Shaun the Sheep

''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion television series and a spin-off of the '' Wallace and Gromit'' franchise. The title character is Shaun (previously featured as the sheep named "Shaun" in the 1995 short film '' A Close Shave'' and the ''Shopper 13'' short film from the 2002 '' Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions'' series). The series focuses on his adventures on a northern English farm as the leader of his flock.

The series first aired in the UK on the CBBC channel on 5 March 2007 and has been broadcast in 180 countries. It consists of 170 seven-minute episodes. The fifth series has 20 episodes and was first aired in the Netherlands from 1 December 2015 to 1 January 2016 and in Australia on ABC Kids from 16 January 2016 to 1 May 2016. In the United States, a series of ''Shaun the Sheep'' shorts aired between commercial breaks on Disney Channel starting on 8 July 2007.

The series inspired the spin-off '' Timmy Time'', a show aimed at younger viewers that follows Shaun's small cousin. A feature-length film, ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'', was released theatrically on 6 February 2015. A 30-minute short film, '' Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas'', was aired in 2015 as a Christmas TV special. A second feature-length film, '' A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon'', was released theatrically on 18 October 2019. A second short film, ''Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas'', was released on Netflix on 3 December 2021.

In 2020, the series moved to Netflix for a sixth series, with the subtitle ''Adventures from Mossy Bottom'', however, it returned to CBBC in 2022 to air the sixth season.

Plot

Shaun, an unusually clever Shropshire sheep, lives with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm (the name can be seen in nearly all of the opening scenes), a traditional small northern English farm. Each episode centres around Shaun's attempts to add excitement to their otherwise boring lives. The action snowballs into fantastic sitcom-style escapades, most often because they are fascinated with human technology and culture. This usually brings them into partnership — and sometimes conflict — with the sheepdog Bitzer, while they all are simultaneously trying to avoid discovery by the farmer.

Characters

Main

*Shaun is the protagonist of the series and the leader of the flock. He is clever, confident, and prone to mischief, but equally adept at getting himself and/or his friends out of it. As there is no dialogue, like all the sheep, he communicates entirely through bleating and often explains his ideas to the flock by drawing diagrams on a blackboard. He has a good friendship with Bitzer, though this does not stop him from playing pranks on him at times. His vocal effects are performed by Justin Fletcher.
*Bitzer is the farmer's long-suffering but loyal sheepdog, dressed for work in a blue knit cap, black collar, knitted wristlet, and large official-looking wrist-watch, carrying a clipboard and walking upright or on all fours as needed. He communicates, canine-fashion, via barks, growls, and the occasional whimper. He also gives instructions to the flock by blowing a whistle. He once bought a bike for himself, and later versions prove this bike to be a BMW 365 duplex. Despite a tendency to be caught listening to music, he takes his job very seriously, to the point of occasionally letting his power go to his head. He is, however, a generally good friend to Shaun and does his best to keep the whole flock out of trouble. His vocal effects are performed by John Sparkes.
*Shirley is the largest member of the flock. A gentle giant, she is usually seen placidly eating, though she's intimidating enough to have defended Shaun from Pidsley the cat. She's so big that large objects routinely disappear into her fleece, and she quite often gets stuck herself, needing the other sheep to push, pull, or even sling-shot her out of trouble. However, her size can also come in very handy when what's needed is a battering ram or similarly immovable object. She is a devoted eater, blindly charging towards food, even if it isn't even food in the first place. Her size came from her eating, yet it has been proven that by following a diet and exercising, she can become as thin as Shaun. Her vocal effects are performed by Richard Webber.
*Timmy, Shaun's cousin, is the flock's only lamb and thus often the innocent centre of the chaos. Timmy often tries to be like Shaun. His personality is often contrasting: sometimes he acts responsibly and understands what the older sheep say; other times, he acts like a normal baby, sobbing when something is taken from him or scares him. He's a toddler in the series and is often seen sucking a dummy. The spin-off series '' Timmy Time'' chronicles his later adventures in preschool. His vocal effects are performed by Justin Fletcher.
*Timmy's Mother, Shaun's aunt, wears curlers in her topknot and is a bit careless about maternal duties, even using Timmy once as a makeshift paintbrush. But when her offspring goes astray, she is inconsolable until he is safely back in her care. Her vocal effects are performed by Kate Harbour.
*Nuts is quite an eccentric, but useful sheep and usually, like the rest of the flock, accompanies and helps Shaun. But the thing that makes him stand out from the flock is that he has two different-sized eyes and a different-shaped nose. His vocal effects are performed by Andy Nyman.
*Hazel is a timid sheep who jumps at the slightest thing and can frequently be heard bleating nervously. When Farmer's caravan rolls off towards the city, Hazel can barely contain her fear – this is the stuff of nightmares! But when she finds herself carried along with the rest of the Flock in hot pursuit of a runaway caravan, Hazel discovers she's much braver than she ever imagined, and that while living in the city might be scary, it's good to face your fears now and again. Her vocal effects are performed by Emma Tate.
*The Flock, like typical sheep, tend to follow Shaun and one another, are obedient to orders, and generally form one big happy if sometimes fractious family group. Unlike Shaun, however, they are not particularly bright, which becomes a problem when combined with their ongoing fascination with the human world. It's usually Shaun and Bitzer who sort out the resulting mess.
*The Farmer is a bespectacled, balding man who runs the farm with Bitzer at his side and acts as the flock's primary if unwitting nemesis. His livestock's main concern is to ensure he remains completely oblivious to their unusual sentience, a task made easier by his conventional, unobservant nature but complicated by his enthusiasm for picking up new hobbies. He can be heard frequently making wordless noises, speaking gibberish, or muttering under his breath just audibly enough for the viewer to pick up on his meaning. His disastrous attempts at dating are a running joke of the series. In the 2015 movie, he is referred to as Mr X by those who don't know his identity. In the episode "Karma Farmer", it is revealed that the farmer has a twin. He is voiced by John Sparkes.
*The Naughty Pigs, whose pen is adjacent to the sheep field, are bullies to Shaun and his flock, always trying to antagonize them and get them into trouble. They are, however, scared of Bitzer (though they still take the chance to bully him whenever possible). They communicate through oinks and squeals like actual pigs. They're vocal effects are performed by John Sparkes and Justin Fletcher.
*Pidsley is the Farmer's orange cat, a minor character (without fur) in Series 1 and the main antagonist of Series 2, who makes his last appearance in "We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas". In Series 2, he desires to be the sole recipient of the Farmer's attention and thus is jealous of Bitzer. He also dislikes the sheep, thinking of them as stupid and beneath him. He communicates through meows and purrs like an actual cat. His vocal effects are performed by Justin Fletcher.

