Programming Profile

As BBC Studios Kids & Family continues to forge new partnerships and develop global franchises, managing director Cecilia Persson shares the results of the division’s work and the slate that her team is bringing to Mipcom.

Two and a half years on from the launch of BBC Studios (BBCS) Kids & Family, Cecilia Persson is proud of what her team has achieved.

When the BBC’s former in-house children’s production team combined with the commercial expertise of BBCS, the new division’s aim was to scale up the BBC’s ambitions by increasing the reach of in-house hits and working with independent production and broadcast partners to develop global brands.

“Coming into the market when there is a bit of a slowdown is trickier and it wasn’t quite what we’d envisaged, but being new also helped us in the sense that people were curious,” Persson says. “And being able to work with partners in different ways, including consumer products and digital for example, as well as production, really benefited us.”

The division’s content strategy has been firmly based on high-end animation and scripted live-action, says Persson, as they continue to be the most two in-demand programme areas, along with cross generational viewing.

Our strategy is to have a mix of known and new IP. There is definitely a need for new content – for new ideas and originality to come through. The audience expects it,” she says.

“Bringing new characters and new stories or a new angle to a story is what brings audiences in and then they start to understand what that platform is about and what to expect. They want to be excited and create habits and interactions, so that’s something that’s very important for us.

“We work with our partners to find ways of reaching audiences with storytelling that will connect. By supporting them through content strategy and marketing solutions and so on, we are part of the journey that takes the very best content to global audiences.”

The demand for shows that can be co-viewed in a family environment continues, she says: “Co-viewing is really important. Bluey is a stand-out hit when it comes to shared family viewing. The global success of the extended episode, The Sign, broke viewing records earlier this year. It is testament to the power of co-viewing and it’s an area that is opening up opportunities for us with partners.”

Among the highlights on its slate for Mipcom is feature-length family drama, The Primrose Railway Children. The script, written by Tom Bidwell, has been adapted from Dame Jacqueline Wilson’s book of the same name. The 2022 book was, in turn, inspired by E Nesbit’s The Railway Children, first published as a novel in 1906 and leading to the classic 1970 movie adaptation starring Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins.

Wilson’s novel and the new TV adaptation bring the story into the present. “We previously worked with Tom Bidwell on award-winning miniseries Katy,” says Persson, referring to the show based on Wilson’s modern-day retelling of What Katy Did. “Pairing the two of them up again is really exciting.”

Persson was on set during filming of The Primrose Railway Children. “Seeing the amazing heritage steam trains against the vista of the Scottish Highlands was cinematically beautiful. But what really blew me away was the cast, especially the kids, who are exceptional. It was great to see them in action,” she says.

“We also secured Kevin McKidd [Grey’s Anatomy] to work with us as the father. I’m a huge fan, so having Dr Owen Hunt on set when I visited was a special experience.”

Persson’s team is also bringing season two of animated, action-packed superhero series Supertato to market. The show, launched at Mipcom 2022, was something of a departure for the studio, says Persson. “It’s more bridge-preschool and action-filled. Many of our shows have great humour but in this one, the physical and visual are very much leading the slapstick humour.

“The ratings for the show are so strong that it was one of the fastest greenlights we’ve had and we are in production already. It saw the biggest audience numbers at launch in the UK for a CBeebies show when it first aired and continues to be a top three performer for children 0-6. It also airs on RTÉ in Ireland and on ABC in Australia as well as CBeebies global channels. On its official YouTube channel, Supertato has accrued 19.7 million views and 55,800 subscribers since its launch in September 2022.

Supertato, which is a copro between BBC Studios and BBC Children’s & Education, is a personal favourite of Persson’s. “In season two, we’re bringing in more new vegetables, including a stunt Jalapeño chilli and a naughty pirate, Captain Pak Choi. The joy you can bring out of things that are part of your daily life continually surprises me. When kids watch it, they love how silly and fun that can be,” she says.

Also on the Mipcom slate is season five of Hey Duggee. With the show coming up to 10 years – and the new series including the 200th episode – there’s also a spin-off, Hey Duggee’s Squirrel Club.

“Studio AKA is an amazing partner and the creator, Grant Orchard, developed the most incredible characters, including obviously Duggee himself,” says Persson.

“Hey Duggee’s Squirrel Club puts kids more in the action as they can feel first-hand how it is to be a squirrel and part of the club. It’s done in a more modular format with different storytelling that you can mix and match to make the episodes feel different.

“From a partnership perspective and working with different broadcasters and platforms, it really helps them to refresh what they’re doing for their audiences. As a viewer, with Hey Duggee’s Squirrel Club you can focus more on your favourite characters, so it’s a really good way to bring the brand along to new audiences in a different way.”

Another good example of working with partners, says Persson, is My Friend Maisy, a toon based on the Maisy book series by Lucy Cousins.

“This is a coproduction with Trustbridge Entertainment. Its president Bob Higgins and I used to work together, and we have very similar creative aspirations. Lucy Cousins’ characters are timeless in their joy and beauty, and we are adding a modern twist as audiences will see Maisy like never before.

“For the first time, Maisy and friends will be talking, singing and interacting with the audience in more than just a visual way. It’s got lots of surprising moments, so it really speaks to the preschooler. The things that happen to them in their dreams and in their imagination come to life in this show.”

Persson is delighted that BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions received another season order of The Dumping Ground this year, the continuation of Tracy Beaker Returns. “For that, we’re working again with the formidable [author] Jacqueline Wilson. We are currently filming series 13, the show is going from strength to strength and some of the cast in recent seasons are definitely going to be tomorrow’s stars.”

Another show that is continuing is Andy’s Amazing Adventures. “We’re producing that with the Natural History Unit within BBC Studios and that’s been performing well year in, year out, as each series builds on the last,” says Persson.

“It’s got great humour and storytelling and obviously amazing footage from the Natural History Unit. It connects so well with the audience and really delivers on being both entertaining and artfully educational. We are also taking a new series of Deadly 60 made by the Natural History Unit to market with the amazing Steve Backshall as he continues his mission to meet more of the planet’s deadliest creatures.”

Looking ahead, BBCS Kids & Family has just started working on its first projects with award-winning development and production studio Blink Industries. “We closed the deal prior to Annecy so it’s still early days but we’ve got a development arrangement with them and we’ll be teasing that at Mipcom,” says Persson.

Over the past two plus years, Persson has seen her development team become more comfortable with talking to a broader selection of potential partners. “We’re looking into the youngest adult space, which we hadn’t done to a great extent before,” she says.

“We have a great development coming through about the early years of a famous author – following their adventures from teenage into early adulthood years. We’re also working on a coming-of-age story, which is exciting for the team, and we’ll also be talking to clients at Mipcom about Anisha Accidental Detective. We’re thrilled to be working with Emmy-winning actor Archie Panjabi as executive producer on developing this comedy mystery show, which is based on the hugely popular book series of the same name by Serena Patel.”

April 2022 may not have been the easiest time to launch a new division, but Persson says: “We now have a well-rounded team that has really risen to the challenge and we are very happy with the results and excited for the future.”