E1 Kids, Astley Baker Davies and Studio AKA Toast to Victory at Children’s BAFTA Awards
30 November 2009
LONDON– 30th November 2009 – Success at the children’s BAFTA Awards held last night as two of the shows co-produced and distributed by E1 Kids won awards. Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom was awarded Best Pre-School Animation and Lost and Found took the award for Best Animation.
This is the first time that Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom has been nominated for a BAFTA and last night’s win represents a significant indication that the show’s popularity is rising to new heights. Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is a co-production between E1 Kids and animation studio Astley Baker Davies. Astley Baker Davies were also awarded Best Independent Production Company.
The series follows the adventures of a young fairy princess called Holly and her best friend Ben Elf who live together in the magical Little Kingdom. Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom has sold to over 150 territories worldwide and consistently achieves top ratings on Nick Jr. in the UK. There are currently twelve UK licensees on board for the merchandising launch in Autumn 2010 including master toy, publishing, DVD, nightwear and bedding.
Based on the original book and illustrations by Oliver Jeffers, Lost and Found is a half hour animation special which tells the magical tale of one boy setting out in a row boat on a journey to return a lost penguin to the South Pole. Co-produced by London production company Studio AKA, Lost and Found was first broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and international broadcasters include DR, SVT, YLE and NRK in Scandinavia, France 5, NHK in Japan, ABC in Australia, ARD in Germany and TV3 and Canal in Spain. It has won countless awards at festivals around the world.
Commenting on their BAFTA wins, Laura Clunie Head of Production and Development E1 Kids UK/Europe says, “It is a tremendous honour to have scooped 2 BAFTAs. This year we received nominations for all our programmes, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at E1 Kids.”
Clunie continues, “We would like to show our sincere appreciation to Astley Baker Davies and Studio AKA with whom we share these awards. The unique talents of Astley Baker Davies have made Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom a resounding success. We are extremely proud of Lost and Found and delighted that BAFTA have paid tribute to this touching animation. This has been a staggeringly successful year for E1 Kids and we hope to build upon the overwhelming critical and commercial achievements as we move into 2010.’
Phil Davies, Producer at Astley Baker Davies says, "All of us at Astley Baker Davies are absolutely thrilled to receive an award for Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and the fact that we have also won the incredible accolade of Best Independent Production Company at this year’s children's BAFTAs has been the highlight of a really fantastic year for us".
E1 Kids dominated the Pre-School Animation category this year with Peppa Pig, also co-produced with Astley Baker Davies, and Humf, co-produced with King Rollo Films, also nominated in recognition of their achievement. The talents of Peppa Pig writers Phil Hall, Neville Astley and Mark Baker were acknowledged with a nomination for Best Writer.
Nick Jr, which broadcasts E1 Kids’ shows Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and Humf claimed the BAFTA for Channel of the Year.
About E1 Kids
E1 Kids works with the industry’s best producers and creative talent to make high quality family and children’s programming across all media. With offices in Los Angeles, London and Toronto, E1 Kids is supported by the far reaching E1 network of companies. Together we provide a full service operation for our properties, including international television distribution, home entertainment, electronic distribution, music publishing and licensing and merchandising. Home to some of the most successful preschool programs and a slate of comedic and cutting edge tween shows, our mandate is to make enduring and entertaining content that will be loved by kids of all ages.
For further information please contact:
Diana Privitera, License to PR, T: 020 7604 4680 E: diana@licensetopr.co.uk