CBEEBIES, RAGDOLL AND DHX MEDIA ANNOUNCE TWIRLYWOOS

Brand new stop-frame preschool series set to air in 2015 

Halifax, NS – 7 October 2014 –  UK broadcaster CBeebies has commissioned a brand new 50 x 11’ preschool series from preeminent producer Ragdoll Productions. Twirlywoos, devised and executive produced by Anne Wood with lead creative and writer, Steve Roberts and producer, Chris Wood, combines stop-frame animation and live action sequences set in the real world. Executive producer for CBeebies is Michael Towner.  The series is produced in association with DHX Media, which will also handle global distribution, merchandising, brand management and marketing.

Continuing the innovative, nurturing, inspiring, children-led entertainment for which Ragdoll Productions is renowned, Twirlywoos features laugh-out-loud child-centric humour which encourages preschoolers to think for themselves, and gain confidence in their own perceptions of the world. Through the show, young audiences are able to reinforce their understanding as they grow and develop, becoming active and inquisitive within their own lives.

The Twirlywoos are four small, bird-like characters who are inquisitive, enthusiastic and always looking to learn something new about the world.

Ever curious, they seek adventure and fun wherever they go. Whether in the real world or on their big red boat, they love to hide, imitate and be surprised as they discover new things. The show has been developed with a commitment to watching how children interact and develop, and each episode creates spaces for preschoolers to make their own connections, which aids their learning.

Controller of CBeebies, Kay Benbow, says: “I am delighted to be working with Ragdoll again. It’s been such a positive collaboration and Ragdoll have managed to develop a show that is both brilliantly clever and funny and which has a strong educational element underpinning it.  It’s a great new offering for our younger viewers while at the same time the charming nature of Twirlywoos will undoubtedly appeal to all age groups.”

Anne Wood, Founder and Creative Director of Ragdoll Productions, says:  “Television that makes children smile is so valuable and I’m proud to be part of CBeebies tradition of wonderful children’s television, contributing towards making children and even some parents, smile.  It is particularly rewarding to be working with Steve Roberts. Twirlywoos is our second collaboration after the award-winning Dipdap, and has all the same sense of fun.”

Steven DeNure, President and COO of DHX Media said: “Anne and her team at Ragdoll have created a series that truly puts child-centric development at its centre – it’s also laugh-out-loud funny with a host of standout characters drawing on real-life situations and discoveries. Twirlywoos has an easy charm and visual simplicity but is also multi-layered with each element carefully considered to enhance preschool development. We are confident that it will be a tremendous success.”

For more information, please contact:

Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR for DHX Media +44 (0) 20 8985 4708 or aimee@ddablueprint.com

Jo Clayton at CBeebies +44 (0) 7809 597 825 or jo.clayton@bbc.co.uk

Mary Hagger at HaggerPR for Ragdoll Productions +44 (0) 77140 87848 or mary@haggerpr.com

About CBeebies
CBeebies is dedicated to delighting and surprising its pre-school audience and it remains the UK’s most watched and most loved channel for the under-sixes. Just under half of the target audience tune in every week (parents and carers with children aged 0-3 and four- to six-year-olds in digital homes) and our reach is over double that of our nearest competitor.

Our most popular shows include In the Night Garden, Something Special, Octonauts, Justin’s House, Mr Bloom’s Nursery and Tree Fu Tom together with new shows Swashbuckle and Old Jack’s Boat.

Building on our programmes by creating entertaining, educational and interactive digital content such as apps and games is something we’re very passionate about. The CBeebies website is hugely popular with our young audience and their parents and helps extend the ‘learning through play’ philosophy with an average of 1.2 million unique browsers. Last summer, we launched our first app – CBeebies Playtime – which has seen almost 3m downloads. Following the success of Playtime, we recently launched our CBeebies Storytime app, which is all about making reading fun, and it is designed to help improve reading and listening skills whilst encouraging ‘family learning’.

CBeebies is Bafta’s Children’s Channel of the Year.

About Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions, a privately owned family company, was founded by Anne Wood in 1984 and has produced more than 1,500 internationally acclaimed children’s television programmes aimed at the youngest viewers, including the phenomenally successful, BAFTA-winning Teletubbies, broadcast in more than 120 countries and territories around the world; the double-BAFTA-winning In the Night Garden; BAFTA-winning Dipdap; and The Adventures of Abney & Teal, Rosie & Jim, Brum and internationally award-winning Open A Door.

In September 2013, Ragdoll Worldwide, a joint venture with BBC Worldwide, was acquired by DHX Media, a leading Canadian broadcaster, distributor and producer, and they now own the rights to the early Ragdoll catalogue includingTeletubbies and In the Night Garden.

About DHX Media Ltd.
DHX Media Ltd. (www.dhxmedia.com), a leading broadcaster, creator, producer and marketer of family entertainment, is recognized globally for such brands as Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Inspector Gadget,Johnny Test, and the multi-award winning Degrassi franchise. DHX Media Ltd. is the owner of Family Channel, the most-viewed children’s television channel in Canada, as well as Disney Junior (English & French) and Disney XD. The Company markets and distributes its library of more than 10,000 episodes of entertainment programming worldwide, and licenses its owned properties through its dedicated consumer products business. DHX Media Ltd.’s full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media Ltd. has offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Halifax, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Amsterdam, and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker DHX.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to DHX Media including the completion of the production, the timing of a television debut and the ability of the DHX Media to place the series in other territories. Although DHX Media believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the DHX Media. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risks factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the DHX Media’s short form prospectuses dated November 14, 2013 and December 31, 2013, Annual Information Form, and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the DHX Media assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.