former fantasy classics. Writing in the Guardian, Sarah Hughes called the series "perfect family viewing", summing it up as "both supremely silly and very clever indeed – the sort of frothy concoction that looks effortless but is actually very hard to get right... the writing is a wonderful mix of knowing and daft", all of which earned it 16th place in the same paper's ranking of the Top 30 TV shows of 2013. Den of Geek's Rob Smedley called the show "joyously amusing... the clichés are magnificently well handled or hidden by some top gags and a cast who know just how to deliver them."

The Radio Times named the show #28 in its own Top 40 year-end list, saying further of the show's writer/creators that "Characters tended to appear once when they could each have had their own series; this gang have so many ideas and such skill in executing them that, in the long term, Python comparisons might not be out of place." Total Film magazine placed it at #25 in their Top 25 year-end list, agreeing that "It’s basically Labyrinth meets Monty Python. Yes, it’s THAT good. Though it’s essentially aimed at the kiddies, like all the best muppet-y stories, there are jokes for the adults, too." Entertainment website Cultbox UK named it their Best Comedy of the same year, "simply by virtue of being a genuinely funny comedy that the whole family can watch together... There's something for everyone in the Horrible Histories team's madcap fantasy-ribbing recipe of puppets, inventive characters, more puppets, and cheeky humour."

DVD release

The first series of Yonderland was released on Region Two DVD on 17 February 2014, by Universal Pictures UK. The second series was released November 2015.

External links

• Yonderland at IMDb
• Yonderland at British Comedy Guide