Daily from Sunday 8 July at 5pm
GRACE BESIDE ME is a 13 x 26-minute live action series for 8 – 12-year-olds that combines whimsy, adventure, comedy and drama. The series takes audiences on an emotional roller coaster ride, following Fuzzy, as she learns to accept her gift and understand the meaning of ‘grace’.
The ABC and Screen Australia are proud to announce a slate of new children’s programs that showcase local content, creativity and talent, across drama, comedy and animation.
The additional investment delivers on the ABC’s strategy of telling engaging and entertaining Australian stories for children. The ABC’s funding of Australian children’s content grew 39% in 2017-18, supporting emerging and established Australian talent for broadcast and digital audiences.
Leading the way is The InBESTigators, a new children’s comedy by the creators of the award-winning Little Lunch. The Gristmill production takes place in an Australian detective agency run by four eleven year olds, who manage to solve one thorny school or neighbourhood mystery after another. While every episode offers a compelling puzzle to crack, at its core the show is a character comedy with heart.
Live-action comedy is at the bouncing heart of Hardball, which showcases the diversity and vibrancy of life in suburban Australia. From creators Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds working on their first major series production, alongside Head of Kids, Catherine Nebauer at Northern Pictures, this series features fish-out-of-water Mikey and his misfit mates Salwa and Jerry. Their goal? To make Mikey the sweetest-bestest-acest handball champ that Western Sydney’s ever seen.
Lovers of surreal, laugh-out-loud animation will give full marks to 100% Wolf, a comedy series about Freddy Lupin, an 11-year-old boy set to turn into a werewolf, just like everyone else in his family. Things don’t go as planned when Freddy turns into an adorable poodle instead! Adapted from the popular Australian children’s novel, 100% Wolf is produced by Australian animation studio Flying Bark, along with Michael Bourchier and Barbara Stephen.
The Logie-nominated Mustangs FC will hit the field again for a second series about an all-girls soccer team. Produced by Amanda Higgs and Rachel Davis for Matchbox Pictures, the stellar Australian cast returns after finally beating their biggest rivals – but the new soccer season brings new challenges.
ABC Director of Entertainment and Specialist content David Anderson said: “The ABC is committed to telling funny, engaging and innovative Australian stories for children, created by some of our finest local creatives. These new programs deliver on the ABC’s strategy of focusing on high-quality and distinctive Australian content to inform, entertain and inspire children of all ages.
“Only the ABC offers so much extraordinary and relevant content across television and digital platforms, showcasing Australia’s amazing stories, settings and talent.”
Screen Australia Head of Production Sally Caplan said: “It’s vital that young Australians are able to see their country, their stories and hear their accent reflected on the screen, so we are incredibly proud to be working with the ABC on this significant slate of children’s programs.
“The characters in The InBESTigators, Mustangs FC, 100% Wolf and Hardball are distinctive and inclusive, and tell stories that are innovative and culturally significant. We have high hopes young viewers will connect with these tales and keep enjoying Australian content as they grow up.”
The InBESTigators blends the comic, tonal and stylistic DNA of Little Lunch with the great tradition of whodunnit. When Ezra Banks (11, aspiring entrepreneur), meets Maudie Miller (10, aspiring Columbo), he sees an opportunity to fill an obvious gap in the market: a detective agency run by children. Maudie and Ezra are joined by two other kids from grade five, Ava and Kyle. Ava brings the social skills and Kyle brings the athletic prowess. Each episode solves a mystery; clues are littered throughout, and the race is on to see if the audience can crack the case before Maudie.
Production credits: The InBestigators is a Gristmill production for ABC TV and Netflix.Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC. Financed with support from Film Victoria.
Producers: Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope.
Commissioning Broadcasters: ABC & Netflix.
Financing Partners: Screen Australia, Film Victoria and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF).
Runs for: 20 x 30 minute episodes on ABC ME and the ABC ME app.
International Distribution: ACTF. The InBESTigators will debut on Netflix outside of Australia/New Zealand.
