Shaun the Sheep

''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion animated silent children's television series which is produced by Aardman Animations. A spin-off in the '' Wallace & Gromit'' franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymous sheep previously starring in '' A Close Shave'' (1995), as the leader of his flock on an English farm. The series premiered on 5 March 2007 on CBBC in the UK, also airing on BBC One and BBC Two. In 2020, the sixth series streamed globally on Netflix. In March 2024, it was announced that a seventh series is was in development; it premiered on 26 May 2025. With 187 episodes over 7 series, ''Shaun the Sheep'' is one of the longest-running animated series in British television.

The series inspired the spin-off '' Timmy Time'', a show aimed at younger viewers that follows Timmy, Shaun's younger 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. A two-part episode titled "Shirleyverse" premiered on 24 May 2025 on CBBC and BBC One. A third feature-length film, ''Shaun the Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom'', is set to be released in 2026.

Plot

Shaun lives with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm, a small farm in Northern England. 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 the sheep 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 having their anthropomorphism being discovered by the farmer.

Characters

Main

*Shaun (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) 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 bleats 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 Shaun from playing pranks on him at times.
*Bitzer (vocal effects by John Sparkes) is the farmer's 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 with barks, growls and the occasional whimper. He also gives instructions to the flock by blowing a whistle. 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.
*The Farmer (voiced by John Sparkes) 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 sapience, a task made easier by his unobservant nature but complicated by his enthusiasm for picking up new hobbies. He can be heard frequently making wordless noises 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 episode "Karma Farmer", it is revealed that the farmer has a twin. In Series 2, he sported a light stubble; this was removed from Series 3 onward. His glasses also changed from round lenses to squared lenses.
*Shirley (vocal effects by Richard Webber) is the largest member of the flock. A gentle giant, she is usually seen placidly eating, though she's intimidating enough to defend Shaun from conflicts like dealing with Pidsley. 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 slingshot 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's not 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.
*Timmy (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) is Shaun's cousin and the flock's only lamb and often the innocent centre of the chaos. Timmy 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, he is prone to tears and something that is taken from him or scares him could set him off. He is a toddler in the series and is often seen sucking a dummy or holding his teddy bear, which he cares for very much. The spin-off series '' Timmy Time'' chronicles Timmy's adventures outside of the farm, as he attends nursery school.
*Timmy's mother (vocal effects by Kate Harbour) and Shaun's aunt wears curlers in her topknot and is a bit careless about maternal duties, like using Timmy as a makeshift paintbrush for example. But when her offspring goes astray, she is inconsolable until he is safely back in her care. She is also unnamed and is referred to as Timmy's mother or mum.
*Hazel (vocal effects by Emma Tate) is a timid sheep who jumps at the slightest thing and can frequently be heard bleating nervously. In the first movie, when the Farmer's caravan rolls off towards the city, Hazel could hardly contain her fear – however, when the flock involve themselves in a hot pursuit of a runaway caravan, Hazel discovers that she's much braver than she ever imagined.
*Nuts (vocal effects by Andy Nyman) is quite an eccentric but useful sheep – and usually, like the rest of the flock, accompanies and helps Shaun. He has two differently-sized eyes and a differently-shaped nose, compared to the other sheep.
*The Twins (vocal effects by Simon Greenall) are two sheep who do almost everything together. The left hand side sheep has a more rounded head while the right hand side sheep's head is a little more flat down.
*The Flock (vocal effects by various) tend to follow Shaun, are obedient to orders, and generally form one big happy (if sometimes fractious) family. Unlike Shaun, however, they are not particularly bright, which becomes a problem when combined with their ongoing fascination with the human world.
*The Pigs (vocal effects by John Sparkes and Justin Fletcher) are bullies to Shaun and his flock, always trying to antagonize them and get them into trouble. They live in their own pen adjacent to their farm. They are, however, scared of Bitzer (though they still take the chance to bully him whenever possible). They communicate via oinks and squeals like actual pigs.
*Pidsley (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) is the Farmer's orange cat, a minor character (without fur) in Series 1 and the main antagonist

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