CBeebies commissions six preschool series

On top of three in-house CBeebies productions in the pipeline, the order includes new series from Darrall Macqueen, Terrific Television and Maramedia, as well as re-ups for Pablo and Apple Tree House (pictured).
June 30, 2017

Accompanying CBBC’s recent raft of commissions, fellow BBC Children’s channel CBeebies has announced its own round of orders that include re-ups for Pablo and Apple Tree House (pictured).

The commissions include Waffle The Wonder Dog from Topsy & Tim producer Darrall Macqueen, My World Kitchen from London’s Terrific Television, and Maramedia’s Gudrun The Viking Princess. Three CBeebies in-house productions—Feeling Better, Biggleton, and a new CBeebies Christmas Show—round off the incoming productions.

New 30 x 11-minute comedy drama Waffle The Wonder Dog follows the heartwarming and chaotic adventures of the world’s worst puppy, who enters and changes the lives of a newly blended family. The series is created by Billy Macqueen, Catherine Williams and Maddy Darrall, with Fiona Robinson producing for Darrall Macqueen and Anne Gilchrist and Michael Towner executive producing for CBeebies.

For factual entertainment, 30 x 11-minute My World Kitchen is a child-driven cooking show featuring recipes kids can make from scratch and information about the origins of food. Julia Bond is executive producing for CBeebies.

Gudrun The Viking Princess, meanwhile, is a 20 x five-minute docu-drama that incorporates a diverse group of Viking history characters with wildlife and landscapes. The program will also be supported by commissioned digital content.

As for the new in-house series, 25 x 15-minute Feeling Better uses a mix of songs, stories, puppet characters and animation to help preschoolers recognize, acknowledge and deal with a broad range of positive and negative emotions. The show is produced by CBeebies’ production team in Scotland with executive producer Sara Harkins.

Back in England, the pubcaster’s in-house Salford team is behind 25 x 11-minute live-actioner Biggleton, a show in which kids role-play different jobs, use their imaginations and learn what it means to be part of a community. CBeebies production head Alison Stewart is helming the program, with Tony Reed executive producing and Anna Perowne as series producer.

CBeebies will also produce its annual Christmas Show. This year’s version will re-imagine Hans Christian Andersen’s classic winter tale, The Snow Queen, and will be staged at Leicester’s The Curve Theatre.

Looking at recommissions, second seasons of autism-based Pablo and drama Apple Tree House have both been ordered. The first season of Pablo, a live-action/animation hybrid produced by Belfast-based Paper Owl Films and Dublin’s Kavaleer, is set to air later this year.

Apple Tree House, meanwhile, is a 30-part dramatic series from the producers of Rastamouse that follows the lives of two children living in a vibrant inner-city estate. CBeebies controller Kay Benbow commissioned season one a year ago today.

About The Author
Jeremy is the Features Editor of Kidscreen specializing in the content production, broadcasting and distribution aspects of the global children's entertainment industry. Contact Jeremy at jdickson@brunico.com.

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