Miss Hoolie's green Balamory house up for sale

The bright green cottage from children's television show Balamory has been put on the market on the Isle of Mull.

The Tobermory house became home to the Bafta-winning programme's main character - nursery teacher Miss Hoolie, played by Julie Wilson Nimmo.

Owner Matthew Spence, who has lived in the cottage for almost four decades, said he and his wife "fell" for Balamory after agreeing to allow their home to be part of the programme.

The house became part of children's television history and has seen "busloads" of preschool pilgrims wanting to visit the set in the colourful harbour town.

The programme - which was produced from 2002 to 2005 - became famous for its catchy theme tune, which began: "What's the story in Balamory, wouldn't you like to know?"

At its peak it attracted two million viewers a week in the UK and was watched by millions more around the world, becoming a hit with young audiences in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and South Africa.

Over 152 episodes, problems in the island community were worked out by eight main characters - the teacher, police officer, inventor, school bus driver, painter, fitness instructor and the two shopkeepers - sometimes with the help of celebrity guests.

As each of the main characters dressed in a colour matching their home, Miss Hollie was always in green outfits.

Filming for a new series began this year ahead of a 2026 reboot, with original stars Julie Wilson Nimmo (Miss Hoolie), Andrew Agnew (PC Plum), Kim Tserkezie (Penny Pocket) and Juliet Cadzow (Edie McCredie) included in the cast.

Miss Hoolie's famous green house is actually Beul An Atna – Gaelic for "Mouth of the Sea", a former bed and breakfast on West Street.

Although the building has had coats of paint in a few colours over the years, it was returned to green ahead of the filming this summer.

After 38 years, Mr Spence, who is now in his 80s, has put the traditional three-bedroom cottage on the market for offers over £225,000.

"I came to Mull from Glasgow when I was just 15," said Mr Spence, whose father was from Mull.

"At the time I thought it was the end of the world."

However, he said the island changed him and he eventually "fell in love with the place".

When someone came to his door asking if he and his wife would like the house to feature in a children's TV show, they did not hesitate.

"[She] said yes straight away", he recalled. "Anything to do with children - we had none ourselves – and we just fell for it."

When children wanted to engage with their favourite programme, his wife replied to all the letters sent to the green house.

"In summer, two busloads of children would park across the road every day," Mr Spence said. "She loved it.

"Even my wee dog loved it – the kids used to post sweets through the door. He turned from a Jack Russell into a wee barrel.

"Sometimes there'd be half a dozen kids in the house with their carers – it was a full house."

Mr Spence said it was great to see the actors back filming the latest series.

He said: "They came to the door and I had a big cuddle with PC Plum.

"I'll be sad to leave. Looking back, I get emotional. You never realise how much you collect until you start packing."

Estate agent Andrew Fuller, from Bell Ingram, said it was a "real pleasure to bring such a well-loved home to the market".

He said: "As a resident of Mull, I know just how iconic the green house is – it's part of the island's story.

"While it's bittersweet to see it change hands, this sale marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for a property that holds so many happy memories."

More than 40 episodes from the fourth series of Balamory are on BBC iPlayer, more than two decades after they were first aired on terrestrial TV.