Topsy and Tim

Topsy and Tim is a series of children's books written by Jean Adamson and Gareth Adamson about twins and their adventures with their new friends. They were first published by Blackie in 1960; Topsy and Tim were relaunched in new editions in 1990, 2003 and 2009.[1] In 2020, Topsy and Tim "On the Farm" was reprinted to celebrate 60-years since the first publication.

Since 1960 more than 130 Topsy and Tim titles have been published with sales of more than 21 million. Since first broadcasting on Cbeebies in 2013, the live-action production of Topsy and Tim has received over 250 million views online.

Origin

In an interview with The Guardian,[2] Jean Adamson said that she and her future husband had been trained as book illustrators at Goldsmiths College. They decided to get married and quit their jobs in order to write and illustrate their own children's books. Their approach was shaped by a visit to a children's bookshop in Newcastle where they realised that there were few books depicting actual contemporary children. She explained that the books were also influenced by the post-war mood:

At that time, not so terribly long after the end of the war, England was just waking up, bright colours were coming in, there was a lovely optimistic feeling in the air. So I said "Why don't we do books with real live little children in, with the little adventures and so on that they have in the house?"[2]

Television series

The books have been adapted for television twice, while the reboot series adapted in 2025; first, in collaboration with Video Collection International in 1996 and, second, in collaboration with Darrall MacQueen Limited for the 2013 live-action production, first aired on Cbeebies, now available online and on DVD.

Bevanfield Films

Firstly by Bevanfield Films for BBC Studios Home Entertainment, 60 episode 5 minute animated series narrated by Roger Blake and was shown on ITV.

CBeebies

In 2013, a 13-minute live-action series was made for CBeebies, with 3 series produced and 71 episodes made. Further details can be seen here: List of Topsy and Tim episodes. No further episodes have been planned as of 2024. The series was produced by Darrall Macqueen and distributed globally by WildBrain. Series 1 and 2 were filmed from March to October 2013, the Christmas Special was filmed in December 2013 and Series 3 was filmed from June to August 2015.

Characters

Cast list of *Topsy and Tim*
Actor	Character
Actor	Character	1	2	3
Jocelyn MacNab	Topsy	Main
Joshua Lester	Timothy "Tim"	Main
Anna Acton	Joy	Main
Chris Hannon	Brian	Main
Suzy Aitchison	Grandma	Main
Natahlia Colbourne	Kerry	Recurring
Tom Hibberd	Tony	Recurring
Nicole Davis	Dominique	Recurring
Iain Campbell	Carson	Recurring		Guest
Emily Butterfield	Elaine	Recurring		Guest
Barry McCarthy	Mr Fishwick	Recurring	—
Kayleigh Burke	Vinda	Recurring
Natalya Hibberd	Josie	—	Recurring
Jon Rummey	Mr. Rosen	Recurring
Tim Hibberd	Mr. Fen	—	Recurring	Guest
Joshua Levin	Stephen "Stevie" Dunton	—	Recurring
Kemaal Deen-Ellis	Rai	Recurring	Guest	—
Tom Price	Paul	—	Recurring
Bobby Smalldridge	Andrew	—	Recurring
Emma Kershaw	Dr. Walton	—		Recurring
India Brown	Molly	—		Recurring
Eva Alexander	Miss Terry	—	Recurring	—
June Whitfield	Mrs Higley-Pigley	—	Guest	—
James Wooldridge	Mr. Morris	—		Recurring
Glen Davies	DIY Derek	Recurring	Guest	Recurring
Jake Unsworth	Kevin	—	Guest	—

Topsy and Tim Books

First Generation: 1960-1987

The first Generation of Topsy and Tim Stories, characterised by Jean Adamson's rich gouache illustrations and believable stories filled with fun anecdotes by Gareth Adamson. Illustrated primarily by Jean Adamson, with some titles illustrated by Gareth Adamson and Gabrielle Adamson.

