CBeebies is adding a new 2D-animated series from UK-based Ragdoll Productions (Twirlywoos, In the Night Garden) to its lineup.

Created by Ragdoll founder Anne Wood, B.O.T. and the Beasties is a 50 x five-minute educational comedy featuring a loveable robot whose mission is to discover new worlds and learn about their inhabitants. The series aims to boost preschoolers’ counting, sorting and categorizing skills.

BBC Children’s head of acquisitions and independent animation Sarah Muller greenlit the series, and enlisted veteran BBC kids TV producer Sarah Legg-Barratt (Olobob Top, Peter Rabbit) to executive produce. B.O.T. is set to premiere in the UK early next year.

Ragdoll has also signed Brands with Influence to manage worldwide licensing for the new show, which went into production during lockdown.