Set in Western Sydney Hardball is a live action comedy series that follows fish-out-of-water Mikey and his two misfit mates, Salwa and Jerry. Their goal? Make Mikey the sweetest-bestest-acest handball champ Western Sydney’s ever seen. He’s got the most powerful strike in the world, if only he could make the ball land in the right suburb!
Production credits: A Northern Pictures production for ABC TV. Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC TV. Financed with support from Create NSW.
Creators: Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds.
Producers: Catherine Nebauer and Joe Weatherstone.
Financing Partners: Screen Australia, Create NSW and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), Northern Pictures.
Runs for: 13 x 26 minute episodes on ABC ME and the ABC ME app.
Freddy Lupin would be just like any other ordinary eleven-year-old boy… except he is neither ordinary nor simply ‘a boy’. He is eleven though… and also a werewolf! Or will be. On the night of his very first transformation, Freddy is set to turn into a strong and brave wolf like everyone in his family before him, but… shock horror! Freddy turns into an adorable POODLE!
Production credits: A Flying Bark production for ABC (Australia) and Super RTL (Germany) with international rights and distribution through Studio 100. Principal production investment from Screen Australia. Financed with support from Screen West and Create NSW.Producers: Michael Bourchier & Barbara Stephen.Commissioning Broadcasters: ABC and Super RTL (Germany).
Funding Partners: Screen Australia, Screenwest, and Create NSW.
Runs for: 26 x 22 minute episodes on ABC ME and the ABC ME app.
Season 2 brings more complex relatable stories about real young women and their friendships, challenges and triumphs. There’s more of the Mustangs’ signature humour and heart, wrapped round stories about bullying, body image, sexuality, and the politics of moon cups, menstruation and mansplaining.
After getting to the finals last year but missing out on actually raising the trophy, the Mustangs are pumped and ready to get back in the game. Problem is – there’s a Ruby shaped hole in the team since she defected to the Wildcats, and it’s wobbling everyone. The girls don’t even know if they can win a single match without her, never mind the league cup.
Production credits: A Matchbox Productions production for ABC TV.
Principal production investment from ABC in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from Film Victoria.
Producers: Amanda Higgs and Rachel Davis.
Financing Partners: Screen Australia, Film Victoria and NBCUniversal.
Runs for: 13 x 24 minute episodes on ABC ME and the ABC ME app.
From Wednesday 25 July at 4:30pm
Showcases a group of dynamic young people from three diverse classrooms across Australia who are on a mission to transform their schools from being eco wastelands to waste-wise wonderlands.
Advice to My 12-Year-Old Self: Indigenous Australians share their thoughts on the theme “Because of Her, We Can!” and celebrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have impacted their lives. ABC ME app/iview from 8 July.
Little J and Big Cuz: Little J and Big Cuz are two Indigenous Australian kids finding out about culture, community and culture, in this Logie Award-winning series. Broadcast daily from 8 July at 4pm.
News to Me: Indigenous actor Kamil Ellis hosts the weekly wrap up of good news and reviews, plus an interview with Grace Beside Me star Kyliric Masella. ABC ME app/iview from 8 July or broadcast on 9 July at 9.30am.
Shame: Jaral struggles with being a 12-year-old girl while trying to learn Noongar language to honour her family and culture. ABC ME app/iview from 9 July.
Herald Sun reports today comedian Tommy Little is joining the cast of Mustangs FC, playing club manager Anton.
The ABC drama First Day has won the inaugural prize for outstanding children’s programming across all genres at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards.
The international awards celebrating diversity and inclusion were announced at the world’s biggest television market in Cannes on 16 October. ABC ME’s First Day was recognised for promoting understanding and acceptance of children who are transitioning, through the story of a transgender girl starting high school.
The character of Hannah is played by Evie Macdonald, a 12-year-old transgender girl in her first acting role – making First Day the only scripted drama with a transgender actor in the lead role to be commissioned for Australian television.
