This doesn’t make ANY sense.
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CHILDREN’S SERIES BEEP AND MORT STARTS PRODUCTION IN ADELAIDE
The ABC and Screen Australia are pleased to announce that production is underway on the charming and otherworldly preschool series, Beep and Mort. Produced by Windmill Pictures and distributed by ABC Commercial, this mixed media series for ABC Kids is also funded by the South Australian Film Corporation.
Based on Windmill Theatre Company’s award-winning theatre show, Beep, this new series tells the story of two best friends from different worlds, solving their daily dilemmas and unexpected challenges through invention, play and adventure. Beep and Mort explores the ways the organic and the technological can work together and, at its heart, is a series about empathy, community, and the enduring value of friendship.
Designed by Jonathon Oxlade, who worked with Beep and Mort 's director Rosemary Myers on the 2016 film Girl Asleep and several Windmill live shows including the recent stage adaptation of Bluey, Beep and Mort is written by an award-winning team featuring Charlotte Rose Hamlyn ( The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill ), Simon Butters ( H2O: Just Add Water ), Amy Stewart ( The Heights ) Hunter Page-Lochard (Cleverman), Wendy Hanna ( Love Child , Giggle and Hoot ) and Lorin Clarke ( Larry the Wonder Pup ).
Director, Rosemary Myers says, “Throughout the creative development of this series, we have drawn on our theatrical roots but also integrated new technologies. The result is a contemporary hybrid form of puppetry that blends hand and rod puppets with post animated object puppets. In a screen landscape dominated by animation, we want to create a textured, built world that children feel they can almost step into and walk around in.”
Head of ABC Children’s Content, Libbie Doherty says, “From the minute Windmill pitched the series to us, we immediately fell in love with these two new preschool stars- the unique and incredibly cute Beep and Mort. We are thrilled to be working in Adelaide with Kaye, Rose and the creative team who have created a beautifully warm and wholly original world, including a 6 metre high set! Designed for the youngest ABC audience this whimsical series will gently ignite their minds and warm their hearts.”
Screen Australia’s Head of Content , Sally Caplan said, “We’re proud to support this incredibly talented creative team, including Rosemary Myers’ first foray into television, bring this highly original project to life. Beep and Mort is a charming series exploring themes of self-discovery and the enduring value of friendship, and it is set to delight pre-schoolers and their families on ABC.”
Kate Croser , CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation says, “The SAFC is proud to support Windmill Pictures in producing their first TV series Beep and Mort , which will also be the first studio program for children made in South Australia for over a decade. With a majority South Australian cast and crew, this highly original new series will provide employment opportunities for South Australian specialist workers, and we’re particularly excited that the series will provide valuable first television credits for many of the key creative team, boosting the pool of credited South Australian writers, directors and producers.”
Beep and Mort will premiere on ABC Kids and ABC iview in late 2022.
Production Credit: Beep and Mort is a Windmill Pictures production for the ABC. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with support from the South Australian Film Corporation. ABC Commercial holds world distribution rights.
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Quite sad how quotas for children’s programs were dropped and local drama productions dropped 56%.
Quite sad, indeed. For the 2020/21 period, only 7 titles were made for Children’s scripted dramas (down from 14 titles in the previous year). 6 of the 7 shows were from the ABC, with 1 from Ten being Dive Club
As reported in today’s Herald Sun.
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According to The Australian, scrapping content quotas on free-to-air television has dramatically accelerated the shift in children’s viewing towards online streaming platforms. Australian Children’s Television Foundation’s latest annual report shows the 10 most popular children’s “channels” in the past year were almost exclusively streaming services, while the amount of first release Australian children’s programs broadcast on commercial FTA channels fell by more than half in 2021. The annual report says that in 2021, 77% of Australian children watched at least some content on Netflix and 69% watched on YouTube.
