They want to hear Hey Duggee played on a Dean Dimebag spiky guitar with double kick-drum and somebody screaming into a microphone. Each seven-minute episode involves a bunch of animal children (a crocodile, octopus, hippo etc, all confusingly referred to as “squirrels”) spending time with Duggee, a kind of canine scout leader who heads up Squirrel Club. Most people get that he’s adopted, but I’m pleased we are posing that question, even if we don’t explicitly answer it on the show,” he says. It wrestles with some of life’s biggest philosophical questions, from the nature of existence to the meaning of art.

Duggee Blanket - Etsy UK Duggee Blanket - Etsy UK

Halfway through the first series, we realised that we had access to the entire BBC back catalogue, so we really went for it,” Orchard says. When the squirrels step out of the clubhouse, anything might happen – they might go on some psychedelic trip up the river to the heart of darkness or they might skip dreamily through waving corn. Armstrong fell in love with the voice he’d landed on, so much so that when there was a bit of pushback regarding whether or not it was the right fit for CBeebies, he said: fine, but they would have to recast it.Parents grappling with home schooling could turn to Science With Duggee on YouTube, which has now had 12. I think in the middle of all this fear, obfuscation, lack of trust and mixed to poor messaging, Hey Duggee is uncomplicated and feelgood,” says Landreth. The brightly coloured animation is creative, inclusive, joyous and ever so gently educational – and the ratings reflect that.

Hey Duggee Fleece Blanket - Hey Duggee Official Website

Whether it’s a road trip, a night under the stars, or a sleepover at a friend’s house, this blanket is the perfect companion for any adventure. Its songs have been played on Newsnight, fans include Orbital – and the show’s storylines ask the big questions about art and life. And he was thrilled when his mum – a voracious reader – mentioned that a fictional character in one of her books had shoved her kids in front of Hey Duggee.

I just think it’s a masterpiece, and I’m over the moon that I get to be in it,” says Armstrong, before adding with customary flourish: “Well done, squirrels! Duggee endeavours to award them a badge at the end of each show, once they’ve been shown the ropes of a particular subject: “Well done, squirrels! When she was talking affectionately to her grandchildren, she had a way of making her voice purr slightly; it was so warm and loving you could wrap it around you like a blanket.