The program also won the prestigious Prix Jeunesse Gender Equity Prize in May, voted on by 550 children’s television experts from 65 countries.
ABC Children’s Head Libbie Doherty said: “The ABC is thrilled that our distinctive children’s content is making its mark all around the world. The MIPCOM Children’s Diversify Award for ABC ME’s First Day adds to the program’s already impressive list of gongs, including a Prix Jeunesse prize in May.
“Congratulations to writer/director Julie Kalceff and producer Kirsty Stark for their sensitive storytelling about the challenges and joys of a transgender teenager. Evie Macdonald’s debut performance is fantastic and it’s wonderful for her to receive this recognition on an international stage.”
First Day was produced by Epic Films and commissioned through an ABC and Screen Australia join initiative to celebrate International Day of the Girl.
ABC ME program Mardi Gras + Me , which follows a group of young people as they prepare to march in the 40th Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, was also nominated for a MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award.
The ABC has scored a brace of nominations for International Emmy Kids Awards with Mustangs FC and Secret Life Of Boys in line for one of the world’s pre-eminent prizes for excellence in children’s programming.
This week’s announcement by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognises outstanding children’s programs across 13 countries – with the ABC receiving the only nominations from Australia.
ABC ME’s Mustangs FC , a goal-kicking comedy-drama about an all-girls soccer team, received an International Emmys nomination for Best Kids Series. The second series of ABC ME’s Secret Life Of Boys , about an Australian girl’s adventures in England, was nominated in the Best Kids Digital category.
Mustangs FC, the second series of which is in production, is produced by Matchbox Pictures for ABC ME, with the support of Screen Australia and Film Victoria. Secret Life of Boys is a Zodiak Kids production for ABC ME and Britain’s CBBC.
ABC Children’s Head Libbie Doherty said: “ABC ME leads the way in telling engaging stories that reflect the true diversity and colour of the world in which children live. The spectacular work for tweens in Mustangs FC and Secret Life Of Boys exemplifies our dedication to programs that entertain, surprise and challenge younger audiences.
“We are thrilled to receive two International Emmy Kids Awards nominations and thank everyone involved in bringing these distinctive programs to screen, across the ABC, Matchbox Pictures, Zodiak Kids and CBBC.”
Bruce Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, said: “The geographic spread and wealth of topics addressed in this year’s nominated programs attests to the vibrancy and quality of children’s television throughout the world. We congratulate the nominees for their outstanding talent and for setting a high bar for young viewers worldwide.”
The winners of the awards will be announced on 9 April 2019.
ABC ME has made its mark on the international stage by bagging three BAFTA award nominations celebrating the world’s best programs for young audiences.
The finalists for the 2018 British Academy Children’s Awards feature ABC ME series Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising (nominated for the International Live Action Award) and underwater adventure The Deep (International Animation Award). ABC ME enhanced acquisition So Awkward is a contender for Best Comedy program.
ABC Children’s Head Libbie Doherty said: “Congratulations to the teams behind Nowhere Boys, The Deep and So Awkward for setting the high-water mark for quality and distinctive programming that resonates with primary school-age children around the world.
“ABC ME reflects and celebrates the diverse lives, interests and joys of children across genres such as drama, animation and comedy. The BAFTA award nominations continue a golden run of recognition for ABC Children’s content, including this month’s win by First Day at the MIPCOM Diversity TV Excellence Awards.”
The Emmy Award-winning drama Nowhere Boys is a Matchbox Pictures production for the ABC, with the support of Screen Australia and Film Victoria. The Deep is produced by A Stark Production and DHX Media for the ABC and Britain’s CBBC.
The winners of the BAFTA Children’s Awards will be announced on 25 November.
ABC Children’s awards and nominations this month include:
- First Day won the inaugural prize for outstanding children’s programming across all genres at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards.
- Two International Emmy Kids Awards nominations for Mustangs FC (Best Kids Series) and Secret Life of Boys (Best Kids Digital).
