Canadian comedy-drama The Beachcombers gets animated remake for 50th anniversary

The Beachcombers aired on CBC from 1972 until 1990

Classic Canadian comedy-drama series The Beachcombers is getting an animated remake as the show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Created by LS Strange and Marc Strange, The Beachcombers ran on Canada’s CBC for 18 seasons from 1972 until 1990. It is Canada’s second-longest running scripted TV series and one of the most successful Canadian shows of all time.

Industry veterans Nick Orchard, who worked on the original series, and Blair Peters have now teamed up to create an animated version of The Beachcombers. The pair plan to pitch the show to Canadian, US and European broadcasters next spring.

Orchard said: “The goal is to take all the best parts of the original series and build on them to tell stories with humour and heart, while tackling real issues the world faces today.”

Peters added: “Nick knows these characters inside and out and I look forward to working with him to create a funny, fresh new take on the series that can reach a younger, wider audience, including the US market, as did the wonderful Canadian-made series Schitt’s Creek.”

The original series followed a log salvager in British Columbia who travelled the coastline of Vancouver in a tugboat and hung out with his friends at a café called Molly’s Reach.

As well as the original Beachcombers, Orchard’s credits include UK soaps EastEnders (BBC One) and Brookside (Channel 4). For the past 30-plus years, as head of Soapbox Productions, he has produced series such as teen drama Northwood for CBC, and produced and directed documentaries and comedy series like Double Exposure for CTV and the Comedy Network.

Peters is a co-founder of Studio B Productions in Vancouver, which produced over 1,000 half-hours that were sold into more than 100 countries to the likes of Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Teletoon, YTV and the BBC.

After 20 years in business, Peters and co-founder Chris Bartleman sold the company in 2007 to DHX Media, which eventually rebranded as WildBrain.