| Industry | Children's television production |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | ITV Kids (ITV Productions) |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Key people | Anne Brogan, Melanie Stokes |
Kindle Entertainment is an independent children's television production company based in London, England. Kindle was formed after ITV Kids (a section of ITV Productions) was closed, and current personnel includes Anne Brogan, the former controller of ITV Kids. Kindle's first production was a pair of behind-the-scenes documentaries about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, shown before its cinematic release. Kindle was then involved in the live-action children's comedy My Spy Family, which was shown on Boomerang. Kindle currently produces the pre-school puppet-based show Big & Small, shown on over 40 channels worldwide. Big & Small Online, a website about the programme, won a Children's BAFTA in 2009 for best interactive content, and, in the same year, Kindle itself was shortlisted for the best indepent production company. Kindle's first film production, Dustbin Baby, was first shown in December 2008 to critical acclaim, and has, since then, won both an International Emmy and a Children's BAFTA. In late 2009, Kindle launched a new show on CBBC. Jinx follows the story of Lulu Baker, a teenage girl who is able to cast spells from her magic cookbook.
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Kindle is an independent company that was formed upon the closure of the Kids department of ITV Productions.[1] Kindle's director, Anne Brogan, who was formerly controller of ITV Kids, formed the company with her colleague Melanie Stokes, who was formerly Head of Development at ITV Kids.[2][3] Kindle's first productions were Harry Potter: Behind the Magic and Harry Potter: The Costume Drama, shown in July 2009 on ITV1.[4] Harry Potter: Behind the Magic was a one-off one hour documentary presented by Ben Shephard. The documentary looked behind the scenes of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and featured interviews with the cast.[5] Kindle's second project was My Spy Family, a live action children's television series following the Bannons. The Bannon parents are former spies.[4] The show, which spanned multiple series, was a co-production between Kindle and Turner Broadcasting, and was shown on Boomerang.[1]
Kindle's third production is the on-going Big & Small. Shown on BBC1, BBC2 and CBeebies in the UK,[4] it is also shown on Cyw in Wales, with a total of over 40 channels worldwide airing the show.[6] To produce the show, Kindle worked with 3J's Entertainment the BBC, Treehouse TV and Studio 100.[7] Big & Small is a puppet comedy aimed at pre-school children following the characters Big and Small which, every episode, features a song. Both Big and Small are voiced by Lenny Henry, and Imelda Staunton voices the other main characters.[8] Kindle and Start Licensing have made deals to merchandise the programme with indoor- and outdoor-clothing, nightwear and underwear lines.[9] In 2009, Big & Small Online (part of CBeebies Online) was awarded the Children's BAFTA for interactive content. At the same ceremony, Kindle itself was nominated for the Best Independent Production company, but lost out to Astley Baker Davies. The other shortlisted companies were The Foundation and Kudos Film and Television.[10]
Kindle's first film production was the television film Dustbin Baby, shown on BBC1 on 21 December 2008. An adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's novel of the same name,[4] the screenplay was written by Helen Blakeman, for which she won a British Academy Children's Award for best writer,[11] and the film starred Dakota Blue Richards as April, a 14 year old girl abandoned as a baby, and Juliet Stevenson as Marion, her adoptive mother. The film also starred David Haig.[4] Dustbin Baby was received positively by both Wilson, who said it was the best ever film adaption of her work,[12] and critics. In an article in The Times David Chater awarded the programme the TV choice of the day, describing it as "tremendous", and "the wonderful surprise of Christmas".[13] The Telegraph described the film as a "rare treat", as it is "something that teenagers and parents can watch together".[14] The film was released on DVD in January 2009.[15] In 2009, Dustbin Baby won an International Emmy Award in the children and young people category at the 37th International Emmy Awards,[16] and was nominated for a British Academy Children's Award in the drama category,[17] as well as being shortlisted for the BAFTA Kid's vote.[18]
On 31 October 2009, Kindle's show Jinx aired for the first time on CBBC,[19] having been in production since July.[20] The first series consisted of 13 episodes of 30 minutes.[20] Jinx follows the story of Lulu Baker, a teenage girl who is able to cast spells thanks to her magical cookbook, and stars Amber Beattie, Michael Nardone, Lucy Chalkley and Chizzy Akudolu,[19] and featured a large number of special effects.[21] The show is based on the Lulu Baker trilogy by author Fiona Dunbar.[22]
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