Children’s internet use has reached record highs with those aged between 5 and 15 years old spending approximately 15 hours online each week. In contrast, the amount of time children spend only sitting to watch television just passes the 13 hour mark.
An RTS North West event at the Lowry Theatre, Salford at the end of October – “Children’s drama: from concept to screen” – looked at how the best shows are put together.
On the panel assembled for the event were the executive producer of The Worst Witch, Marcus Wilson; senior drama producer, CBBC Independents, Amy Buscombe; Lime Pictures drama chief Rebecca Hodgson; and Hank Zipzer producer Jim Poyser. The panel was chaired by head of CBBC production Helen Bullough.
The brothers, Paul and Barry, were interviewed on stage at Holy Trinity Church in Leeds by the author and light entertainment aficionado Louis Barfe.
The brothers’ father, Gene Patton, was a well-known Gang Show performer who had worked with a teenage Peter Sellers. Indeed, the brothers think that some of the characters later performed by the chameleon-like Sellers bore a striking resemblance to their father.
Robozuna will premiere on CITV early in 2018, before being made available on the SVoD service across the world.
The show follows 14-year-old Ariston and his robot sidekick Mangle as they battle evil robot centurions to free a nation from the tyrannical empire.
Steve Green, Executive Vice President of Kids Content and Distribution for ITV Studios Global Entertainment said the show combines "cinematic production values" with "warm and relatable characters and action-packed storylines, as well as a rich and diverse play pattern".
New episodes of Morph, from Aardman Animation, will premiere on the new Sky Kids app later this year, alongside shorter clips featuring the legendary character, designed to encourage children to have a go at making their own models and films.
The network is also in discussion with other producers to create kids’ versions of some its favourite shows.
The Sky Kids app, which launches this week, is designed to allow children easy and safe access to suitable content.
Start the week reviewing Sugar Films’ cash flow and trying to get my head around a new accounting software system. Any of my former CFOs will know that I wasn’t put on planet Earth to do this, but I plough on gamely.
One of the things I discover is that the BBC pitch system doesn’t tell you when a commissioner has been made redundant. So an idea that I thought must be getting lots of consideration has actually been languishing, lonely and unread, in a dead Dropbox on the BBC server. Note to self – don’t take it personally.
BT’s Antonia Barton promised that “the new BT TV app is much better all round – it is much easier to use and gives you great TV shows to enjoy when you are out and about. Plus there’s so much more content.”
All BT TV customers can download the BT TV app which includes a dedicated kids' section of streamed on demand and catch up shows including SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon and Doc McStuffins from Disney Junior.
