German firm boards ADHD toon

WDR Mediagroup in Germany has partnered with Irish indie Kavaleer Productions to develop and distribute the latter’s action-comedy show Dougie Noir.

Aimed at 6-11s, the 52×11’ series follows the adventures of the eponymous eight-year-old hero who, despite having been born to a circus life, dreams of growing up to be the world’s greatest detective.

However, Dougie struggles to pay attention and focus on tasks, so details like gathering proof and finding evidence present annoying distractions.

The show was created by Dublin-based Kavaleer’s CEO Andrew Kavanagh, who wanted to provide the roughly 10% of children who suffer from some form of attention or hyperactivity disorder with a relatable character on TV.

“Dougie is by no means the first neurotypical character to feature in the detective genre – think Sherlock, Poirot, Monk, all the great detectives have an edge that society might stigmatise in some ways but, if channelled, can achieve incredible results,” said Kavanagh.

The series has an estimated budget of €4.5m (US$5.05m) and is scheduled to begin pre-production next summer.

Michael Loeb, CEO of Cologne-based WDR Mediagroup, added: “By joining a project at an early stage of the production process, we can not only lend financial support but also contribute to shaping the programme for global audiences as well as secure comprehensive rights for further distribution.”