EDIT:
Ground-breaking NITV children’s series Barrumbi Kids premieres Friday 18 November at 7.30pm
Coming-of-age adventure of two friends growing up on Country
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is proud to announce the premiere of the brand new family and children’s series Barrumbi Kids, premiering Friday 18 November at 7.30pm (AEDT).
Barrumbi Kids stars Nick Bonson (13) and Caitlin Hordern (14) in their debut acting roles. Supporting cast members include one of Australia’s most accomplished and admired performers Justine Clarke (Play School, The Justine Clarke Show!), 2021 AACTA Award nominee Jacob Junior Nayinggul (High Ground), Frances Djulibing (Ten Canoes, Operation Buffalo), Adrienne Pickering (Rake, House of Bond), Christopher Sommers (The Water Diviner, Unfinished Sky), Sophie Emberson-Bain (Aquaman, Harrow, Neighbours), Finn Treacy (Ten Pound Poms), Serene Yunupingu (Mystery Road: Origin), Penelope Thomas, Stephen Mahy and Scott Hall.
Barrumbi Kids tells the rollicking, coming-of-age story of Tomias (Nick Bonson) and Dahlia (Caitlin Hordern) – two best friends growing up in a magical and remote Northern Territory community. The fast-paced, 10-episode drama is filled with action, humour and heart. Through fishing, dancing and schooling, the children learn about themselves, each other and living in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures.
This heart-warming series was filmed in Beswick (Wugularr), Barunga, Katherine and Bitter Springs on the lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman, Wardaman and Mangarrayi peoples in the Northern Territory.
Acting Head of Commissions NITV, Marissa McDowell, said: “We are thrilled to bring this series to homes across Australia. Barrumbi Kids is the first major Northern Territory children’s series to be produced in the Top End, making it an important story for all Australians. NITV continues to lead the way in representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on screen, and we are proud to have worked with so many talented people on this series to showcase the culture of local Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. An honourable mention to Kyas Hepworth, former NITV Head of Commissions, who was integral to bringing this flagship series to screens.”
Barrumbi Kids is co-produced by Danielle MacLean (True Colours, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, Grace Beside Me, Little J & Big Cuz, Redfern Now) of Tamarind Tree Pictures, Monica O’Brien (Muster Dogs and Drop Dead Weird) of Ambience Entertainment and Julia Morris (Finding Maawirrangga, Phenomenom), and is based on the popular book series by Territory author Leonie Norrington.
Danielle MacLean, Monica O’Brien and Julia Morris, producers of Barrumbi Kids, said: “We’re so excited to share Barrumbi Kids with the world and showcase the fabulous characters, country and culture. This series is full of Top End action – fireworks, million-dollar fish, snakes, corroboree, grass fires, imprisoned chooks and secret waterholes!”
ACTF Head of Content, Bernadette O’Mahony said: “Barrumbi Kids is a delight to watch, full of fun, action, colourful characters and spectacular scenery, giving audiences across Australia and the world a window into what it’s like to grow up in a remote Top End community. The adventures of Tomias and Dahlia will entertain the whole family.”
Barrumbi Kids is a Tamarind Tree Pictures and Ambience Entertainment production for NITV. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with NITV, Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), Screen Territory, Screen Queensland and Screen NSW.
Barrumbi Kids premieres on NITV on Fridays from 18 November at 7.30pm (AEDT).
The series will be available in full, to stream for free on SBS On Demand following the premiere and will be subtitled in Simplified Chinese, Arabic and three Indigenous languages: Northern Kriol, Yolngu Matha, and Torres Strait Creole.
Not surprising at all, never should have bumped the one hour weekday timeslot on the main channel. It was only going to go one way once they messed with it.
The weekend blocks could and were easily moved to multi-channels - that I agreed with and also made strategic sense.
Stephen Mahy and Caitlin Hordern appeared on Studio 10 this morning to talk about their roles in Barrumbi Kids.
