BBC One Doc to Commemorate Aardman Anniversary

LONDON: Later this month, BBC One is slated to air A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman, a documentary that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the titular British animation studio.

A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman looks at the award-winning company's work across film, television and advertising. The special, which is narrated by English actress Julie Walters, will feature bespoke animation of Aardman characters Wallace, Gromit and Morph. It will see a number of celebrities, including Martin Freeman, Jane Horrocks, David Tennant and Bill Nighy, share their best experiences of working with the studio.

A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman will air on December 26 at 2:25 p.m. as part of the BBC One festive season alongside the new 30-minute special Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, which is slated for broadcast that same day at 6:15 p.m.

David Sproxton, co-founder of Aardman, commented: "When we arrived in Bristol in 1976 with our clockwork cine camera there was a total of three television channels for the British audience to watch. Although we were lucky enough to have a small contract with BBC Children's Television we never imagined our two man outfit would develop into a major studio of international repute. It's been an extraordinary journey, even if it is one we've taken one frame at a time."

Co-founder Peter Lord added: "The last forty years has been an amazing adventure. When we arrived in Bristol forty years ago, our only ambition was to find a niche, if we possibly could, in the world of animation. Our friends and colleagues thought we were pretty well barmy to start up anywhere outside London. So it's amazing now to find that Aardman has become this huge community of superbly talented people, making films and telling stories that travel all round the world."