On Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 3:15:01 AM UTC-5, A&E SUPERSTAR wrote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid= 5NWVK000YE4MXQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/14/niggle114.xml
An actor who played a character in an award-winning BBC children's
television show claims he was put in danger by being made to wear a
faulty suit for three months, an employment tribunal has heard.
Isaac Blake, 28, told the hearing he went to hospital twice and was
forced off work for a week after suffering injury while performing on
the CBBC show "In The Night Garden", which stars the character Iggle
Piggle.

In The Night Garden, starring Iggle Piggle, is aimed at babies and pre- school children
Mr Blake, who played a Tombliboo in the popular show, says he was
dismissed for complaining about the faulty Animatronic suit and also
claims he was discriminated against and verbally abused for being
homosexual.
He claims a colleague called him a "bitch" and a "faggot" but when he
made a formal complaint he was told to "shut up and get on with it".
The trained dancer, from Cardiff, began working on the show in March
2005 and had his contract terminated in July 2006.
At the tribunal in Birmingham, Mr Blake said production company Ragdoll Limited ignored his concerns about the faulty camera inside his suit,
which allowed him to see out while wearing a mask.
On one occasion in November 2005, Mr Blake says he was told to jump up
and down on a chair but feared for his safety when the camera cut out.
Mr Blake said: "When the camera failed I had no way of seeing where I
was going. I was concerned at the difficulty of acting in the suit when
I couldn't see anything.
"I told the production team my camera had cut out and they told me to
keep going. I said I didn't feel safe but they just told me to get on
with it."
After falling from the chair, Mr Blake suffered bruising and was signed
off from work for 24 hours.
In another incident in May 2006, Mr Blake says he suffered pelvic
injuries after being asked to lean over for long periods while wearing
the pink and brown bear suit. After visiting hospital he was signed off
work for a week with an injured pelvis.
Mr Blake added: "I do believe in my heart of hearts that if I didn't
mention anything about the suit or the verbal abuse, I would still be
working at Ragdoll now.
"I complained that the choreography caused me pain but I was told to
carry on regardless.
"It was fun being a teddy bear, it was a fun job. If I had just shut my
mouth and took the abuse, I would still be there."
In The Night Garden is a BBC children's television series, particularly
aimed at babies and preschool children, produced in 2005 by Ragdoll Productions.
It was created by Anne Wood CBE, Ragdoll's creative director, and Andrew Davenport, who also created the Teletubbies.
The company is also responsible for producing other children's classics
such as Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Brum and Badjelly the Witch.
The series was announced in October 2005 and twenty episodes were first broadcast in March 2007.
In November 2007 the show won the British Academy Children's Film and Television Award for Best-Pre School Live Action Programme.
It is narrated by Derek Jacobi and features a mix of actors in costumes, puppetry and computer animation.
The hearing continues.
--
Rob Cypher bal...@aol.com
robcypher.livejournal.com
YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

Rosie and Jim did it! They like to ruin people's lives!

BUMP FOR EVERYONE TO READ AND UNDERSTAND!!!!!

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