Bejeezus and begorrah! Mr Sage and Mr Onion and their sister Shamrock are three of the daftest ‘oirish’ characters ever to have graced TV screens.

They first appeared on the second series of the BBC's Live and Kicking Saturday morning entertainment show in 1995. Their role was simply to titillate and titter in between segments of the live show. No star guest was big enough to outshine the sparkling trio with their nonsensical banter and patter. Other appearances have included Comic Relief and The Weakest Link. In 1998 Mr Sage and Mr Onion featured in a video release entitled “Bugmania!”

DWS designed and built the Leps, and they were performed and written by Don Austen, John Eccleston and Rebecca Nagan.

“The Leprechauns became one of Saturday Morning TV’s best known and successful puppet families in recent years. Although 300 years old, they are amazingly in touch with today’s kids. This is very much the result of their highly skilled design and operation.”

Chris Bellinger / Head of Children’s Entertainment, BBC Television 2001