It looks like things are moving ahead with the Doctor Who animated series on the BBC’s pre-school TV service, Cbeebies as an animation house has been decided on.
Following a competitive pitch process, British animation studio Blue Zoo has secured the contract to produce a brand-new Doctor Who pre-school animation for CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.
BBC Children’s and Education invited UK producers to pitch for the opportunity in June 2025, for fair and open selection. From a strong field of producer pitches, Blue Zoo’s proposal scored highest against the published criteria.
This exciting new animated series, inspired by the beloved Doctor Who universe, is commissioned for 52 x11’ episodes over two series and will begin production in 2026. It marks the first time the ‘Whoniverse’ has been expanded into an animated series for pre-school audiences.
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s & Education, says: “We can’t wait to welcome the Doctor to CBeebies, introducing this beloved family favourite to our youngest audience for the very first time. This new series further strengthens our commitment to the British animation industry by championing homegrown productions with the potential to travel the world and, perhaps even through time and space.”
“The bidding process for this project was exceptionally competitive, and we would like to commend all the shortlisted producers for the outstanding quality and depth of their proposals.”
Adam Shaw, Co-founder of Blue Zoo Animation Studio, says: “This year, we celebrated 25 years of Blue Zoo so it’s an extra special honour to be given the chance to bring such a much-loved classic and a true British icon to a whole new generation of young viewers. Doctor Who means so much to so many people, and we don’t take that lightly at all. Reimagining something this legendary for a preschool audience is a brilliant creative challenge, and one we’re incredibly excited to dive into.”
BBC has previously collaborated with Blue Zoo on popular CBeebies programmes such as Numberblocks, Alphablocks, and Mojo Swoptops.
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Source: BBC
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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