AWARD-winning Belfast-based animation company Sixteen South has begun filming for a new live action children's sitcom which is set to premiere on RTE this autumn.
The BAFTA Independent Production Company of the Year said RTE would be the lead broadcaster for 'WildWoods' – a new comedy series aimed at four to seven year-olds.
Filmed in forest locations across Ireland, the programme aims to encourage children to take a 'digital break' by re-discovering the great outdoors – with a little help from Sasquatch 'city boy' puppet Cooper and a nature-loving sugar glider called Poppy.
The company is working closely with Tourism Ireland to identify the best filming locations including cliff-tops, valleys, mountains and deep forests to "show off the very best of Ireland".
"We are thrilled to have RTE on board as lead broadcaster for WildWoods as it is a very special comedy series that’s been almost eight years in the making," said Colin Williams, creative director at Sixteen South.
"It features two funny new characters that we hope will encourage children to disconnect from their digital devices and reconnect with nature - and the only place to film a show like that is completely outdoors."
The production, funded by Northern Ireland Screen, will also be heading to Australia after the series was sold to national broadcaster ABC Kids, with WDR media group handling the worldwide distribution.
Pauline MacNamara, executive producer, animation and independent commissioning for young people's programming at RTE, said WildWoods promised to be a "luscious comedy treat" for junior viewers.
"It's a winning combination: the classic odd couple - Cooper and Poppy – and the spectacular wild landscapes of Ireland," she said.
"We're very pleased to be part of this grand-scale puppet project with Sixteen South."
Sixteen South produce all their shows in-house and employ over 100 people. In January last year the company invested £1 million in a new 7500 sq ft studio in Belfast.
