Irish animator Jam Media wins BBC children’s show commission

The Irish Bafta- winning cartoon studio Jam Media has secured a 52-episode commission to air its new animated series on the BBC.

It is the latest coup for the Dublin-based animation company which has expanded on the back of previous successes, opening a Belfast office.

This announcement means it will now increase its workforce by 50 per cent from 60 to 90.

Its new series “Little Roy” follows on from the original “Roy” which secured Jam’s 2012 Bafta success and which has helped its work reach audiences in more than 100 territories.

“Little Roy” is the subject of a joint BBC commission, to air on both CBBC and CBeebies.

The live action and animated hybrid stars Roy O’Brien as a five-year-old “on a journey of self-discovery through imaginative play”.

A separate deal was also announced by the company for a spin-off series “The Roy Files” on CBBC.

“We are thrilled once again to be working not only with CBBC but also CBeebies to build the franchise together and take the show to a new audience,” Jam Media’s chief executive John Rice said in a statement accompanying the announcement on Thursday.