PBS commissions new Clifford series

In the US, PBS has ordered 25 new half-hour episodes of Scholastic Entertainment's Clifford the Big Red Dog.

The series will air on the non-violent, non-commercial daily schedule PBS Kids.

The award-winning animated series, starring John Ritter as the voice of the crimson canine, launched last September on PBS Kids.

According to PBS, the series claimed the highest average rating among metered market households for any children's show debuting on PBS Kids in the last two years.

It is the #2-rated kids series (2-11) across all networks, according to Nielsen, and has received five Daytime Emmy nominations.

Based on the book series by Norman Bridwell and published by Scholastic, the half-hour TV series recounts the adventures of Clifford, his human friend Emily Elizabeth.

The show is produced by Scholastic Productions.