Looking to maintain its dominant position in the kids entertainment market, BBC Children’s and Education has revealed its latest round of new commissions and show renewals.

“In a challenging market where investment in content for children’s television continues to drop globally, the BBC continues to be the biggest commissioner of content for this important audience,” notes BBC Children’s director Patricia Hidalgo, who also points to the importance of supporting British storytelling for young viewers. 

The Beeb has commissioned Zog (52 x 11 minutes, pictured) from Magic Light Pictures for four- to six-year-olds. Building out from the studio’s same-name 2018 family special and its 2020 sequel Zog and the Flying Doctors, this CG-animated series tags along with a squad of flying doctors who care for fantastical creatures when they’re sick. The IP originated as a series of books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The BBC is also betting on aged-down sports content with a new live-action comedy called The Football Fantastics (10 x 14 minutes), about six kids who take part in a chaotic football activity group on Saturday mornings. Produced by Strike, this preschool series will roll out sometime next year on CBeebies.

In the how-to genre, CBBC will launch Get Arty (15 x 15 minutes) next year for the seven-plus demo. Ranga Bee produces this magazine format series in which a family (and an animated paint brush with a deadpan sense of humor) teaches viewers how to make their own art, with drop-ins by artists and celebrity guests.

Newly renewed for a 52 x seven-minute second season is CBeebies’ 2D-animated toon Supertato. This co-pro between BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions and BBC Children’s is set to debut later this year.

Ninja Pig Productions’ Andy and the Band–Rock Star School has also been greenlit for a fourth season (nine x 14 minutes, plus a 24-minute finale episode) on CBeebies, and BBC Studios Kids & Family’s CBBC drama The Dumping Ground is a go for season 13 (10 x 28 minutes), which is due out later this year.