Love Monster Set for CBeebies Launch

Love Monster, a new animated series for preschoolers based on the best-selling books by Rachel Bright, is set to bow on CBeebies later this month.

The 54×7-minute series follows the colorful and comedic adventures of the lovable hairy hero Love Monster as he searches for the right thing to do in a world in which he is one of a kind. Star Trek star George Takei has joined the voice cast, which includes Tamsin Greig, Darren Foreman, Sarah Hadland and Javone Prince.

Showcasing the importance of kindness, empathy, connection and instinct, Love Monster is full of heart and “big life” learnings for little ones. By watching his adventures as he navigates the challenges involved in being a bit funny looking in a world of cute fluffy things, the young audience at home can also learn to cope with different emotions.

The show is slated to premiere on January 27 and will be available every weekday and continually on BBC iPlayer.

Love Monster is executive produced by Tony Reed for the BBC, Chapman Maddox for Boat Rocker Studios and James Chen Gu for UYoung. The U.K. share of the animation for the series is produced by Karrot Animation and A Productions, with a proportion of preproduction on scripts, storyboards and design provided by UYoung’s studio in China.

Boat Rocker Studios is managing the global TV distribution and licensing for the show in all territories excluding China and South East Asia, which will be managed by UYoung.

Takei, who plays Elder Panda, said: “Love Monster celebrates inclusive behavior and collaboration and that’s also very much my philosophy—we find strength, joy and vitality in diversity coming together.”

Greig, who plays the narrator, said: “Love Monster has a wonderful warmth and empathy to it. The series shows that by embracing our differences and helping each other we can make things better for everyone, a particularly valuable lesson for children in today’s world.”

Foreman, who plays Love Monster, commented: “Love Monster is a fantastically engaging character who has been great fun to play. He may look a little bit odd but his heart is in the right place, and when he’s brave enough to follow it he realizes that he can always rely on the help of his friends.”

Bright added: “It’s so exciting to see Love Monster and his friends in Fluffytown come to life on the screen. The series really captures their charm and humor and I love seeing them go on even more colorful and fun adventures.”