BBC announces Hannah Waddingham, Lolly Adefope, and Rob Brydon to lead the cast of Tiddler

August 1, 2024 – The BBC and Magic Light Pictures, the multi-Oscar nominated producers, have announced Tiddler, a new magical animation from the UK’s number one picture book creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The story of Tiddler, a little fish with a big imagination, will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas.

Tiddler is the story of a small grey fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep wide ocean, until he’s saved by his own storytelling.

The half-hour animated special will be voiced by a stellar cast led by Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones) as the narrator, Lolly Adefope (Ghosts, Saltburn) as Miss Skate, Jayde Adams (Ruby Speaking, Alma’s Not Normal) as Plaice and other characters, plus Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey, The Trip) – returning for his twelfth Donaldson and Scheffler adaptation – in the multiple voice roles of Fisherman, Whale, Starfish and Anchovy. Tiddler will also feature the voices of child actors Reuben Kirby in the title role, and Theo Fraser as Johnny Dory.

Every day Tiddler tells a different story to his teacher and his friend Johnny Dory about why he’s late for school. His stories stretch from riding on seahorses or swimming around a shipwreck to being captured by a squid! His stories are so great that word of mouth helps them travel through the ocean and so, when Tiddler gets lost, he realises they may help him find a way home.

The film is an underwater adventure about the power of imagination and finding confidence in yourself – and how to be content as a little fish in a big ocean.

Author Julia Donaldson says: “Tiddler is all about storytelling and big imaginations – things that are really important to me as a writer. The film captures the heart of the story and brings it to life with a fantastic cast, I’m particularly impressed by the young child actors who take the lead in this adaptation.”

Narrator Hannah Waddingham says: “Voicing the narrator for this Christmas special from Magic Light Pictures has been a real joy to record. Tiddler is the tale of the storyteller in all of us, and helps children understand what it’s like to be a small fish in a very big pond (and we’ve all felt THAT in life!) I have loved reading the books by Julia and Axel to my daughter over the years and it’s so lovely to get to bring one of them to screen in this beautiful animation.”

Producer Barney Goodland says: “Tiddler is a beautifully illustrated and imaginative underwater adventure that we are thrilled to be bringing to screen. Its celebration of the power of storytelling speaks to everything that Magic Light does and diving deep into that theme has been a real joy. We’re excited to share our adaptation of this absolute classic Julia and Axel story with families this Christmas.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Magic Light’s adaptations of Julia and Axel’s work have well and truly established themselves as part of our national fabric, thanks to their winning ability to take us to wonderful worlds packed with lovable characters. We can’t wait to introduce viewers to Tiddler, the little fish who’s sure to make a big splash when he arrives on the BBC this Christmas.”

Tiddler is adapted from the hugely successful picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The film is the 12th animated special of their work to be produced by Magic Light Pictures for the BBC. Last year’s animation saw an audience of 8.6million tune in to watch Tabby McTat, the heart-warming story of a busker and his cat.

Tiddler is directed by Andy Martin and Alex Bain, written by Michael Bohnenstingl, and produced by Barney Goodland and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures. The film was acquired by Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer and Nawfal Faizullah, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor.

Magic Light’s previous adaptions of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s works are available to watch on BBC iPlayer BELOW. Watch a trailer for one of these adaptions below: