Calon (TV production company)
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Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was formerly known as ''Siriol Animation'' and ''Siriol Productions''.


History

Calon was set up following the management buy-out from Entertainment Rights of Siriol Productions, when Entertainment Rights moved its head office to
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Most members of staff stayed in Wales to help re-establish Siriol as an independent production company. The deal included all rights to current productions and a few older titles, but the rights to most of the older series are now held by Entertainment Rights. The company eventually employed over 40 people and was a developer of talent in the Welsh animation industry for more than 30 years. Calon continued working on animation production, but expanded into live-action content for both the UK and international markets, and to co-produce with major networks outside the UK. In July 2010, the company filed for
voluntary liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company (law), company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and p ...
when hoped-for investment to expand the company failed to materialise. Shortly afterwards it was Incorporated into Mount Stuart Media Ltd.


Productions

Two series of '' Hana's Helpline'' were produced for Five's Milkshake block for preschool children in co-production with S4C and German broadcaster ZDF. One series of '' Igam Ogam'' was made for S4C, Five, ZDF Enterprises and the Gaelic Media Service on BBC Alba, and also a puppet series called ''The Zoo Factor'' for
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
. Calon's live action drama credits included '' Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw'' for ITV and
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
. In 2011, ITV asked Calon to create a new sitcom for the channel, and Calon worked with
The Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...
on develop a film based around the wild west. *'' Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw'' (adventure game show) *''
Bobinogs ''Bobinogs'' (original Welsh title: ''Bobinogi'') is a British children's television programme that aired on CBeebies, and it was produced by Adastra Creative for BBC Cymru Wales. It debuted for a Welsh audience, but in 2004, it started being b ...
'' (season 3) *'' Hana's Helpline'' *''Psi-5'' (pilot film; 2007) *''U-Chronia'' (pilot film; 2009) *'' Igam Ogam'' (2009-2013) *''The Zoo Factor'' (2011) *''Captain Morten and the Spider Queen'' (2018) (film) *''
Sali Mali Sali Mali is a popular Welsh children's book and television character, originally created by author Mary Vaughan Jones and illustrated by Rowena Wyn Jones during the 1960s and 1970s. Many Welsh-speaking children learnt to read by reading Sali Ma ...
'' (December 2020 – present) (season 2)


Hana's Helpline

Hana's Helpline is a stop-motion animation series for preschool children, about Hana, a duck who runs a telephone helpline for animals with problems. The principal voices are provided by
Arabella Weir Arabella Weir (born 6 December 1957) is a Scottish comedian, actress and writer. She played roles in the comedy series '' The Fast Show'' and '' Posh Nosh'', and has written several books, including ''Does My Bum Look Big in This?'' Weir has al ...
, Jonathan Kydd,
Joanna Ruiz Joanna Ruiz (born 1 February 1970) is a British voice actress who has mainly done voice acting for children's television shows. She attended the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. List of credits * Hilltop Hospital – Additional Voices ...
, Boyd Clack and
Caroline Harker Caroline Harker (born 1966) is an English stage and television actress, sister of actresses Nelly Harker and Susannah Harker, and daughter of actors Polly Adams and Richard Owens. She and her sisters are descended from theatrical designer Joseph ...
with most of the other voices being provided by children. There are 52 episodes, each 10 minutes long. Its first broadcast was in Wales under the Welsh title ''Holi Hana'', on 2 April 2007. Its first English broadcast was on Five on 12 June 2007. It has also been broadcast in a selection of other countries - for example it began broadcasting on
TVB Pearl TVB Pearl is a terrestrial television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan O Industr ...
, starting 10 May 2007. Books are available from Random House Children's Books from January 2008. A line of character toys was also developed by Golden Bear Toys along with the first DVD of the show which was released in November 2007. A second compilation was released in Spring 2008.


