M.I. High

M.I. High

Current title card.
Genre Adventure, Spy-Fi, Mystery, Crime, Thriller Action
Created by Olivia Mccrae
Directed by Richard Mark Elson
Toby Haynes
Simon Hook
Mat King
Zam Salim
Starring Jonny Freeman (Series 3–7)
Oyiza Momoh (Series 6–7)
Sam Strike (Series 6-7)
Oscar Jacques (Series 6–7)
Natasha Watson (Series 6-7)
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 88 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) Alison Jackson
Running time 30 minutes approx.
Production company(s) Kudos
Release
Original network CBBC & CBBC HD,
BBC One
Picture format 16:9 1080i HDTV
Original release Original Series:
7 January 2007 (2007-01-07) –
21 March 2011

M.I. High is a BBC children's spy-fi adventure series. It was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Kudos, who also produced the hit BBC spy drama Spooks. It follows in the success of the Young Bond and the Alex Rider series of books and films. M.I. High is recorded in high definition and is shown on the CBBC Channel and CBBC Outputs on BBC One and BBC Two. M.I. High is also shown on the BBC HD Channel. The series also frequently airs in Australia on ABC3.[1] As of October 2012 repeats of the series began airing on the UKTV channel Watch.[2]

Premise

The series follows the adventures of four secondary school pupils who work as undercover spies. The spies are led by M.I.9 agent Frank London (Jonny Freeman) whose cover job is a school caretaker. All other spies' covers have been rumpled up, and the only spies left undercover are those still being trained, including those still enrolled in school. To reach their base 230 feet below the school, they slide a light switch across which reveals a finger print scanner lock. They enter the caretaker's store room and pull a broom which turns the floor into a high-speed lift which changes the spies' clothing and hairstyles. The identity of the overarching villains across Series 1-5, The Grand Master, and Series 6-7, The Mastermind remains a mystery within the show. The team must constantly save the world from domination by a variety of villains, whilst hiding their spy identities from their teachers and peers, and completing their school work.

Production

Writing

Producer of the series Kerry Appleyard revealed that the concept for the show came from the creator and writer of the show Keith Brumpton who had the idea it would be fun to do a kids spy show and worked on the concept that kids find it very hard to keep secrets.[3] MI5 and MI6 did not want the production team to use their names in the television programme but did allow them to use the name of the now defunct MI9 which back in World War II was in charge of covert operations in the UK and overseas and created various gadgets.[3] Producer Kerry Appleyard thought that it was appropriate because the show has a lot of fantastic gadgets.[3]

Casting

Series 1

Series One and Two cast from left: Rose, Blane & Daisy.

When the auditions were held for the main characters of M.I. High, leaflets were sent out to schools and over a thousand kids were seen, from which director Toby Haynes had to choose the main characters.[3] When auditions for the part of Daisy Miller took place there were a hundred children that day to audition.[3] Bel Powley was in the middle of the crowd looking around and she caught Haynes's eye when she was sitting down on the floor and he thought she had confidence, which was exactly what he was looking for.[3]

Rachel Petladwala heard about the audition through the leaflet that was read out in her assembly.[3][4] She and her friends thought they might as well have a go and when she got the part she was astonished.[3] In the audition for Rose Gupta the actress noticed that Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was spelt wrong in the script and she told the Director (Toby Haynes) and he immediately knew she was right for the role.[3]

The main challenge according to Director (Toby Haynes) was taking school children and turning them into actors,[3] so they were given acting coaching before filming began.[3]

Series 6
Oscar Jacques was confirmed to be playing Tom Tupper, the actor went to six auditions before he was told by the producer that he got the part.[5] In June 2012 Paul Bamford was announced to be playing student Roly.[6]

Series 7
It was confirmed that two new characters would be introduced to the seventh series. Megan McGill would be playing the character Lady J and Sandy Bain playing Preston both actors are portraying new students.[7][8]

Filming

Filming for series four and five was confirmed to be located at Selhurst High School in Croydon.[9] The cast of series four Rachel Petladwala, Charlene Osuagwu and Ben Kerfoot reprised their roles.[9] Producer Emma Kingsman-Lloyd said: "Filming at this location was such a success last year that we knew we wanted to return to film series 5."[9]

She also went on to say “The location of the school near to Croydon town centre has meant that we’re ideally situated near to shops and banks and it also has a wide variety of locations – parks, streets and cafes – nearby so we never have to travel very far to find locations for the scenes we film off site.[10]

“But perhaps best of all, Selhurst School only closed last year and has been well maintained since so it’s brilliant.”[10]

Series 7 Cast

Main

Series Seven cast from left Keri, Dan, Aneisha & Tom.

