Hit pre-school show, Baby Jake – produced by award-winning UK kids TV indie Darrall Macqueen [1] – has been picked up by Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. The broadcaster has picked up both series one (26x11’) and two (26x11’) of the popular show in a deal brokered by BBC Worldwide.
Baby Jake mixes live action and 2D photographic animation to bring to life the magical adventures of a baby called Jake and combines gentle, enchanting storytelling, carefully crafted humour and the colourful imagination of a young child.
Baby Jake, the youngest of 10 children, lives in a windmill where he’s a much-loved, cute, happy gurgling boy. His six-year-old brother Isaac is the series narrator who can understand all Baby Jake’s giggles and gurgles and opens the door to an imaginary world where Baby Jake sings, dances and baby-talks with his animal friends Pengy Quin, Sydney the Monkey, Nibbles the Rabbit and the Hamsternauts.
Billy Macqueen, Joint Managing Director and Executive Producer of Baby Jake, Darrall Macqueen says: “We are thrilled that series one and two of Baby Jake have been picked up by Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. The show’s celebration of the warmth and fun of family life has connected with pre-school children and parents globally. We hope the gentle storytelling and fresh visual style of the series will allow the magic of Baby Jake to keep on travelling around the world.”
Nathan Waddington, Children's Genre Manager, Sales and Distribution, BBC Worldwide adds: “Baby Jake continues to surprise and enchant families all over the world so we are delighted Al Jazeera Children’s Channel has acquired both seasons of this funny and heart-warming series.”
This news builds on the continued growth of Baby Jake which is now in its second series on CBeebies, with brand new episodes premiering daily. Since launching on CBeebies in 2011, the show has proven to be a ratings hit on CBeebies, and has already travelled to Kazakhstan, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Israel, Australia, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Its popularity has also led to a raft of licensing deals across toys, publishing and home entertainment.
Baby Jake is a Darrall Macqueen production in association with JAM Media. It was originally commissioned by Kay Benbow for CBeebies in the UK. It is produced by Maddy Darrall and executive produced by Billy Macqueen for Darrall Macqueen and Catherine McAllister for CBeebies. The animation director is JAM Media’s Alan Shannon.
BBC Worldwide holds the global channel and merchandising rights for Baby Jake, and manages the distribution of the programme in all international markets, excluding North America and Ireland.
Source: Darrall Macqueen
Links:
[1] http://www.darrallmacqueen.com/