Siriol Productions

Siriol Productions (also known as Dave Edwards Studio, "Siriol" means 'cheerful' in
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...
) was founded in 1982 by Mike Young, his wife Liz, animator Dave Edwards and producer Robin Lyons and based in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. The company was originally created when the three men approached the newly formed Welsh TV channel S4C and secured a commission to produce an animated series of '' SuperTed'' (which Mike Young created). With support from S4C, the partners set up an animation studio, ''Siriol Animation''. ''SuperTed'' was a highly successful with the company winning a prestigious BAFTA award in 1987. The show first aired in 1982 and started airing on S4C in Wales and on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
elsewhere in the UK. It also ran for one season and 37 episodes. Following its success with ''SuperTed'', the company was commissioned by S4C to produce another series called ''
Wil Cwac Cwac ''Wil Cwac Cwac'' is a Welsh-language animated television series produced by Siriol Animation for S4C in 1982. It is based on a series of children's books written in the early 1930s by Jennie Thomas and J. O. Williams (including the famous We ...
'' which was based on a series of children's books that were first published in Wales in the early 1930s about a little duckling who is always naughty and lives in a farm village with his family and friends. This, in turn was followed by further commissions from S4C for half-hour specials created for the animated series '' Fox Tales''. Lyons and Young have also been involved in working on a children's stop motion animated series, ''
Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' ( Welsh: ') is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd ...
'' in 1987, except it was produced by Prism Art and Design Ltd and Bumper Films. In its early years, the studio worked exclusively for S4C, and Robin Lyons (Managing Director) decided to broaden its customer base and to move into co-productions to form Siriol Productions in 1988. In 1989, Mike Young left the company and moved to the United States to set up his own company,
Mike Young Productions Splash Entertainment, LLC., formerly known as Mike Young Productions, Inc., MoonScoop Entertainment, LLC. and Taffy Entertainment, is an American animation studio that produces children's TV series. Splash also controls the streaming service Kab ...
. Young also teamed up with Hanna-Barbera to develop a cartoon called ''
Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantastic ...
'' (which was originally called ''Space Baby'') and to create a sequel series to ''SuperTed'' entitled '' The Further Adventures of SuperTed''. Moving into co-productions has proved successful for Siriol, resulting in productions such as '' The Princess and the Goblin'' an 80-minute film co-produced by Hungary's Pannonia Film Studio and ''
Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...
'', a 50-minute TV special using the 1950s voice recording by
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
. These productions have enabled Robin Lyons to develop extensive contacts throughout the animation industry, both with broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV, and with other leading animation studios. In 1989, Siriol, together with three other animation studios in France, Germany and Belgium formed its own distribution company, EVA Entertainment, headed up by Steve Walsh, the former head of co-productions at
Goldcrest Films Goldcrest Films is an award-winning independent British distribution, production, post production, and finance company. Operating from London and New York, Goldcrest is a privately owned integrated filmed entertainment company. Goldcrest Films ov ...
. Its co-productions were grouped under the EC's CARTOON programme as part of its MEDIA initiative. EVA was the first grouping company established under this initiative. The group set up co-productions with major European broadcasters, typically with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in the UK, FR3 and
Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
in France and ZDF and WDR in Germany. It also made co-productions with other European partners as well as with US and Canadian co-producers. In 1995, EVA received a substantial private investment and attracted two top executives from BBC Children's International, Mikael Shields and Tony Stern. EVA Entertainment has made many series and specials, (the group's major productions were controlled creatively by Siriol) which were sold to over fifty different countries on five continents, including ''Robert Creep'', ''Tales of the Tooth Fairies'', '' Billy the Cat'' (the group's largest project) and '' Romuald the Reindeer''. The later two programmes were produced by Robin Lyons. When EVA was sold to Pearson PLC, Siriol formed other alliances with
Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
and SKD Media Plc. In 1998, Siriol was brought over by Sleepy Kids (renamed '' Entertainment Rights'' in 2000), with Lyons expanding his role within the new company. In 2005, a management buyout led by Lyons took place for Siriol Productions, and was renamed ''Calon''. Siriol set up two subdivisions. The first was Blunt Pictures, which produced animation aimed at older audiences. Blunt Pictures has produced a short film for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
, ''Dee’s Dish of the Day'' and developed the series, ''Stonehouse Reunion'' for Channel 4 and ''Days of Deliverance'' for S4C. Blunt has also developed a low budget feature, ''360'', which has attracted funding from the Film Panel of the Welsh Lottery, and several web-based animation projects including ''Once Upon A Morgue'' and ''
Deadenders ''Deadenders'' is a science fiction comic book series written by Ed Brubaker and published by DC Comics. It is set in a post-apocalyptic future in New Bethleham USA and features a heavy Mod content among the characters. The cover work is by Ph ...
''. The second subdivision was a web design subdivision called Piczled, which has designed the official ''
Basil Brush Basil Brush is a fictional red fox, best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts and comic strips. The character has ...
'' website and theme park attractions for Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey and Alton Towers in Staffordshire. Piczled has also worked on other websites such as those for Siriol and Entertainment Rights.


