BBC Worldwide Takes on Underground Ernie

LONDON, August
28: British animation company Joella Productions has appointed BBC Worldwide as
international program sales and merchandising agent for its 26×12-minute
CGI-animated series Underground Ernie.

Under the deal,
BBC Worldwide has secured the cross-media rights for the series, including
global program distribution, merchandising and DVD. Underground Ernie will be launched on the international
market at MIPCOM. The series debuted in the U.K. on CBeebies in June 2006, and
is currently in its third run on the channel, where it regularly takes the top
spot. In March 2007, Underground Ernie attracted 220,000 viewers for an 11-percent
audience share.

Created and
produced by John Deery and Sid Rainey from Joella Productions, the series is
based on the adventures of Ernie, the controller of International Underground,
who is always on hand to help his friends and to see that his passengers get to
their destinations safely and on time. The series features train characters
such as Victoria, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Circle, and the twins Hammersmith and
City, as well as Ernie’s friends Millie and Mr. Rails. Gary Lineker, the
ex-England football captain, is the voice of Ernie.

John Deery, the
co-creator and managing director of Joella Productions, commented: “BBC
Worldwide is the most successful distributor of TV programming in Europe so we
are very happy with the arrangement. We are extremely pleased with the success
we have had with the show in the U.K. so far and we are confident this deal
will help us to continue Ernie’s success worldwide.”