[Pictured: Makeaway Takeaway for CITV]
BFI announce latest Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF) production slate
Twelve new production awards for preschool to teen commissions from Channel 4, E4, Channel 5, CITV and S4C
Tuesday 7th July: The BFI has today announced the latest production slate of awarded projects through the Government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), demonstrating the positive impact the Fund is having on the youth television sector.
The BFI has confirmed they awarded a total of 18 projects with production funding applications within the YACF's first year, (from April 19-April 20), with a committed spend of £11,520,428. A further seven have been awarded so far in Year 2 (from April 2020- present) although official funding figures for Year two have yet to be released. Awards continue to build exponentially across factual entertainment, drama, current affairs and entertainment and details of further awards made in Year two will be announced in due course.
Following the initial nine projects announced in 2019, the latest slate includes a mix of 12 new series and specials for Channel 4, E4, Channel 5's Milkshake!, CITV and S4C, including cult comedy puppet series Don't Hug Me I'm Scared' (Blink Industries, Channel 4), MakeAway Takeaway' (Dot to Dot, CITV) and Winnie & Wilbur' (Winduna, Milkshake!). This slate also includes two quick turnaround projects for E4, one of which - Letters In Lockdown' - aired in June. The newly announced production projects include a mix of programmes addressing concepts of acceptance and tackling issues impacting young people across the UK, including race, identity, gender, disability and socio-economics, reflective of all UK culture.
Jackie Edwards, Head of the Young Audiences Content Fund at the BFI, said: We're proud of the range of projects we've been able to support within our production slate, nurturing stories and concepts we feel will enrich television for young audiences. Throughout the first year, we have been overwhelmed by the quality of the production applications that have secured a broadcast commission and I'm hugely excited about the exciting new UK talent we have been able to support.
The fund contributes up to 50% of the production costs for projects that have secured a broadcast commitment from a free-to-access, Ofcom regulated service with significant UK-wide audience reach. This exciting second YACF slate embraces all techniques, genres and audiences up to the age of 18, from animation, mixed media and live action and genres including creative arts and crafts, pioneering game shows, surreal comedy, factual and educational programming.
An ever-increasing range of producers and broadcasters are engaging with the Fund. In the first 12 months since its launch in April 2019, the UK production community have submitted 42 applications, all with broadcast commitments, underlining that the Fund has become an integral part of the young audiences production landscape.
The Young Audiences Contend Fund has awarded production funding to the following projects within this slate, summarised by broadcaster:
Channel 4:
Blink Industries' part-educational programming, part-existential nightmare, Don't Hug Me Im Scared'; a mixed-media trip that moves from kids-show pastiche to fever-dream horror in the blink of an eye. Building on the cult YouTube show, which has been viewed over a quarter of a billion times, the Channel 4 series will follow Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck as they continue their disastrous learning journey. This puppet musical extravaganza is helmed by original creators Becky Sloan, Joseph Pelling & Baker Terry.
Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy, Channel 4, said: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is a uniquely pitched show from one of the most creative production companies around. Ideas that come with such a strong identity and established following are incredibly rare but they are really important factors when it comes to making content for younger audiences. We were desperate to endorse this glorious genre-blending-puppet-tour-de-force and with the YACF we found the perfect partners to make that a reality. We're thrilled to be making this series with them both.
E4:
Afro Mic Productions' Letters in Lockdown' captured six incredible stories of young people from across the UK amidst the Covid-19 lockdown who were inspired to write to their loved ones in these challenging times. The series showed first-hand teenagers experiences through their words and how they have coped with the lockdown. Showcasing wellbeing, mental health and mindfulness, this documentary series informed the audience about different people's lives, experiences and points of view, which can be representative, reflective and relatable.
Mothers Best Child's Grime Therapy' (w/t), a brand-new animated series featuring the UK's leading Grime stars, talking openly about mental health, and how to cope with it. They'll draw on personal experience and offer science-based techniques and mental tools to help you deal with things like worry, uncertainty, boredom, loneliness, conflict and anger. Shining a light on mental health issues among teenagers, the series is relatable and representative, giving a platform to under-represented groups from the UK.
Navi Lamba, Digital Commissioning Exec for E4 said: It's been so brilliant harnessing all the creativity inspired in our indie partners over the last few months. We've commissioned a mixture of animation and live action, hearing the stories of real people across the country and those of well-known faces in music and TV.
CITV:
Don't Unleash the Beast', produced by Tiny House Productions and CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, is an ambitious game show set in a mythological underg
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[Pictured: Makeaway Takeaway for CITV]