Production

*'' SuperTed'' (1982–1986, TV series, co-produced with S4C and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
) *''
Wil Cwac Cwac ''Wil Cwac Cwac'' is a Welsh-language animated television series produced by Siriol Animation for S4C in 1982. It is based on a series of children's books written in the early 1930s by Jennie Thomas and J. O. Williams (including the famous We ...
'' (1982–1986, TV series, co-produced with S4C) *''Fox Tales'' (1986–1988, TV specials, co-produced with S4C and
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
) **''A Winter Story'' (1986) **''The Easter Egg'' (1987) **''Turkey Love'' (1988) *''Space Baby'' (1988, half-hour pilot, later became ''
Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantastic ...
'', 1988–1990, co-produced with Hanna-Barbera) *'' The Further Adventures of SuperTed'' (1989, TV series, co-produced with Hanna-Barbera) *''Santa and the Tooth Fairies'' (1991, TV special, co-produced with La Fabrique, Cologne Cartoon, Sofidoc SA, EVA Entertainment and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
) *'' The Princess and the Goblin'' (1992, film, co-produced with Pannonia Film Studio, S4C and
NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...
) *'' PONY.MOV'' (1992-2004, TV series, co-produced with S4C and HotdiggedyDemon) *''Santa’s First Christmas'' (1992, TV special, co-produced with EVA Entertainment, Cologne Cartoon, S4C, and Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen) *''Under Milk Wood'' (1992, film, co-produced with S4C: Distributed theatrically in over 25 countries, including USA; won a 1992 BAFTA Cymru award) *'' Tales of the Tooth Fairies'' (1992, TV series, co-produced with La Fabrique, EVA Entertainment, Cologne Cartoon, Sofidoc S.A., WDR,
France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services provi ...
, and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
) *''Gerald of Wales'' (1993, TV special, co-produced with Cadw and S4C) *''The Legand Of Lochnager'' (1993, co-produced with S4C, BBC Scotland and BBC Wales) *''Robert Creep'' (1994, TV series, co-produced with EVA Entertainment: Best Special Award at the 1994 Treviso Festival) *''
The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats ''The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats'' is an animated television series which aired between September 9, 1995 and June 15, 1996 on ITV kids strand CITV, and was shown in May 11, 2009 on Scottish children's programme ''wknd@stv''. The series is ...
'' (1995-1996, TV Series, co-produced with
Mike Young Productions Splash Entertainment, LLC., formerly known as Mike Young Productions, Inc., MoonScoop Entertainment, LLC. and Taffy Entertainment, is an American animation studio that produces children's TV series. Splash also controls the streaming service Kab ...
and
Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
) *'' Romuald the Reindeer'' (1996, TV series, co-produced with EVA Entertainment and La Fabrique) *'' Billy the Cat'' (1996, TV series, co-produced with Les Films du Triangle, NOA,
Western International Communications WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...
, Sofidoc SA, ZDF, FR3, Cologne Cartoon, La Fabrique and EVA Entertainment) *'' The Blobs'' (1997–1998, TV series, co-produced with Taytel and
Scottish Television Enterprises STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the STV Group plc. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, and with an office in London, England ...
) *''
Hilltop Hospital ''Hilltop Hospital'' (French: ''Hôpital Hilltop'') is a claymation television series made in 1999, directed by Pascal Le Nôtre. It is adapted from a series of books by Nicholas Allan of the same name. The theme tune and incidental music for th ...
'' (1999–2002, TV series, co-produced with EVA Entertainment,
Canal J Canal J (stylised as canal J) is a French pay public television channel dedicated to children's programming. It is aimed at children aged seven to fourteen. On 1 February 2019, M6 Group entered negotiations to acquire the television unit o ...
, FR3, ZDF, Millimages and
Folimage Folimage is a French animation studio, based in Bourg-lès-Valence, Drôme, France. It was founded in 1981 by Jacques-Rémy Girerd. The studio produces animation films for cinema and TV (short films, TV specials and series, feature films). In 199 ...
: Has awards in Italy, France and the USA. The show was nominated for a BAFTA in 2001) *'' Meeow!'' (2000, TV series, co-produced with SKD Media Plc, Comataidh Craolaidh Gaidhlig and
Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
) *''
Sali Mali Sali Mali is a popular Welsh children's book and television character, originally created by author Mary Vaughan Jones and illustrated by Rowena Wyn Jones during the 1960s and 1970s. Many Welsh-speaking children learnt to read by reading Sali Ma ...
'' (2000, TV series, co-produced with Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion and S4C) *''Drums of Noto Hanto'' (2000, 15-minute short, co-produced with S4C) *'' Knife and Wife'' (2001, TV special, co-produced with
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
)


