Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham will lead the cast of a half-hour animated special airing on the BBC and BBC iPlayer this Christmas, Tiddler.
The BBC and Magic Light Pictures have adapted the film from the U.K.’s number one picture book creators, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, following a small grey fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep wide ocean — until he’s saved by his own storytelling.
The cast, led by Waddingham (Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones) as the narrator, also stars Lolly Adefope (Ghosts, Saltburn) as Miss Skate, Jayde Adams (Ruby Speaking, Alma’s Not Normal) as Plaice and other characters, plus Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey, The Trip) in the multiple voice roles of Fisherman, Whale, Starfish and Anchovy. The special will also feature the voices of child actors Reuben Kirby in the title role and Theo Fraser as Johnny Dory.
The film is described as “an underwater adventure about the power of imagination and finding confidence in yourself — and how to be content as a little fish in a big ocean.”
Waddingham said: “Voicing the narrator for this Christmas special from Magic Light Pictures has been a real joy to record. Tiddler is the tale of the storyteller in all of us, and helps children understand what it’s like to be a small fish in a very big pond (and we’ve all felt THAT in life!) I have loved reading the books by Julia and Axel to my daughter over the years and it’s so lovely to get to bring one of them to screen in this beautiful animation.”
Author Julia Donaldson added: “Tiddler is all about storytelling and big imaginations — things that are really important to me as a writer. The film captures the heart of the story and brings it to life with a fantastic cast, I’m particularly impressed by the young child actors who take the lead in this adaptation.”
Tiddler is adapted from the successful picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The film is the 12th animated special of their work to be produced by Magic Light Pictures for the BBC. Last year’s animation saw an audience of 8.6 million tune in to watch Tabby McTat.