Twelve years after they first hit our screens, the Teletubbies are back, and heading for the Black Country.

Older, but not necessarily wiser, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po follow in the footsteps of Take That, Spandau Ballet and The Nolans by reforming for an 11-date tour of the UK, and will be coming to the Merry Hill shopping centre on October 11.

The Tubbies, who topped the UK singles charts in December, 1997, are back with a new single, a digital dance remix of Follow My Leader, and bookmaker Paddy Power is offering odds of just 2-1 of the fun-loving foursome reaching No. 1 again.

Teletubbies Say Eh-oh! topped the charts for two weeks, before being knocked off its perch by The Spice Girls, and remained in the top 75 for 32 weeks, selling over a million copies.

It is eight years since the original Teletubbies cast of John Simmit, Simon Shelton, Pui Fan Lee and Nikky Smedley last performed together, and Nikky, who plays Laa-Laa, says they are all very excited about the reunion.

“It’s very positive for us to be back together,” she says. “We have all been doing other things as well, so we don’t see much of each other apart from this.”

Edgbaston-born John, who as well as his role as Dipsy, has forged a successful career as a stand-up comedian, says he is particularly looking forward to being back in the West Midlands.

“The Teletubbies was a TV show of course, but when I do my stand-up I always enjoy performing in the Midlands, where I always get a very good reaction.

The four appeared together in 365 episodes between 1997 and 2001, and they have been shown in 120 countries and translated into 45 languages.

“We were known all over the world, it was amazing,” says Pui.

The shows continue to be repeated, and have sold more than 33 million videos and DVD, but Simon says there is no chance of following The Beatles by launching a Teletubbies: Rock Band video game.

“I’m not sure about a game based on our music, but there is a lot of other stuff available,” he says.

The fun four have also released a new animated video of Follow My Leader, as well as a new album.

Paddy Power is also offering odds of 3-1on the Teletubbies becoming this year’s top selling Christmas toy, and 12-1 of the group beating this year’s X Factor winner to become the Christmas No. 1.

Pui now presents Show Me Show Me on the children’s TV channel CBeebies, and her play Short, Fat, Ugly and Chinese has won awards. She has also been in Bridget Jones – Edge of Reason and Mary Reilly.

Nikky was choreographer for Boohbah and the In the Night Garden team, and tours the country with her one-woman show, The Tell Woman, while Simon is a choreographer who has worked with David Hasselhoff and the Scissor Sisters.ÊÊ

Teletubbies topped The Spice Girls in one survey of the 10 most memorable things of the 1990s.

Here we put a few searching questions to the Tubbies.

What would you like to have been if you weren’t in the Teletubbies?

Dipsy: I would have been a brain surgeon.

Laa-Laa: I would have been Prime Minister. Or a butcher. I might still do that.

Do you think the Teletubbies would make good politicians? What would you like to do in government?

Laa Laa: No more lying

Dipsy: Lots of sunshine

This one is for Tinky Winky – what do you keep in your Magic Bag?

It can be anything you want.