Kids
CBBC announces two new shows
MUMBAI The Manchester-produced commissions include a brand new magical sitcom, Jinx, about a modern-day Cinderella and her magic cookbook, based on the Lulu Baker series of books by Fiona Dunbar.In addition Shine North will produce This Kid Could Change The World, a factual series. Two of CBBC‘s shows – Prank Patrol hosted by Barney Heywood and Beat The Boss with Saira Khan – will also be produced in the city. Commissioned by CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist, the raft of new drama , factual and entertainment series from the regions will help boost the BBC‘s commitment to out of London Network programme spend by 50 per cent by 2016.
Gilchrist says, “These new commissions underline CBBC‘s continuing commitment to original British content. Both shows have children at their heart and are guaranteed to be hugely entertaining.”
The new commissions come on the heels of the announcements of Tracy Beaker, written by children‘s author Jacqueline Wilson and produced by the CBBC drama team in Newcastle, and Ingenious, a one-off drama written for CBBC by Jeanette Winterson and produced in Liverpool.
Jinx is based on the Lulu Baker trilogy by Fiona Dunbar. The comedy-drama series charts the adventures of a truly modern-day Cinderella.
Lulu may be a typical teen but she has a very cool secret – she‘s the proud owner of a magic cookbook. She can bake her own gingerbread boyfriend for the school dance, rustle up an extra-terrestrial to win a class debate on the existence of aliens and give her annoying stepbrother donkey ears by feeding him a magic cookie.
The possibilities are endless and life would be perfect except that the guardian of the book, Cookie, is a mischievous imp and her recipes never quite turn out as Lulu planned. But, with big power comes big responsibility and Lulu always tries really hard to fix the unforeseen side-effects. Jinx is currently in pre-production and begins shooting this month. This Kid Could Change The World is a nine half-hour episode factual series where children from across the UK will have their passionate and innovative world-changing ideas put to the test.
A series of heats will gather the best ideas from across the country and the hopefuls will arrive at the HQ to put their ideas into action. Through a series of set tasks two expert innovators and a mysterious benefactor, The Big Cheese, will determine which ideas have the potential to succeed and which will fail out in the real world.
For the series finale, an invited studio audience of kids will get to decide which idea gets set in motion by The Big Cheese. The series is due to air next year.
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
