UK preschool block Channel 5 Milkshake! is readying the launch of a new original series entitled Milkshake! Monkey Bananas About Food, which will bow alongside previously announced show Shane the Chef on April 2. Both series will air on weekday mornings.

Monkey Bananas About Food (10 x five minutes) will be led by the block’s monkey mascot and presenter Kemi Majeks as they explore different facets of the culinary world. The broadcaster will also launch a range of digital activities for both food-focused shows. In addition, YouTube channel Weebl has been commissioned to create 45-second animated music videos on healthy food items that will air on Milkshake!’s website and YouTube channels.

Commissioned by Channel 5 last January, Shane the Chef is produced by London’s Hoho Entertainment and Welsh prodco Cloth Cat Animation. The 52 x 11-minute series follows chef Shane and his daughter as they go on foodie adventures while running a restaurant.

Channel 5’s focus on healthy eating comes after a recent study from the British Nutrition Foundation found that five- to seven-year-olds in the UK think bananas, roast chicken, broccoli and wholegrain bread belong to the Dairy and/or Alternatives food group. One-fifth of kids the same age think that fish fingers are made of chicken.