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Entertainment Tonight interviewed The Wiggles’ John Pearce (Purple Wiggle) by Zoom after his Tik Tok videos went viral. The interview was crashed by OG Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle).
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Production begins on series inspired by AFL great Eddie Betts’ books Eddie’s Lil’ Homies
An animated television series inspired by the popular children’s books Eddie’s Lil’ Homies has commenced production in South Australia and Victoria and will air simultaneously on Netflix and National Indigenous Television (NITV).
Eddie’s Lil’ Homies is the first co-commission between Netflix and NITV, with major production investment from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF).
The 10 x 12-minute comedy series follows eight-year-old Eddie and his two best friends Lottie and Tal as they navigate the complex and often fantastical waters of childhood. Their friends are their family and the playground is their universe, one where anything and everything is possible, where imaginary friends can be real, games of rock paper scissors can take on stupendous importance and kindness, empathy and a good rap can help put anything right.
Produced by Sophie Byrne (The Lost Thing), Eddie Betts and Anna Scullie, the series has been developed and financed with principal investment from the ACTF, along with production support from Coles and the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).
With the writing talents of comedian and Triple J host Dave Woodhead (Barrumbi Kids, Thalu), Yaraman Thorne (Black Comedy), Ray Boseley (Round the Twist, Lil’ Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers), Lorin Clarke (Beep and Mort, Larry the Wonderpup) and Julie Sam-Yue (Kangaroo Beach), and scripts produced by Mark O’Toole (Black Comedy, You’re Skitting Me), this series will appeal to children across Australia.
The animated series is inspired by the Eddie’s Lil’ Homies books for early readers, My Kind and My People, by Eddie Betts.
The books were written to motivate and inspire literacy and learning, with My Kind focusing on spreading kindness and understanding, acceptance and equality, and My People designed to start conversations about First Nations cultures and to combat racism and bias.
Producer Eddie Betts said: “The Eddie’s Lil’ Homies books have been a labour of love for myself and Anna and something I’m really passionate about. Seeing the enthusiasm for the books as I go around the country, and kids doing the raps on social media and asking us about more stories, were what pushed us to team up with Sophie Byrne and the ACTF to develop the animated series. To then have Netflix and NITV immediately see our vision for the series and come onboard to help us bring Eddie’s Lil’ Homies to life is really exciting. I can’t wait for the kids across the country to see it!”
NITV Head of Commissions Marissa McDowell said: “NITV continues to bring world-class, First Nations children’s stories to Australians. We are thrilled to continue our longstanding relationship with the ACTF following previous success with Barrumbi Kids and Thalu. We are also thrilled to be working with Netflix for the first time, and we hope that children come to love this brand-new series inspired by Eddie Betts’ wonderful books.”
Netflix Director of Content ANZ Que Minh Luu said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with ACTF and NITV for the first time on this charming and fantastical look into the wonder of childhood. As we deepen our local investment we continue to focus on stories and ideas that make Australian audiences feel seen, heard and understood.”
ACTF Head of Content Bernadette O’Mahony said: “Eddie Betts has always been a role model for kids across the country, so when he, Anna and Sophie first approached us we loved the idea of taking Eddie’s message of respect, acceptance and inclusion for each other and country, to the screen in an entertaining, funny and imaginative series. We know kids here and around the world will want to hang out with Eddie, Lottie, Tal, Decks, Junior and friends in their inner-city neighbourhood as they explore, laugh, learn and rap their way through life.”
Eddie’s Lil’ Homies is produced for Netflix and NITV with major production investment from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation. Production is supported by Coles and financed with the assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation. International sales by the ACTF. Produced by Sophie Byrne, Eddie Betts and Anna Scullie. Executive Producer: Bernadette O’Mahony. Executive Producer/Story Producer: Mark O’Toole. Director: Arthur Moody. Co-Director: Luke Jurevicius. NITV Executive Producer: Marissa McDowell. Netflix Executive Producer: Nakul Legha.
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