A Bafta winner who adapted Shakespeare’s As You Like It for CBeebies – starring Mr Tumble – is raising money for the charity Dementia Friendly Purbeck with special August bank holiday yoga sessions on Swanage Beach in Dorset.
Vanessa Neish, who now runs fitness classes in Swanage, is joining forces with Yoga on the Beach teacher Mark Anderson for sessions at 8 am and 9 am on Monday 25th August 2025 by Banjo Jetty to raise at least £300 for the local charity.
Justin Fletcher – also known as Mr Tumble – let his Shakespearian side out as Duke Senior, here with his horrible brother Duke Frederick (Forbes Masson)
Ran classes twice weekly for BBC stars
The two instructors are running two classes consisting of gentle stretching, yoga flow and balance work aimed at all ages and all abilities.
Vanessa, who was a creative director of preschool for CBeebies, has worked on a number of high profile children’s shows including Basil Brush, Mister Men and Little Misses, Peter Rabbit and Mr Tumble – whose alter ego, Justin Fletcher, lived in Purbeck for many years.
While she was at the BBC, she ran yoga classes twice a week for the stars and although she never managed to persuade Justin to join in, she did get him to stretch his acting ability at The Globe Theatre as Duke Senior in As You Like It.
Some of the cast of As You Like It, with William Shakespeare (Steven Kynman) centre
Villain is a property director
Shakespeare’s tale of family feuds and unlikely love is cut to 50 minutes for the CBeebies version, where the villain is a property developer and the Bard (played by Steven Kynman, the voice of Fireman Sam) pops up in person to explain what is going on.
But much of Shakespeare’s original verse remains and young children were enthralled by the performance, which is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
At the 2025 British Academy Film Awards – or Baftas – Death In Paradise actor Ben Miller presented the best scripted children’s programme award to the CBeebies team.
The team beat Horrible Histories in its category and shared the stage that night with other winners including Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders, Shogun and Mr Bates Vs the Post Office.
Bafta winner Vanessa Neish is now a fitness instructor in Swanage
“I now have six Baftas”
Vanessa Neish said:
“It was the first time that the children’s scripted award had been in the main Baftas and we won it! I was very proud – I now have six Baftas, but I’m very proud of that particular one!
“I finished up working for Sky Kids as an executive producer, but I was at the BBC for years as creative director of preschool for CBeebies, I did Something Special, an animation called Bitz and Bobs, Peter Rabbit, Mr Bloom, Show Me Show Me, Mr Tumble – I did all the Christmas shows, all the ballets, all the Shakespeares.
“Justin used to do the voice of Jake and Milo the dog in Tweenies and the voice of Shaun the Sheep, and lived just down the road between here and Lulworth. I used to look after him – he called me his TV wife, but my husband was OK with that!
“I never managed to get him to come to my yoga classes, but I did get Andy Day there while I was at the BBC, from Andy and the Odd Socks.”
Bright costumes, booing the villain and dancing sheep – but also a lot of Shakespeare’s original verse
“They laugh so much of the time!”
Vanessa added:
“Now I’m back to being a fitness instructor and a writer – when we moved here a couple of years ago I thought there was an opening to offer stretch and balance classes for the over 50s.
“I was going to give myself a year off, but St Aldhelm’s Court contacted me, looking for someone to do some chair based exercises and we have almost been doing that for six months now.
“I have been an instructor for over 30 years, I started when Jane Fonda was in vogue and we did step aerobics and legs, bums and tums – I’ve always taught exercise classes alongside my career in TV.
“I also teach a chair based class at the Studio in The Mowlem, with standing balances and gentle stretches for flexibility.
“I have people who are 95 who come to my classes, who use walkers, sticks and wheelchairs and I just adapt the class as much as I can for them. It improves their confidence and they laugh so much of the time!”
Mark Anderson has built his beach yoga group up to 250 people over summer
“We both have the same outlook on yoga”
Mark Anderson, who launched his beach yoga sessions in April 2025, now has about 250 people in his group, aged from 18 to 85, including 50 men.
Mark said:
“Vanessa and I first met when we applied for our licences to teach on the beach on the same day and stayed in touch. We both have the same outlook on yoga – balance, co-ordination and opening up the body, letting the breath in.
“We have both been really supported by other people on the beach – the sauna, the information centre, Carlos and his deck chairs, Joe and his Punch and Judy, the Sunday litter pickers, as well as The Mowlem, the Focus Centre and the town council.
“So we thought it would be good to do an end of summer celebration, to say thank you to our participants, thank you to Swanage for encouraging all of this, and also to raise funds for Dementia Friendly Purbeck.”
Bare feet on soft sands while raising money for Dementia Friendly Swanage
Bare feet on soft sands
Mark added:
“We are going to do a little Team Teach on August bank holiday Monday – two sessions of 45 minutes, at 8 am and 9 am, on the north side of Banjo Jetty.
“There will be bare feet on soft sands with no mats, facing out to sea in the early morning sunshine and we will do some gentle stretching, yoga flow and balance to set people up for the day.”
Mark has already raised £800 for AllSort’d and £800 for WillDoes from his daily classes and Vanessa is to donate all of her takings from classes in the bank holiday week to Dementia Friendly Purbeck.
Those interested in taking part will need to register their interest before Thursday 21st August 2025, as bookings will begin the following day and places are limited to 30 people per class with a minimum donation of £5 for charity.
Mark and Vanessa are hoping to fill both classes on the morning of August Bank Holiday Monday
Further information
- Get involved with Yoga on the Beach through its website
