Making great content for kid's TV with Apple Tree House, Pablo, Animation Garden, Mustard & Ketchup

Children’s TV creators, in both animation and live action, share their pioneering approaches to productions that feature under-represented voices. In a panel discussion chaired by CBeebies head of development Ros Attille, they reveal how they sold their storylines to broadcasters and recruited diverse talent both on and off the screen. Akin Akinsuki, co-creator, director and writer at Five Apples talks about Apple Tree House, a drama series about a boy, Mali, who moves on to an inner-city estate. It has characters from a wide range of backgrounds and stories about making mango pudding and celebrating Ramadan. Gráinne McGuiness, creator and director, at Paper Owl Films shares her experience of making Pablo, a series featuring a smart autistic child, for CBeebies and RTÉJr. Iain Gardner is creator, director and writer with Animation Garden. He explains the challenges in developing Mustard & Ketchup, an animation that includes a pair of badgers in a same-sex relationship. Wa’qaar A Mirza, creator and director, at Safi Ideas talks about Zayn and Zayna’s Little Farm. Zayn and Zayna’s Little Farm is a kids and family animated show dedicated to teaching inclusive ideas, kindness, mindfulness and community, with a meaningful emphasis on diversity. About the event This is a recording of an online event that took place on 29 September 2020. This event was supported by the ScreenSkills Animation and Children’s TV Skills Funds with contributions from UK productions.