- Three nominations for the 2018 Screen Music Awards, with Grace Beside Me and The Justine Clarke Show in line for Best Original Song Composed for Screen and The Deep: The Missing for Best Music for Children’s Television.
- Four nominations for Best Children’s Television Program at the 2018 ATOM Awards, celebrating the best Australian and New Zealand screen content from the education sector and screen industry: A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl; Grace Beside Me; Teenage Boss; and the ABC Education animated series Minibeast Heroes.
ABC Children’s and Screen Australia have partnered on an exciting new funding program to showcase and amplify the work of Australian creatives and content makers with disability.
DisRupted will fund three to four individuals or teams to make a standalone film to reflect and capture what it’s like to be a young person with disability in Australia, and provide them with the opportunity to disrupt and reframe how disability is understood. The films will be broadcast on ABC ME on the International Day of People with Disability in 2019 for the 8 -12-year-old demographic.
Australian audiences will gain real insights into the lives and perspectives of young people with disability told by them as comedy, drama or documentary. DisRupted will be a defining moment for Australian young people with disability who will see stories reflecting their experiences brought to the screen and told from an authentic point of view by young actors with disability in a breakout role.
DisRupted will provide a career-changing opportunity for new and diverse talent in front and behind the camera. The authorship of each film is to be driven by a creative with disability as either Writer, Producer and/or Director.
The successful applicants will be given up to $100,000 each to create a film of approximately 20 minutes’ duration. They may be mentored and partnered by experienced producers, and receive editorial guidance from ABC Acting Head of Children’s, Libbie Doherty and Executive Producer, Amanda Isdale, and Screen Australia Head of Development, Nerida Moore and Development Executive, Ester Harding.
Libbie Doherty, ABC Acting Head of Children’s said: “People with disability have been underrepresented in media landscapes, and these important films will showcase a breadth of personal experiences and perspectives that will entertain kids, challenge their understanding and expand their minds. ABC Children’s is excited to be working with emerging creatives and filmmakers with disability, and to provide tangible career building opportunities.”
Nerida Moore, Head of Development at Screen Australia said: “ABC ME is doing phenomenal work providing young Australians with access to characters and stories that help them understand the range of people around them, and their different life experiences. The partnership between ABC ME and Screen Australia on the GIRLS initiative last year launched some great female talent, whilst giving viewers a truly authentic, Australian perspective on their lives. We are excited by what can be achieved with the DisRupted initiative.”
Applications open today, Wednesday 31st October, and the initiative is open to creators with disability aged 18 years and older. Applications close on Wednesday 12th December, 2018.
DisRupted is set to premiere on ABC ME, the ABC ME App and ABC iview in December 2019 as part of the International Day of People with Disability.
For more information, please visit the website – www.abc.net.au/disrupted
ABC has bought the rights to Japanese anime series Dragon Ball Super, which is sequel to Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball Super premiered on ABC ME on November with episodes 1 to 46. The show is also available on ABC ME app and iView.
Dragon Ball Z (also dubbed in English) aired on Ten on weekday mornings.
From Tuesday 1 January at 5:00pm Mon-Fri at 5pm 13 episodes
They got to the finals last season but missed out on raising the trophy, and now the Mustang girls are pumped and ready to get back in the game. But can they win the cup without Ruby? It’s all kicking off in Mustangs land!
Stand by Mustangs fans!! The new season is about to start and it’s all kicking off!Series 2 brings more complex relatable stories about real young women and their friendships, challenges and triumphs. There’s more of the Mustangs’ signature humour and heart, wrapped round stories about bullying, body image, sexuality, the politics of moon cups and menstruation and how to handle some serious over-spraying of boyoderant!
And of course there’s soccer to play! After getting to the finals last year but missing out on actually raising the trophy, the Mustangs are pumped and ready to get back in the game. Problem is – there’s a Ruby shaped hole in the team since she defected to the Wildcats, and it’s wobbling everyone. The girls don’t even know if they can win a single match without her, never mind a shiny silver trophy.
