ITV snaps up ‘Badjelly’ in deal with WildBrain
Skwigly
WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has signed a deal to bring the witchy new animated kids’ series, Badjelly, to UK audiences with ITV, Britain’s largest commercial broadcaster and streamer.
Based on the beloved book, Badjelly the Witch: A Fairy Story, by renowned comedian Spike Milligan, and starring a stellar voice cast including Miriam Margolyes, Rhys Darby, Ava Diakhaby and rising star Malachi Hall, the series delivers a fresh take on this classic story for today’s kids, all while preserving the crazy humour, bizarre situations and quirky characters from the original tale. Badjelly is produced by New Zealand’s Mukpuddy Animation, the UK’s Cantilever Media and Canada’s Sphere Media.
We’re proud to be extending our fantastic kids’ offering with Badjelly, and we’re sure our younger viewers will love spending time with these great characters when the series launches on ITV this autumn.
-Darren Nartey (Senior Acquisitions Manager: Films & Kids, ITV)
ITV is the perfect partner to introduce—or reintroduce—the world of Badjelly to UK audiences. With a weird and wonderful story from comic genius Spike Milligan, beautiful animation from Mukpuddy, Cantilever and Sphere, and a powerhouse cast, Badjelly is an enchanting and hilarious series that ITV’s audiences are sure to fall in love with.
-Katie Wilson (VP Global Sales and Acquisitions, WildBrain)
Badjelly (Mukpuddy Animation/Cantilever Media/Sphere Media – image via WildBrain)
We’re delighted to partner with ITV to launch Badjelly in the UK. Spike Milligan’s legacy is a cherished part of British comedy, so it’s only right that the show finds its home here. This has been a dream project, with a team united by a vision to create funny, relatable, and visually stunning content that speaks to children in a meaningful way. We’re so proud to be part of it.
-Carys Rowan (Head of Creative, Cantilever Media/Producer, Badjelly)
Distributed globally by WildBrain (excluding ANZ), Badjelly (13 x 22’) tells the exciting and hilarious story of two curious kids whose future is in the balance after their beloved cow is cow-napped. Will they be made into boy/girl soup to rehydrate the desiccated has-been, Badjelly? Or will they enlist the help of a paranoid sausage-hatted tree goblin, a rusty metal lion, an inhumanly strong worm and an ex-banana mouse to defeat evil and win a bonus giant?
Commissioned by New Zealand’s TVNZ and WildBrain Television’s Family Channel in Canada, Badjelly is produced in association with Te Puna Kairangi Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund, NZ On Air and UK Global Screen Fund.