CAKE, King Banana TV & Paper Owl Align for New Family Sitcom

CAKE, King Banana TV and Paper Owl Films are teaming up for the 2D animated family sitcom Nikhil & Jay for CBeebies.

Based on award-winning author Chitra Soundar’s book series Nikhil and Jay, the stories are inspired by her own dual heritage family of British and South Asian heritage. The 52×11-minute series tells the adventures of two young brothers whose mom is Indian by heritage and dad is English. 

The series will be produced for CBeebies by King Banana TV (Yakka Dee!, Meet the Experts), Paper Owl Films (Pablo, Happy the Hoglet) and CAKE (Angry Birds Summer Madness, Supa Team 4), with funding from Northern Ireland Screen.

CAKE will handle distribution rights and will be selling the series internationally.

The characters are designed by Chris Allen, the talent behind the design of Yakka Dee! 

Kate Morton, head of BBC Children’s commissioning and acquisitions for 0-6, said, “Chitra’s books are full of heart, warmth and humor, and we are so happy to bring Nikhil & Jay to CBeebies. It is a truly lovely show, and it’s so important that children get to see themselves reflected on screens. We can’t wait to bring these stories to life.”

Lotte Elwell, company director at King Banana TV, said, “Everyone at King Banana is so excited to be working with this fantastic team to bring Chitra’s experiences to the screen. We know that the stories, characters and humor in Nikhil & Jay will have a huge impact on the preschool audience.”

Gavin Halpin, managing director at Paper Owl Films, said, “We are delighted to be working on this beautiful show. It comes from Chitra’s heart and her passion for seeing all children reflected on-screen.”

Ed Galton, CEO at CAKE, said, “We love the authenticity of the books that Chitra created and are looking forward to working with the talented creators and producers at Paper Owl and King Banana in bringing this project to the screen.”