CBeebies Orders More Baby Jake

LONDON: Children’s indie Darrall Macqueen has been commissioned by CBeebies to produce a second season of the preschool series Baby Jake.

Production has begun on 26 new episodes of the series, which first launched in July 2011 on CBeebies and the BBC’s catch-up platforms. Season one will debut on international feeds of the CBeebies preschool network in Africa, Poland, Asia, India, Latin America and Australia in November. Licensing rights to Baby Jake have been picked up by BBC Worldwide, as well as Vivid, the U.K. master toy licensee, Egmont for publishing rights and 2|entertain for DVD rights, with products due for release in early 2012.

Billy Macqueen, joint managing director of Darrall Macqueen, said, “We are delighted that Baby Jake is such a hit with preschoolers up and down the country. The response on both the CBeebies iPlayer—where Baby Jake quickly established itself as a regular fixture in the ‘Top Five’—and on CBeebies itself has been phenomenal. This quick re-commission is not only testament to the strength of the show itself, but also to Darrall Macqueen’s confidence as a preschool producer.”

Kay Benbow, the controller of CBeebies, added, “Series one was an instant success on CBeebies and I’m delighted viewers will be able to rejoin Baby Jake and friends on a host of brand new adventures. Baby Jake is exactly what CBeebies is looking for—warm, funny stories that are presented in a fresh, beautiful way; the show is genuinely unique in its field. I have no doubt this second series will live up to the success of the first.”