#	Date	Title	ISBN
1	1960	Monday Book	n/a
2	1960	Tuesday Book	n/a
3	1961	Wednesday Book	n/a
4	1961	Thursday Book	n/a
5	1961	Friday Book	n/a
6	1961	Saturday Book	n/a
7	1962	Sunday Book	n/a
8	1962	Foggy Day	978-0216886643
9	1963	Football Match	n/a
10	1964	Snowy Day	978-0216892354
11	1965	At the Seaside	978-0216886704
12	1968	At School	978-0216890145
13	1968	At the Zoo	978-0216890152
14	1970	Bonfire Night	978-0216886674
15	1970	Go Fishing	978-0216913981
16	1970	On the Farm	978-0216886742
17	1970	Paddling Pool	978-0216886759
18	1970	The Adventures of Topsy and Tim	978-0216887046
19	1971	Birthday Party	978-0216887190
20	1971	Go to Hospital	978-0216887206
21	1971	Happy Days with Topsy and Tim	978-0216892354
22	1971	Surprises for Topsy and Tim	978-0216892330
23	1972	Go Pony-Trekking	978-0216895287
24	1972	Safety First with Topsy and Tim	978-0216913134
25	1972	Take No Risks	978-0216904583
26	1973	Go Sailing	978-0216896536
27	1973	Learn to Swim	978-0216896543
28	1973	Go Hill-Walking	978-0216896529
29	1974	Cross the Channel	978-0216898080
30	1974	Go to Holland	978-0216897342
31	1974	In Belgium	978-0216898059
32	1975	New Brother	978-0216901056
33	1975	Visit the Dentist	978-0216898943
34	1975	Visit the Doctors	978-0216899834
35	1976	At the Wedding	978-0216902817
36	1976	New School	978-0216902879
37	1976	Pet Show	978-0216902848
38	1976	Visit the Tower of London	978-0216902824
39	1977	At the Circus	978-0216904033
40	1977	Go Camping	978-0216904057
41	1977	Go Shopping	978-0216904095
42	1977	Monday Book (version 2)	978-0216903043
43	1977	Tuesday Book (version 2)	978-0216903067
44	1977	Wednesday Book (version 2)	978-0216903081
45	1977	Thursday Book (version 2)	978-0216903104
46	1977	Friday Book (version 2)	978-0216903128
47	1977	Saturday Book (version 2)	978-0216893641
48	1977	Sunday Book (version 2)	978-0216903029
49	1977	Sports Day	978-0216904071
50	1977	Through The Year	978-0216903005
51	1978	At the Fairground	978-0216905290
52	1978	At the Library	978-0216905238
53	1978	At the Vet	978-0216905245
54	1978	Choose a Puppy	978-0216905276
55	1978	Meet the Monsters	978-0216905702
56	1978	Picnic	978-0216905443
57	1978	School Outing	978-0216905429
58	1978	Train Journey	978-0216905689
59	1979	At the Fire Station	978-0216908086
60	1979	At the Jumble Sale	978-0216908079
61	1979	At the Pantomime	978-0216908109
62	1979	Caravan Holiday	978-0216908123
63	1979	Go in an Aeroplane	978-0216908109
64	1979	Have a Barbecue	978-0216906921
65	1979	Move House	978-0216906884
66	1979	At the Hairdresser	978-0216906914
67	1980	Can Print in Colour	978-0216909915
68	1980	Can Sing and Play	978-0216909885
69	1980	Can Garden	978-0216909847
70	1981	Can Cook	978-0216909861
71	1981	Learn to Swim (version 2)	978-0216911437
72	1981	Can Look After Pets	978-0216911239
73	1982	ABC	978-0216912694
74	1982	Can Make Music	978-0216911741
75	1982	Counting Book	978-0216912670
76	1982	Go Safely	978-0216913141
77	1982	Have Their Eyes Tested	978-0216911543
78	1982	Help the Dustmen	978-0216912601
79	1982	New Playground	978-0216912588
80	1982	School Play	978-0216912632
81	1982	Can Play Party Games	978-0216911246
82	1983	Chocolate Cook Book	978-0216913622
83	1983	In the Kitchen	978-0216915206
84	1983	Pets	978-0216915145
85	1983	Big Fun Book	978-0216912724
86	1983	Games Book	0–216–91518
87	1983	Go On Holiday	978-0216914001
88	1983	Go riding	978-0216914025
89	1983	Music Book	978-0216915152
90	1984	At the Football Match (version 2)	978-0216913707
91	1984	Playing Rhymes	978-0216915435
92	1984	Tell the Time	978-0216915817
93	1984	Visit the Police Station	978-0216913684
94	1984	Word Book	978-0216915824
95	1985	At the Bank	978-0216918108
96	1985	Farm Day (Shape Book)	978-0216917217
97	1985	Motorway Games	978-0216917064
98	1985	On the Move (Shape Book)	978-0216917231
99	1985	Ride Their Bikes	0-216-91815-4
100	1985	And the Babysitter	978-0216917040
101	1985	At the Supermarket	978-0216913677
102	1985	In the Gym	978-0216918139
103	1986	At the Post Office	978-0216919402
104	1986	At the Safari Park	978-0216919341
105	1986	Coach Journey	978-0216919365
106	1986	Learn to Horse Ride	978-0216919389
107	1986	New Shoes	0-216-91365-9
108	1986	Monday Book (version 3)	978-0216920408
109	1986	Tuesday Book (version 3)	978-0216920422
110	1986	Wednesday Book (version 3)	978-0216920446
111	1986	Thursday Book (version 3)	978-0216886605
112	1986	Friday Book (version 3)	978-0216920491
113	1986	Saturday Book (version 3)	978-0216920507
114	1986	Sunday Book (version 3)	978-0216920385
115	1986	Can Help Birds	978-0216911765
116	1987	At the Biscuit Factory	978-0216923119
117	1987	At the Farmyard	978-0216923171
118	1987	At the TV Studio	978-0216923133
119	1987	Stay with a Friend	978-0216923164
120	-	Seven Days with Topsy and Tim - Gift Pack	-
121	-	Topsy and Tim's Animal Friends - Gift Pack	-
122	-	Going Places with Topsy and Tim - Gift Pack	0-216-91170-2