Supporting

Episodes

Season Episodes Original Air Dates
Series Premiere Series Finale
1 10 8 January 2007 5 March 2007
2 13 7 January 2008 24 March 2008
3 13 5 January 2009 30 March 2009
4 13 4 January 2010 15 March 2010
5 13 10 January 2011 21 March 2011
6 13 7 January 2013 25 March 2013
7 13 13 January 2014 31 March 2014

International broadcasts and syndication

List of broadcasters

Country TV Network(s) Translation
 Australia ABC3[1][12]
 Belgium Ketnet[13]
 France BBC France[14]
 Hungary Cartoon NetworkKémsuli
 Italy Rai Gulp[15] Scuola di spie (School of Spies)
 Mexico
 South America 		HBO Family[16][17] Escuela de espías
 Norway NRK Super[18]
 Peru Yups Channel[19] Escuela de espías
 Poland Cartoon Network and Teletoon+ S.A.W. Szkolna Agencja Wywiadowcza (School Intelligence Agency) and M.I. High
Arab World
Middle East
Africa
 Europe 		JeemTV[20] ثانوية الاستخبارات
 Sweden Sveriges Television[21]
 Turkey Kidz TV M.I. Lisesi
 United States PBS[22]
 United Kingdom CBBC[23] & Watch[2]
 Bolivia Bolivicentro
 Dominican Republic Telemicro
 Peru Red TV
 Ecuador RTS

Awards and Nominations

Year Ceremony Category Outcome Notes
2008 Royal Television Society Best Children's Drama Won [25]
2009 Royal Television Society Best Children's Drama Nomination[26]

Merchandise

Books

Books have been released including three novels, a survival handbook and a 2012 annual.

Book Publication Date Publisher Cover photo Notes
M. I. High: A New Generation
31 January 2008[27]
Puffin Books
A Split Picture of Rose, Blane and Daisy.
Paperback
M. I. High: Secrets & Spies
31 January 2008[28]
Puffin Books
A Split Picture of Rose, Blane and Daisy.
Paperback
MI High: Spy Survival Handbook
31 January 2008[29]
Puffin Books
Rose, Blane and Daisy in M.I High Headquarters.
Paperback
M.I. High Annual 2012
1 August 2011[30]
Egmont Books Ltd
Carrie, Oscar and Rose running.
Hardcover

Cancelled Novels

There have been three novels planned but were later cancelled.

Book Publication Date Publisher Cover photo Notes
M.I. High: The Midas Machine
Cancelled
[31][32]
Egmont Books Ltd
Carrie, Oscar and Rose.[33]
Hardcover, written by Dan Roberts. (Originally planned for March 2008, then planned for 2 January 2012)
MI High: Race Against Time
Cancelled[34]
Puffin Books
A Split Picture of Daisy, Blane and Rose.[35]
Paperback (Originally planned for March 2008, then planned for 1 January 2015)
MI High: Dangerous Games
Cancelled[36]
Puffin Books
A Split Picture of Rose, Blane and Daisy.[37]
Paperback (Originally planned for March 2008, then planned for 29 January 2015)

Comic

Release name Release date Author Publisher Notes Ref
Totally… M.I. High 27 January 2011(UK) Caryn Jenner Titan Magazines Included free poster, UV Pen and Notepad.[38] [39]

DVD release

The first series of M.I. High was scheduled to be released on DVD in two five-episode installments. The first of which was released on 21 January 2008 and the second was to follow on 31 March 2008 but was cancelled indefinitely, the rest of the DVD collection has been suspended indefinitely.[40][41] The first DVD includes a documentary about the series (which is made up of various short clips shown during the series on CBBC Extra).

