Production will commence next month in Victoria on The Spooky Files, a new children’s comedy from the creators of Hardball that is being produced by Tony Ayres Productions (TAP) and Megaboom Pictures.
Co-commissioned by the ABC and BBC, the 10 x 24 min series is an adventure-filled look at the universal experience of childhood fears, featuring a blend of contemporary characters and retro delights from the 80s and 90s.
Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes serve as directors and lead writers on the project, which is being produced by Paul Watters and executive produced by Tony Ayres and Andrea Denholm for TAP.
The series will receive major production investment from Screen Australia and support from VicScreen, with NBCUniversal Global Distribution to manage international sales.
Denholm said she and Ayres had jumped at the chance to work with the “incredibly talented team” behind the program.
“From the creators of Hardball and the creator of Nowhere Boys, The Spooky Files is filled with humour, heart, and mystery and is destined to find a huge and loyal audience,” she said.
“We are thrilled to have the support of ABC ME, CBBC and Universal International Studios in bringing this delightful series to children all over the world.”
Libbie Doherty, ABC head of children’s, said the broadcaster was “enormously proud” to revisit its creative alliance with the BBC and partner with creatives from TAP.
“This brilliant Australian creative team has another hilarious hit on their hands that demonstrates their understanding of the tween audience, their humour, their hang-ups, and how to squeeze the funny out of every moment on screen,” she said.
Patricia Hidalgo, BBC director of children’s and education, also expressed excitement about the collaborators involved.
“This is a great opportunity for us to forge a new working relationship with ABC that will result in brilliant new content for our audience and we look forward to bringing The Spooky Files to CBBC next year,” she said.
Production on The Spooky Files is expected to commence early next month, with the series to air on ABC ME in 2023 and in the UK on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.