William Bee's Stanley to be a CBeebies animation series

William Bee's Stanley picture books will be turned into an animated television series with BBC Worldwide, it has been revealed.

UK and LA-based independent film and TV producer, Komixx Entertainment Ltd, has secured a development deal with BBC Worldwide for Stanley the Can-Do Hamster. Komixx www.thebookseller.com/news/william-bee-signs-animation-deal-338056)">acquired the animation rights in June last year and was optioned through William Bee’s agent, United Agents, brokered by Yasmin McDonald on behalf of Jodie Hodges. The books were published by Jonathan Cape, a division of Penguin Random House.  

The series will follow the adventures of Stanley, a considerate hamster who runs a repair garage in the riverside hamlet Little Whisker. The character was created by the British author and illustrator Bee, real name Ian Bilbey, who will also be art director on the series.  

Andrew Cole-Bulgin, joint c.e.o. and head of TV and film at Komix, said: “We are hugely excited to confirm this agreement with BBC Worldwide for Stanley the Can-Do Hamster, which not only reaffirms our expertise in identifying quality children’s IP for TV but is a testament to the great potential of this property. We are delighted to be working with BBC Worldwide and we hope that this will lead to a series that international audiences will love.”  

Henrietta Hurford-Jones, director of CBeebies Investment at BBC Worldwide, said: “We are very pleased to be developing Stanley the Can-Do Hamster with Komixx Entertainment. We are looking forward to bringing these fantastic characters and stories to life and introducing them to viewers across the globe.”

Under the agreement, BBC Worldwide will be the executive producers on the animation and have exclusive rights to all other IP business rights globally, including transmitting the series on their worldwide CBeebies channels.

This is the first time Komixx Entertainment Ltd and BBC Worldwide have developed a project together.  No Stanley books have appeared in the Total Consumer Market Top 5000. Bee's Beware of the Frog (Walker) and And the Train Goes…(Walker) have sold just under 15,000 unites for £74,000 through Nielsen BookScan.