DVD release name Episodes Years of series UK release date

(Region 2)

 North American release date

(Region 1)

 Australian release date

(Region 4)

M.I High: Series 1 Vol 1 S1 Ep 1-5 2007 21 January 2008[42] N/A 2 March 2010[43]

iTunes releases

MI High Series 1-3 has released digitally on iTunes Australia[44][45][46] and Germany, they are presently in Standard-definition.[47][48][49] Series 1-3 is also available in France, they are presently in Standard-definition.[50][51][52]

Netflix releases

Netflix UK, AUS and NZ has released Series 1-3 on their streaming service and they are present in High-definition.[53]

M.I. High games

Whack The Mole!

Starting at the beginning of series two there was a new interactive web experience that could be found at the show's web site. The game was created by Xenophile Media. After gaining access to the Flash-based game with a registration process, players could participate in weekly missions. The missions were tied in with events occurring on the show each week, but the game included video clips that summarised each episode which made it possible for people outside of the broadcast area to play the game as well.

The plot of the game centered around the fictional St. Hope's High School which was the basis of the television programme. There was a mole - self-entitled as 'The Mole' - amongst the students, and it was the job of the player to try to figure out who the rogue agent was. At the successful end of each mission, the list of suspects was narrowed down automatically through the process of elimination by using numerous clues that would be discovered about The Mole's identity (e.g. One clue was that The Mole wore a specific kind of voice-changer that would be placed over one's teeth, people with braces can't wear the voice-changer, therefore all suspects that have braces are eliminated).

The user interface included the Digital Operations Research Assistant (D.O.R.A), which guided players to manipulate various technological tools including a geographic locator and an audio analyzer. Players were given instructions about how to use each of the tools in order to successfully pass the missions.

When a player completed the game, they would discover that The Mole was Suspect Number 9: Panda Strobel and that her secret lair was located in the basement of the abandoned Battersea Power Station situated on the south bank of the River Thames.

When the second M.I. High game Catch The Grand Mistress was released, Whack The Mole! was still available for gameplay alongside Catch The Grand Mistress.

As of January 2014, this game is no longer available for game play as it has been removed from the show's website.

Catch The Grand Mistress

For series 4 and 5, Whack The Mole was relaunched to tie in with the new series. The objective was to locate and capture The Grand Mistress, the main antagonist of Series 4, Episode 2, "The Bunny Whisperer" and Series 5, Episode 2, "The B-Team." Each week, missions would be unlocked and information would be released in each mission to allow the player to eliminate possible bases, which would result in the correct base being located by the end of the game through the process of elimination. Various clues about The Grand Mistress' mistress plan were also scattered throughout the game. For the new game, the graphics were modified and updated, but retained the same high-tech look. D.O.R.A. and the SpyPod were also present in the new game.

When a player completed the game, they would discover that her secret lair was located in the Kingsway telephone exchange and that her mistress plan was to build a particle accelerator to create everlasting batteries for her hypnotic children's toy, the Whoozle Top, not to create a black hole underneath London as the agents first thought.

As of January 2014, this game is no longer available for game play as it has been removed from the show's website.

Spy Skills

For the 2013 relaunch of M.I.High, a new game was launched to tie in with the new series. The objective is to complete missions in different areas of intelligence. The games and their corresponding agents are as follows:

