Seven festive specials due to air over period including The Highway Rat.
Magic Light Pictures is set to be the star of Christmas TV – with seven of its seasonal specials due to air over the festive period.
The company’s family specials have become an essential part of the Christmas TV schedules since The Gruffalo first enchanted 10 million BBC One viewers on Christmas Day 2009.
They have proved so enduringly popular that the BBC continues the tradition of showing all of them over the festive period.
Last Christmas, Magic Light’s six specials totalled viewers of 16.4m (including repeat broadcasts) with 10.9 million tuning in for the premiere of Revolting Rhymes, a two-part film based on Roald Dahl’s imaginative retelling of classic fairy tales which recently won a BAFTA Award for Best Children’s Animation.
In 2015 its four specials were seen by 18.6m viewers, including 9.28m for the Christmas Day premiere of Stick Man, based on the children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
This year’s premiere is The Highway Rat (pictured), featuring the voices of Rob Brydon, Frances De La Tour, David Tennant and Tom Hollander among others.
Magic Light’s schedule on BBC One is as follows:
- The Highway Rat – Christmas Day at 16.45
- Stick Man – Boxing Day at 13.45
- The Gruffalo – December 27 at 15.45
- Revolting Rhymes – December 28 at 13.50
- The Gruffalo’s Child – December 28 at 15.45
- Revolting Rhymes – December 29 at 13.55
- Room on the Broom – December 29 at 15.50
Magic Light’s brand director, Daryl Shute, said: “We’re delighted to have so many of our productions on BBC One this Christmas as highlights of the festive schedule.
“Families get to watch them together, and each year brings new audiences, something we’re really proud of.”
2017 has been a strong year for The Gruffalo brand with the launch of the world’s first Gruffalo Theme Park attraction at Chessington World of Adventures Resort; the BAFTA nominated Gruffalo Spotter App reaching number one in the App Store and attracted two million visitors to Forestry Commission sites.
Further success has come from licensee Brand of Brothers bringing Gruffalo ‘Iced Tusks’ into Morrisons, Ocado and ASDA; while long-term licensee Aurora World diversified its category launching nursery plush under The Gruffalo Baby banner in July.
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