Second Generation: 1990-2007

The second generation of Topsy and Tim stories, with illustrations drafted by Jean Adamson and coloured by professional artists.

#	Date	Title	ISBN-13	ISBN-10
1	1990	At the Supermarket (Version 2)	978-0216928572	216928575
2	1992	At the Wedding (Version 2)	978-0216928497	216928494
3	1992	Go in an Aeroplane (Version 2)	978-0216924666	216924669
4	1992	Go on a Train (Version 2)	978-0216928558	216928559
5	1992	Go to School	978-0216924680	216924685
6	1992	Have Horse Riding Lessons	9780216926004	216926009
7	1992	Meet the Babysitter	978-0216925939	216925932
8	1992	Ride Their Bikes (Version 2)	978-0216931343	216931347
9	1992	Small Pets (Version 2)	978-0216928435	216928435
10	1992	Stay with a Friend (Version 2)	978-0216931329	216931320
11	1993	At Granny and Grandpa's	978-0216940543	216940540
12	1993	Go Camping (Version 2)	978-0216940437	216940435
13	1993	At the School Fair	978-0216940529	216940524
14	1995	At the Gym Club	978-0216941694	216941695
15	1995	First French Words - Premiers Mots Anglais	978-0216940925	216940923
16	1995	Meet the Dinosaurs (Version 2)	978-0216941663	216941660
17	1996	And the Bully	9780140559545	014055954X
18	1996	and The New Baby	9780140559156	140559159
19	1996	And the New Puppy (Version 2)	978-0140559378	014055937X
20	1996	Go to the Park	978-0140559279	140559272
21	1996	Meet the Ambulance Crew	9780721428604	721428606
22	1996	Meet the Dentist (Version 2)	978-0140559248	140559248
23	1996	Can Help Birds	978-0216911765	216911761
24	1997	and their New School Friend	978-0140561845	140561846
25	1997	Go in an Aeroplane (Version 3)	978-0721428543	721428541
26	1997	Go On Holiday (Version 3)	9780216924666	216924669
27	1997	Have Their Eyes Tested (Version 2)	9780140559163	140559167
28	1998	Go on a Train (Version 3)	978-1409310648	1409310647
29	1998	Start School (Version 2)	9780721428413	072142841X
30	1999	A Special Visit	978-0721420417	721420419
31	1999	And The New Baby (Version 2)	978-0721428512	721428517
32	1999	At the Farm (Version 3)	9780721428468	721428460
33	1999	Buckets and Spades	978-0721420424	721420427
34	1999	Can Look After Their Pets (Version 3)	978-0721428529	721428525
35	1999	First School Stories	978-0721497877	072149787X
36	1999	Go to Hospital (Version 2)	978-0721428536	721428533
37	1999	Go to the Dentist (Version 3)	978-0721428567	721428568
38	1999	Go to the Doctor (Version 2)	978-0721428598	721428592
39	1999	Go to the Park (Version 2)	978-0721428475	721428479
40	1999	Go to the Zoo (Version 2)	978-0721428451	721428452
41	1999	Growing Up Stories	978-0721497853	721497853
42	1999	Have a Birthday Party	978-0721428499	721428495
43	1999	Learn to Swim (Version 3)	978-0721428420	721428428
44	1999	Little Lost Rabbit (Version 1)	978-0721419336	072141933X
45	1999	Little Shoppers (Version 3)	978-0721420448	721420443
46	1999	Meet the Ambulance Crew (Version 1)	978-0721428604	721428606
47	1999	Meet the Police	978-0721428581	721428584
48	1999	Old Shoes New Shoes (Version 2)	978-0721420431	721420435
49	1999	Red Boots Yellow Boots	978-0721419329	721419321
50	1999	The Big Surprise	978-0721419343	721419348
51	2000	Word Book	978-0721422176	721422179
52	2000	Go Out and About	-	216927919
53	2001	Learn ABC (Version 2)	978-0721423715	072142371X
54	2001	Learn About Time (Version 2)	978-0721423722	721423728
55	2001	Learn Opposites	978-0721423739	721423736
56	2001	Learn to Count (Version 2)	978-0721423708	721423701
57	2003	At the Farm (Version 4)	978-1904351207	1904351204
58	2003	Go to the Dentist (Version 4)	978-1904351276	1904351271
59	2003	Go to the Doctor (Version 3)	978-1904351290	1904351298
60	2003	Go to the Park (Version 3)	978-1904351221	1904351220
61	2003	Go to the Zoo (Version 3)	978-1904351214	1904351212
62	2003	Learn to Swim (Version 4)	978-1904351184	1904351182
63	2003	Look After Their Pets (Version 4)	978-1904351238	1904351239
64	2003	Meet the Firefighters (Version 2)	9781904351313	190435131X
65	2003	Meet the Police (Version 3)	9781904351306	1904351301
66	2003	Start School (Version 3)	9781904351191	1904351190
67	2003	The New Baby (Version 3)	978-1904351252	1904351255
68	2004	Busy Builders	9781844223121	1844223124
69	2004	Little Lost Rabbit (Version 2)	978-1844223145	1844223140
70	2004	Red Boots Yellow Boots (Version 2)	978-1844223114	1844223116
71	2004	The Big Surprise (Version 2)	978-1844223138	1844223132
72	2005	Have Itchy Heads	9781844225811	184422581X
73	2005	Help a Friend	9781844225828	1844225828
74	2005	Little ABC Library	-	-
75	2006	Have Chickenpox	978-1846461446	1846461448
76	2006	New Lunchboxes	978-1846461415	1846461413
77	2007	Go Camping (Version 3)	9781846465833	1846465834
78	2007	Go on a Train (Version 3)	9781846465840	1846465842

