Copyright northernirelandworld
Beccy Henderson is the talented puppeteer bringing life to Elsee, the puppet host of the new CBeebies programme called ‘I Spy, You Spy’. The first episode aired on October 20 and is playing every week day at 10.35am. Well-known to TV audiences as nerdy Aisling in hit comedy Derry Girls, Beccy from Coleraine began her puppetry career as an assistant puppeteer on a Jim Henson Company pre-school series called 'The Pajanimals'. "I was hired and trained on the job as an assistant puppeteer after being scouted from a puppetry workshop in Belfast,” she said. "The job of an assistant puppeteer is generally to perform the spare arm of the puppet. So, the lead puppeteer has their dominant hand in the head moving the mouth, and their sub dominant hand controlling the main arm, the assistant puppeteer then controls the other arm to keep it alive. "Fun fact - this means that most puppet characters are left handed – keep an eye out for it next time you're watching The Muppets! "I did a few more assisting jobs after that (That Puppet Gameshow, Wildwoods, Solo: A Star Wars Story), before landing my first lead role as Deet in the Netflix original series 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'. "Since then I've puppeteered on projects including 'Eric' and 'The School for Good and Evil' for Netflix, and 'Willow' and 'Star Wars: The Acolyte' for Disney. "And now I'm guest presenting in the Cbeebies House to promote my new series, 'I Spy, You Spy'!” In ‘I Spy, You Spy’, Elsee (and Beccy) meets with different children in each episode, inviting little ones to pause, look closely and enjoy the world around them through the fun of I Spy. "Discipline wise, puppetry is a lot harder than acting. I approach it the same way, in that the core of my performance is always rooted in the emotions and intentions of the character,” explained Beccy. "But then with puppeteering, all of these technical skills have to layer on top of that - calculating your movements with the camera, performing to a monitor, vocal performance, lip syncing, the physical challenges of manipulating a puppet, the performance challenges of manipulating a puppet, negotiating your human body underneath the frame, feeling for marks with your feet (instead of being able to spot them with your eyes), and constantly breathing life into this inanimate object. "You're spinning so many plates at once. A lot of puppeteers don't learn their lines - they tape them up - because there's so much other work going on in your brain that recalling the script would just be another layer too much. "For 'I Spy, You Spy', I was having to do all of this whilst also improvising with children and actually playing I Spy... but from underneath the camera. "So if Elsee and a child are playing I Spy on a boat, I'm actually lying on the deck of that boat, I can't see anything! "I have no idea what I can spy. I would have the crew mouthing suggestions at me or writing them on post it notes.” While Beccy always wanted to be an actor, she said that adding the puppeteering element into her carer was “a bit of a happy accident”. "I'm a huge lover of fantasy, and puppets and creature effects in movies have always been real life magic for me,” she said. "Films like The Fifth Element, The Labyrinth and Gremlins are my biggest inspirations, they all have these tangible creatures that the actors can actually reach out and touch, and I just wanted to be around that magic, in whatever way possible, even if that was just being a runner on a film set where that was happening. "So, it wasn't an intentional path for me - I just gravitated towards my interests, very open to doing anything and everything, and I found this dream job that I didn't even know was an option. "I would encourage any one to do the same; gravitate towards what you love and let it surprise you. I actually think, if I'd have locked myself into one specific goal, I wouldn't be here right now.” Not only are Beccy’s talents being seen by millions of viewers, but it’s also the first time that a female puppeteer has performed a female presenter on the CBeebies House. "Getting to present as a puppet character in the CBeebies House has been the biggest reward to come from the 'I Spy, You Spy' series for me. "I grew up watching CBBC, and loving the puppet presenters, and I always wished there would be a girl puppet in there. "There never was one in my time and as far as I'm aware in the 40 years of CBBC/CBeebies, there has only been one female puppet in a presenter role, and that's Little Monster from 'Justin's House' - a naughty, mischievous mime (puppeteered by the wonderful Kat Smee), who guest stars the CBeebies House. "So, to be able to add my character Elsee onto that list is an absolute honour and honestly, such a milestone. "It means so much more than simply getting to perform a puppet on the show, I think it's really something worth celebrating. It's a big win for the girlies!” All 26 episodes of ‘I Spy, You Spy’ are available on iPlayer.
