BB3B was a British TV series first released in 2005. It was produced by Tell-Tale Productions and ran for a single series of 13 episodes.
The plot of the show centers on twin children, Lucy and Louie, who have gotten a new baby brother. However, they believe that their new baby brother, Billy Bob Third Baby, is a mind-controlling alien who wants to enslave the world. Each episode involves an event where they suspect Billy Bob of being an alien, which leads to them going on a wild adventure.
Tropes in this series:
- Alliterative Name: Billy Bob.
- Ambiguous Situation: Whilst the Every Episode Ending hints at the Sprogs being Real After All, this is never outright confirmed, and it's never confirmed if Billy Bob is indeed one of them like the twins think either.
- Amusement Park: "Space City", a space-themed amusement park which the twins wander through thinking that they were in an actual alien city.
- Art Shift: The art style shifts into a more sketchy style when the twins have their Once an Episode Imagine Spot.
- A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: We have the girl Lucy, the boy Louie, and the baby Billy Bob.
- Babysitter Friendship: Lucy and Louie are on good terms with Chubba, their babysitter. When he is fired in "Robanny", the twins attempt to get him back.
- Band Episode: "Chart Attack" has the twins, Chubba and several of the local kids form a band (Aliens On Toast) in response to what they think are the babies turning their parents' brains to mush. Although they get a cold reception from the parents, they're able to record a demo disc, send it to the local radio station and become smash hits.
- Couch Gag: Each episode begins with the postman delivering mail to the family, only for something odd to attack or disfigure him. The exact thing which does this is different in each episode.
- Delivery Stork: In “From Here to Maternity”, the twins ask their dad where babies come from (as they plan to stop more Sprogs from emerging) and he tells them babies are delivered by storks. The two proceed to capture a group of storks, before learning that the idea isn’t true.
- Dramatic Irony: The twins' parents saying that they're no trouble in the first episode as, unbeknownst to them, they're up to no good.
- Eskimos Aren't Real: Louie thinks love is "from a place in California".
- Every Episode Ending: Each episode would end with the plot tied up before zooming out to reveal a fleet of Sprogs heading to Earth.
- The Faceless: We never do see the face of Mr. Wienburger, with only a silhouette or the back of his head being seen.
- Girlish Pigtails: Lucy has them to distinguish her from Louie.
- Half-Identical Twins: The only physical difference between Lucy and Louie (aside from their clothes) is that Lucy has pigtails whilst Louie doesn't.
- Human Aliens: The Sprogs, if they do exist, are depicted as being indistinguishable from a normal human baby.
- Imagine Spot: The twins have these Once an Episode, usually involving an Art Shift and showing how they feel that Billy Bob has made things worse for them.
- Indy Escape: The twin’s grandmother at one point is seen escaping from a giant rolling rock whilst underground in “What Lies Beneath”.
- Line Boil: The outlines of the characters constantly wobble.
- Mistaken for Aliens: The entire plot of the series is basically Lucy and Loue thinking that their baby brother Billy Bob is an alien, even though he's actually a regular baby.
- Once an Episode: Bar the first episode, the band members of Bis would appear at some point (unbeknownst to the characters and usually in an odd location) playing a song relevant to the plot.
- The twins would also have an Imagine Spot, usually about how Billy Bob has made their lives worse.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Chubba's actual name is George, but no one really calls him that.
- "Pan from the Sky" Beginning: The opening begins with a shot of the planet Earth before cutting in further on a plane going from the UK to America with Lucy and Louie's grandmother on it.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title:
- "Starship Poopers" is a reference to Starship Troopers.
- "Reservoir Sprogs" is a reference to Reservoir Dogs.
- "From Here to Maternity" refers to From Here to Eternity.
- Scooby-Dooby Doors: Used when the kids take their grandmother whilst she is still on a hospital bed and runs away from the robots. However, the order of who is chasing who doesn't change.
- Shared Family Quirks: One episode features the twins’ Uncle Rich visiting. Their father proceeds to tell them that when he was a kid, he believed Rich was a mind-controlling alien.
- Shout-Out: When we first see Lucy and Louie in "Chart Attack" they are pretending that their cardboard tubes are Light Sabers. Later, they are seen attacking the Death Star in their Imagine Spot that episode.
- Super Not-Drowning Skills: Bis are somehow able to perform a song whilst in an aquarium tank in "Robanny".
- Talk Show Appearance: At one point, the twins are invited on to "The Way Past Bedtime Show" to discuss their hit single. The twins use this opportunity to try to explain that they think an alien invasion is due to occur and are kicked out as a result.
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: When Chubba is fired, the parents go through a series of these, including a circus performer, a lion tamer, a clown, and a woman dancing on a horse before they settle on the antagonist of the series (who's disguised as a woman).
- Theme Twin Naming: Lucy and Louie.
- Trademark Favourite Food: Pizza for Chubba.
