Rob Brydon reunites with Gavin and Stacey stars for new BBC animation
Gavin and Stacey favourite Rob Brydon is reuniting with Alison Steadman and Sheridan Smith for new BBC special The Baddies.
Gavin and Stacey trio Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman and Sheridan Smith are reuniting for a new BBC animation.
The trio have been cast in The Baddies, the latest Magic Light adaptation of Dame Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's work, which will air as a half hour special on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas.
In a press release, the BBC teased: "The Baddies is about the worst Baddies in the world – a troll and a ghost and a witch, who love nothing more than being bad and boasting about it.
"When a girl with a blue spotty hanky moves into a cottage nearby, the Baddies quarrel about all the nasty tricks they want to play on her.
"Then a mouse sets a challenge for the Baddies to see who can steal the hanky.
"Soon they learn that they may have met their match in the little girl.
"Packed with mischief, humour and heart, this fun adventure is a celebration of courage, kindness and the power of standing up to bullies."
Rob, who was cast in The Scarecrows' Wedding last year, will voice Ghost in the special, with Alison playing Witch and Hammed Animashaun as Troll.
Robyn Cara and Francesca Mills have been cast as Girl and Mouse respectively, while Sheridan Smith will be the Narrator.
Dame Julia said: "The Baddies was enormous fun to write because I loved inventing these gloriously wicked characters and then thinking about what might happen when they finally meet someone brave enough to outwit them.
"Magic Light has done a brilliant job bringing the story to life and the cast have captured all the humour, silliness and spookiness perfectly.”
Sheridan added: "I’ve always loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s stories, so it was such a joy to be part of bringing The Baddies to life.
"The film is funny, spooky and full of heart, and the animation is absolutely beautiful.
"I think families are going to have enormous fun watching these wonderful characters causing chaos this Christmas.”
Producer Barney Goodland described The Baddies as a "hilarious and brilliantly anarchic story".
He said: "It's always a treat telling a story with a good villain and in The Baddies we have three!
"We're loving spending time with these characters and our brilliant cast and creative team are really enjoying the comedy.
"The film is going to be a lot of fun for families to enjoy together this Christmas.”
The Baddies is Magic Light Picture's latest adaptation of Dame Julia's picture books for the BBC, following the likes of The Gruffalo and Zog.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, quipped: “It’s with a mix of excitement and trepidation that we welcome The Baddies to BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas.
"I’d like to assure everyone at home that we’ll be working very closely with Julia, Axel and the team at Magic Light to keep viewers safe from Ghost, Witch and Troll’s dastardly deeds.”