References

  1. 1 2 "Exciting favourites and all new kids programs for ABC3". BBC. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 "M.I. HIGH Watch UK". Watch. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Moustafa Palazli, Danny Jewels, Rachel Petladwala, Bel Powley, Scott Gibbins, Toby Haynes, Kerry Appleyard, Josh Cunliffe (2007). MI High Behind the Scenes (DVD). Contender Home Entertainment. Event occurs at 0:00:00-0:16:00.
  4. ↑ news/hi/newsid_6710000/newsid_6712200/6712277.stm "Webchat: MI High star Rachel Petladwala" Check |url= value (help). BBC News. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Lyons, Beverley (4 February 2013). "Scots schoolboy kept lead role in BBC series M.I High top secret from friends". Daily Record. Scotland. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Paul Bamford joins MI High cast". bananafish.co.uk. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. ↑ MacInnes, John A. (5 January 2014). "Sandy's Success in CBBC's M.I. High". linlithgowgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  8. ↑ English, Paul (17 January 2014). "Scots girl Megan McGill gets her big television break on hit children's show". Daily Record. Scotland. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Rangel, Silvana (1 August 2010). "NEWS MI High comes to Croydon". thisislocallondon.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  10. 1 2 "CBBC M.I.High spy kids move top secret HQ to Croydon". croydonguardian.co.uk. 20 August 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "M.I.High" The Dark Wizard (2013) - Full cast and crew
  12. ↑ "M.I. High Australia". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  13. ↑ "M.I. High Belgium". Ketnet. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "M.I. High France". BBC France. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "M.I. High Italy". Rai Gulp. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "M.I. High Mexico". HBO Family. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "BBC Worldwide rocks Latin America with music programming sale to HBO". BBC. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "M.I. High Norway". NRK Super. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "M.I. High Peru". nextvlatam.com. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  20. ↑ "M.I. High Qatar". JeemTV. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  21. ↑ "M.I. High Sweden". Sveriges Television. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  22. ↑ "BBC Worldwide America announces landmark Spooks syndication deal with PBS". BBC]. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  23. ↑ "M.I. High United Kingdom". BBC]. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  24. ↑ "M.I. High HBO Asia". HBO. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  25. ↑ "Programme Awards Winners 2008". Royal Television Society. 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Programme Awards Winners 2009". Royal Television Society. 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  27. ↑ Zucker, Jonny (2008). M. I. High: A New Generation. Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-132361-2. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  28. ↑ Zucker, Jonny (2008). M. I. High: Secrets & Spies. Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-132362-0. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  29. ↑ Dungworth, Richard (2008). MI High: Spy Survival Handbook. Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-132363-9. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  30. ↑ M.I. High Annual 2012. Egmont Books Ltd. 2011. ISBN 1-4052-5972-8. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  31. ↑ "M.I. High Book 1: The Midas Machine - Cancelled". egmont.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  32. ↑ "The Midas machine by Roberts, Dan". catalogue.sefton.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  33. ↑ "The Midas Machine (M. I. High)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  34. ↑ Zucker, Jonny (2015). Race Against Time: No. 3 ("M. I. High") Paperback. Puffin. ISBN 978-0141323640. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  35. ↑ "MI High: Race Against Time". Puffin Books. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  36. ↑ Zucker, Jonny (2015). Dangerous Games ("M. I. High") Paperback. Puffin. ISBN 978-0141323657. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  37. ↑ "MI High: Dangerous Games". Puffin Books. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  38. ↑ "Issue 8 M.I. High". titanmagazines.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "Titan Launch Totally M.I. High Magazine". titanmagazines.com. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  40. ↑ "M.I. High: The Sinister Prime Minister and Other Adventures". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  41. ↑ "M.I. High: Super Blane and Other Adventures". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  42. ↑ "MI High - The Sinister Prime Minister and Other Adventures [2007] [DVD]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  43. ↑ "M.I.High - Series 1: Episodes 1-5". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  44. ↑ "MI High, Series 1 AU". iTunes Store. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  45. ↑ "MI High, Series 2 AU". iTunes Store. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  46. ↑ "MI High, Series 3 AU". iTunes Store. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  47. ↑ "MI High, Series 1 DE". iTunes Store. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  48. ↑ "MI High, Series 2 DE". iTunes Store. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  49. ↑ "MI High, Series 3 DE". iTunes Store. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  50. ↑ "MI High, Series 1 FR". iTunes Store. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  51. ↑ "MI High, Series 2 FR". iTunes Store. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  52. ↑ "MI High, Series 3 FR". iTunes Store. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  53. ↑ "M.I. High 2007". Netflix. Retrieved 9 April 2013.

External links

Oversea Broadcasters

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