New York throws a party for the Teletubbies

It is some time since four cuddly British icons of international popular culture last took America by storm, but the Beatles are about to be upstaged.

This week the Teletubbies will be given the keys to New York by the city's mayor. The ceremony is one of the first celebrations organised to mark the 10th anniversary of a children's show that has become one of history's most successful global television phenomena. And after a decade in strict media purdah, the four actors who play the Teletubbies - Dipsy, Laa Laa, Tinky Winky and Po - will reveal themselves.



In recognition of a programme that is still watched by about a billion children worldwide and has generated £120m in merchandise and overseas sales for the BBC's commercial arm, the portly quartet will make personal appearances at the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station and the Statue of Liberty, before the performers inside the colourful suits are publicly revealed and interviewed for the first time on NBC's Today show.

The unveiling will take place on Wednesday, a day that has been been officially designated Teletubbies Day in Manhattan.