BBC Children’s and Education has ordered three new 2D-animated preschool series for a programming lineup that’s also expanding with several renewals, a live-action spinoff and more digital series.

Destined for CBeebies are: Karrot Entertainment/Kavaleer Productions’ MaeBee (pictured above, 52 x seven minutes) and Gigglebug/YLE/A Productions’ The Underglow (50 x seven minutes). Flickerpix’s Luna in Dreamland (26 x seven minutes) is set for BBC NI and iPlayer.

MaeBee is about a young bee and her gnome brother who try to fill a book with all the information they learn in their garden. “The show is full of co-viewing comedy, magic and adventure,” says Jamie Badminton, creative director at Karrot Entertainment. (The studio plans to announce the show’s other international broadcasters and partners next week, he adds.) MaeBee is set for a spring/summer 2026 release.

Luna in Dreamland revolves around a spirit of dreams who helps kids overcome their nightmares. It will premiere on iPlayer sometime in 2027.

Both MaeBee and Luna received a portion of US$2.2 million in funding the British Film Institute’s UK Global Screen Fund distributed to select projects in June.

The third new animated series that will join the Beeb’s preschool schedule is The Underglow (pictured below), which focuses on characters exploring a magical garden where they discover human-made objects and come up with theories about what they are. Finland’s Gigglebug pitched the concept at Cartoon Forum a couple weeks ago, with the BBC listed as a supporter (along with YLE). This greenlight represents a firm commitment to debut the series in the UK in fall 2027.

The British pubcaster has also ordered a new live-action series for the seven-plus demo. The Next Step: Cheer (20 x 24 minutes) is a cheerleading-focused spinoff of Boat Rocker Studio’s seminal tween/teen dancing drama The Next Step. It stays focused on one of the original show’s characters as she tries to lead a struggling cheerleading squad to a national championship. The Next Step: Cheer is scheduled to start rolling out next spring.

In terms of renewals, the pubcaster has ordered a second season of CG-animated preschool series Mojo Swoptops (52 x 11 minutes) from Blue Zoo Animation and Tararaboom to debut in October/November 2026. And Strike’s live-action sports comedy The Football Fantastics has also been reupped for a June release to coincide with the men’s World Cup.

BBC Bitesize is rolling out a fresh batch of eight x 30-minute lessons, including ones on reading and bullying, through its educational BBC Live Lessons program. Launching in time for the 2025/2026 school year, they’re tied to BBC kids brands such as Walking with Dinosaurs and Horrible Science.  

The BBC is the biggest commissioner of kids content in the UK, and it’s had a busy year already, placing orders for Crookhaven and Dexter Procter: The 10-Year-Old Doctor among other series. With Sky Kids pausing commissioning this summer, local producers have one less door to knock on to get their series made. All that makes these slate additions significant for an industry wondering who’s still buying kids content.