Animation services

* S4C network ID (1987) *''
Knightmare ''Knightmare'' is a British children's adventure game show, created by Tim Child, and broadcast over eight series on CITV from 7 September 1987 to 11 November 1994. The general format of the show is of a team of four children – one who tak ...
'' (1987) (opening animation) * MTV network ID (1988) *''
Babar Babar ( ur, ), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Pashto, and Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian ''babr'' (Persian: ببر), meaning ...
'' (1989) (season 1 for Nelvana) *''Body Beautiful'' (1991) *''Lava Lava'' (for La Fabrique) *''
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
'' (1993, Series 1, for DIC Entertainment L.P. and
Scottish Television Enterprises STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the STV Group plc. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, and with an office in London, England ...
) *''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'' (1997) (for
Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childr ...
) *''Toons from Planet Orange'' (1998) ("Helmutt and the Killer Nose" for Cologne Cartoon) *'' Lucky and Zorba'' (1998) (for Lanterna Magica) *'' A Monkey's Tale'' (1999) *'' Albie'' (2002, 2004) (for
Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childr ...
) *'' Bounty Hamster'' (2003) *''
Totò Sapore e la magica storia della pizza ''Totò Sapore e la magica storia della pizza'' (English: Totò Sapore and the magical story of pizza) is a 2003 Italian animated film, with some dialogues made in Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: ...
'' (2003) (for Lanterna Magica) *''
BB3B ''BB3B '' was an animated UK children's television series produced by Tell-Tale Productions in 2005. The entire series consists of thirteen episodes of twenty minutes each. It is shown on CBBC in the UK and ABC Kids in Australia. It first wen ...
'' (2004) *''
Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker and developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and produced by Sony Pi ...
'' (2005) (for Sesame Workshop) *''
Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' ( Welsh: ') is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd ...
'' (2005) (for
HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...
)


''Knife and Wife''

''Knife and Wife'' was a British one-off half-hour animated
Comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
programme screened on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
in December 2001. It was created by Blunt Films, the adult animation division of Siriol and written by Paul Rose. The voice of Knife was provided by former Monty Python member
Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...
, whilst the part of his wife, Janine was voiced by actress
Jessica Stevenson Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...
.
Kevin Eldon Kevin Eldon (born 2 October 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including ''Fist of Fun'', '' This Morning with Richard Not Judy'', '' Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge' ...
,
Ruth Jones Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019). Jones has also appeared in various ...
, Paul Putner and
Brian Murphy Brian Murphy may refer to: Sportspeople * Brian Murphy (Jamaican cricketer) (born 1973), Jamaican cricketer * Brian Murphy (Zimbabwean cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brian Murphy (baseball) (born 1980), American head baseball coach ...
also did voices for the series. The programme was part of the Channel 4 ''
Comedy Lab ''Comedy Lab'' is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on ''Comedy Lab'' have gone on to spawn full serie ...
'' try-out project, which had spawned several successful series including '' Trigger Happy TV'' and '' That Peter Kay Thing''. No full series followed.


Kalisto Ltd

Kalisto Ltd. is a short lived co-venture between the directors of Siriol Animation and
Booker Group Booker Group Limited is a British food wholesale operator and subsidiary of Tesco. In January 2017, it was announced that the British multinational supermarket retailer Tesco had agreed to purchase the company for £3.7 billion. It was confirm ...
. Launched in 1986, the company has developed a show called ''Space Baby'' (which eventually became ''
Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantastic ...
'', which was co-produced with Hanna-Barbera), along with another series called ''Satellite City'' (co-produced with Fairwater Films) and the 1991 animated film adaptation of the children's book ''
The Little Engine That Could ''The Little Engine That Could'' is an American folktale (existing in the form of several illustrated children's books and films) that became widely known in the United States after publication in 1930 by Platt & Munk. The story is used to teac ...
''. Kalisto barely lasted a year before Booker bought the rights back.


References


Sources

*''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy 2003.'' Edited by Mark Lewisohn. BBC Worldwide 2003.


External links

* {{Media in Cardiff Television production companies of the United Kingdom British animation studios Companies based in Cardiff Mass media companies established in 1981 1981 establishments in Wales CBeebies