Third Generation: 2009-Ongoing

The third Generation of Topsy and Tim books, based on the original stories by Jean and Gareth Adamson, with modernised illustrations by Belinda Wolseley.

#	Date	Title	ISBN-13	ISBN-10
1	2009	Go on an Aeroplane (version 4)	978-1409300571	1409300579
2	2009	Go to the Zoo (version 4)	978-1409300847	9781409300847
3	2009	Have a Birthday Party	978-1409300618	9781409300618
4	2009	Learn to Swim (version 5)	978-1409300601	1409300609
5	2009	Little ABC Library (version 4)	978-1409302261	1409302261
6	2009	Start School (version 4)	978-1409300830	9781409300830
7	2009	The New Baby (version 4)	978-1409300564	1409300560
8	2010	At the Farm (version 5)	978-1409303367	1409303365
9	2010	Go Camping (version 4)	978-1409303336	1409303330
10	2010	Go on a Train (version 5)	978-1409304241	9781409304241
11	2010	Go to Hospital (version 3)	978-1409304234	9781409304234
12	2010	Go to the Dentist	978-1409300588	9781409300588
13	2010	Go to the Doctor	978-1409303343	9781409303343
14	2010	Play Football (version 3)	978-1409303350	1409303357
15	2011	First Numbers	978-1409309253	1409309258
16	2011	First Writing	978-1409309246	140930924X
17	2011	Have Itchy Heads (version 2)	978-1409307204	1409307204
18	2011	Meet the Firefighters (version 3)	978-1409307211	9781409307211
19	2011	Meet the Police (version 4)	978-1409308836	9781409308836
20	2011	Safety First	978-1409308829	9781409308829
21	2012	Visit London	978-1409309475	9781409309475
22	2013	Meet Father Christmas	978-1409311591	1409311597
23	2013	The Big Race	978-0723273851	9780723273851
24	2014	Go For Gold / Sports Day	9781409309468	1409309460
25	2015	First Numbers Sticker Counting Book	978-0723294634	723294631
26	2015	First Words	978-0723294658	723294658
27	2015	Help a Friend (version 2)	978-0723292593	723292590
28	2016	Our Day Clock (version 3)	978-0241196441	241196442
29	2017	Go on Holiday (version 3)	978-0241282557	241282551
30	2017	Have Their Eyes Tested (version 3)	978-0241282540	241282543
31	2019	Halloween Party	978-0241386163	241386160

Republished: 2020-Ongoing

Republications of the original Topsy and Tim stories, bringing back the classic gouache illustrations by Jean Adamson.

#	Date	Title	ISBN-13	ISBN-10
1	2020	On the Farm 60th Anniversary Edition	978-0241420461	241420466

References

Rigby, Nic (22 January 2003). "Relaunch for Topsy and Tim". BBC News.
Pauli, Michelle; Nylind, Linda; Wyse, Pascal (2 November 2010). "Jean Adamson: Living with Topsy and Tim". The Guardian.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Rigby, Nic (22 January 2003). "Relaunch for Topsy and Tim". BBC News.

[Guardian-2] Pauli, Michelle; Nylind, Linda; Wyse, Pascal (2 November 2010). "Jean Adamson: Living with Topsy and Tim". The Guardian.