Other

*Mower Mouth is a goat who first appears in the episode of the same name. He is an unstoppable eating machine. While not an unfriendly character, all of his considerable energy is focused on his next meal. He thus routinely causes trouble for Shaun and the flock. His vocal effects are performed by Justin Fletcher.
*The Bull is belligerent, powerful and easily provoked by Shaun's antics and the colour red. He first appears in the episode of the same name. His vocal effects are performed by Richard Webber.
*The Ducks make frequent appearances. In Series 1, a single duck gets into predicaments due to Shaun's exploits in "Off the Baa!", "Bathtime" and "Tidy Up". Sometimes, he is seen with his lady friends. In Series 2, there are two ducks; in Series 3, they have once again been replaced with a single, pure white duck.
*The Aliens appear in "The Visitor", "Shaun Encounters", "Caught Short Alien" and "Cat Got Your Brain" and briefly in "Spring Lamb". They are green and have one large eye on the top of their head. Despite their advanced scientific technology, which frequently causes trouble for the farm animals, they exhibit human-like behaviour and generally cheerful personalities.
*The Granny is a short-tempered, short-sighted old lady, appearing in "Take Away" and "Save the Tree". She also appears in "Two's Company", holding a cart, and "The Big Chase", forcing the pigs to give her a lift in their car. She is renowned for hitting people (or animals) with her handbag when they annoy her by mistake.
*The Pizza Delivery Boy is a young man who rides a moped (which Bitzer often "borrows" to chase after the sheep) and works in the local pizzeria. He also works as a postman in "Saturday Night Shaun".
*The Farmer's Girlfriend appears for the first time in Series 2. She appears to be adventurous and an animal lover, patting Bitzer and Shaun and offering food to Timmy.
*The Farmer's Niece appears in "The Farmer's Niece" (her debut), "Bitzer's New Hat" and "The Rabbit". She appears to be a fan of horses and irritates Shaun, Bitzer, and the flock. The Farmer's Niece is also a spoiled brat, as she screams and wails every time things don't go her way. She is also one of the few humans who know what the flock is up to.

Production

The show was produced by Aardman Animations and was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation
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