Time for some new players and a massive shake up of the team’s formation that means big changes for Marnie. Being captain of the Mustangs has been so important to her, but is dishing out all that advice and support starting to mean that her own game suffers? Liv has some major stuff to deal with, including a big little word Marnie kept from her last season, that has her questioning why she even started playing football in the first place. It’s time for Liv to follow her own dreams… if she can figure out what they actually are. Anusha’s relieved to get out on the field again and taste some independence, after a wellness-scheduled summer. And even Bella is raring to go now that her game has mysteriously improved a lot. Can their friendship stay on track when Bella starts to leave Nush behind and surprise herself by becoming a sporty girl?
At the Wildcats, Ruby has to face the fallout of her decision, as she struggles to find her feet with her hostile new team. Is there any way to be friends with the Mustangs again after that betrayal? Ruby and Lara have been hanging out in secret while Lara’s making it her mission to get Ruby back in with the crowd. Only trouble is, once that happens, Ruby and Lara won’t have their secret anymore… and the secret was kind of fun. Lara liked having Ruby to herself, and what are all these crazy, mixed up feelings that Lara even feels when she hangs out with Ruby? So. Many. Questions.
It’s time to buckle up people of Earth. Things are about to get interesting in Mustangs land!
So many scripted series starting in the middle of summer this year.
Nowhere Boys, Tidelands, Bloom and now Mustangs FC.
Mustangs FC season 2 starts New Year’s Day.
ABC ME and Nine are involved in the production of a new children’s animated series Space Nova, according to Mediaweek.
I think it’s the first time two FTA networks have worked together on a new show. I wonder which network gets to screen it first - Nine or ABC ME?
EDIT: article link added
I don’t think it’s the first time.
There have been a lot of co-productions like this in the past where they screen on Nine/Seven and then immediately follow on the ABC.
Are there any examples?
I’m trying to remember the last time this happened because I had the same question about where it would screen first.
There have been a few NITV/ABC co-production recently that have screened NITV then ABC.
But I’m struggling to remember the commercial ones. The problem is that Wikipedia or Australian Television Information Archive usually only list the channel the series first screened on, so it’s hard to find.
ABC has acquired a 30-minute animated special Zog, based on the children’s book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It premiered on BBC1 in the UK on Christmas Day last year.
New teenage drama Itch has begun filming in Albany, WA, for broadcast in 2020.
WATCH THE COMPLETE SERIES DURING ABC ME’s BEST FEST MONDAY APRIL 1, ABC ME APP
Daily at 4:30pm from Monday 22 April
When Mikey’s daddy (Daddy) scores a rugby league contract in Sydney with the Western Sydney Bullfrogs, he upends their lives in New Zealand and plonks them in Western Sydney. They move in with Mikey’s auntie (Auntie) who has the people skills of a toaster. To make matters worse, her home doubles as a mechanic’s workshop and Mikey has to sleep in the back of a panel van.
During lunchtime on his first day at a new school, Mikey discovers something completely unknown – handball. Where he’s from, rugby rules, but here handball’s where it’s at. Mikey doesn’t know it, but this game’s going to change his life.
Jerry, Mikey’s classmate and handball tragic, is convinced Mikey is a handball messiah, and the school’s only hope for SASI-WESTS-HAT – the inaugural Western Sydney handball tournament, which is weird since Mikey has the coordination of a baby zebra. Jerry does his best to get Mikey to play. Sure, Jerry’s got to bend the truth a little, but Mikey reluctantly jumps on board. Only problem is, Mikey can’t play for peanuts. So Jerry enlist Salwa, a handball master, to turn Mikey from zero to hero, in the quest to be the best in the west.
Production credits: 13 x 30mins. Created by Guy Edmonds, Matt Zeremes and Catherine Nebauer. Written by Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes. Series Producer Joe Weatherstone. Executive Produced for Northern Pictures Catherine Nebauer. Executive Produced for ACTF Bernadette O’Mahony. Executive Producer for ABC Jan Stradling.
Hardball is a Northern Pictures production for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Create NSW and Northern Pictures.
