London-based prodco Tiger Aspect Productions has upped 25-year industry vet Tim Searle to the position of creative director, animation and children’s.

Searle has been working with Tiger Aspect since 2013 as series director of the new 52 x 11-minute Mr Bean: The Animated Series, which is set for an early 2015 premier on UK kidsnet CiTV, before its international debut.

In his new post, Searle will continue to direct Mr. Bean until the fall, while simultaneously working on development projects alongside the company’s head of animation and children’s, Tom Beattie. His remit includes creating and looking for projects to fill the prodco’s kids slate.

Prior to Tiger Aspect, Searle was head of animation at Baby Cow Animation, which he established in 2001 with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal.  His work there included the creation of award-winning animated comedy-drama series I Am Not An Animal for BBC2, Horrible Histories, Alan Partridge and Dara O’Briain’s School of Hard Sums. His most recent projects include The Cow that Almost Missed Christmas (CBeebies), Uncle Wormsley’s Christmas (Sky Arts) and Warren United (ITV).

Searle is now a board member of Animation UK (the group that successfully lobbied the country’s government for the UK tax break) and a member of the Skillset Animation Group.