CBeebies, France Télévisions Order Big Lizard

CBeebies in the U.K. and France Télévisions have jointly commissioned the animated preschool series Big Lizard, which will be distributed globally by Aardman.

The 52×7-minute series is co-produced by the U.K. animation studio Beakus and French production companies Watch Next Media and Je Suis Bien Content. It follows a young astronaut called Cosima and a big lizard called Big Lizard and features a mixture of comedy and adventure, with some light education about science and prehistoric planet Earth.

Big Lizard was created by Amaël Isnard and Steve Smith (Beakus). The voice cast includes Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg, QI, Taskmaster), Mandip Gill (Hollyoaks, Doctor Who) and Lois Sefton (123 Number Squad!).

The show is slated to launch in fall 2024.

Smith, creator and producer, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with such an amazing team to produce this brilliant, funny and unique show. Big Lizard has all the ingredients it needs to enchant audiences and parents alike.”

Watch Next Media’s Philippe Alessandri and Je Suis Bien Content’s Franck Ekinci added: “Following the success of Roger and Hello Kitty: Super Style!, Watch Next and JSBC are happy to consolidate their expertise in producing 3D animated series for preschoolers with Big Lizard.”