Sarah & Duck

Sarah & Duck
Sarah (left), Duck (right)
Genre	Children's television series
Created by	Sarah Gomes Harris Tim O'Sullivan
Written by	Sarah Gomes Harris Benjamin Cook
Directed by	Tim O'Sullivan
Voices of	Tasha Lawrence Roger Allam Lesley Nicol Andy Nyman Pete Gallagher David Carling Tim O'Sullivan
Composer(s)	Tim O'Sullivan & Tanera Dawkins
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	80
Production
Producer(s)	Jamie Badminton
Editor(s)	Graham Silcock
Running time	7 minutes
Production company(s)	Karrot Entertainment
Distributor	BBC Worldwide
Release
Original network	CBeebies
First shown in	UK
Original release	18 February 2013 – present
External links
Sprout Online: Sarah & Duck

Sarah & Duck is a British animated children's television series created by Sarah Gomes Harris and Tim O'Sullivan,^[1] and produced by Karrot Entertainment for the BBC.^[2] Though designed as a story-driven animation primarily targeted at 4-6 year old children since premiering at MIPCOM, the series has a huge adult audience.^[3] It was first broadcast on the UK CBeebies channel on 18 February 2013;^[4] a total of 80 episodes have been commissioned, Series 1 and 2 having 40 each.^[5]

On 17 June 2015 it was renewed for a third series.^[6]

Premise

The series follows the adventures of Sarah, a very kind, polite seven-year-old girl, with big eyes, rosy cheeks and a green hat,^[7] and her best friend Duck, a Mallard. The central theme is the relationship between these two characters and the adventures they have together. CBeebies state that the show has two learning themes: 'Friendship and imagination' and 'Problem Solving'.^[8]

Cast and characters

Name	Voice cast[9]	About
Sarah	Tasha Lawrence[10]	She is a very kind, polite and somewhat eccentric seven-year-old[10] girl. She is best friends with Duck. She plays the tuba, likes sea cows and drinks lemon water.
Duck		He is Sarah's quacky, flappy best friend. Duck wants to be a penguin and has a toy robot. He turns two years old in series 1.[11]
Narrator	Roger Allam[12]	He talks to Sarah & Duck, asks them questions and gives them suggestions.
Scarf Lady	Lesley Nicol[13]	She is a forgetful old lady who loves knitting. She lives in a house full of woollen items. She has a talking knitting bag and a pet donkey.
Bag	Andy Nyman	He is Scarf Lady knitting bag. He corrects Scarf Lady when she gets confused.
Donkey	N/A	He is Scarf Lady's pet. He looks sad but isn't really.

Other characters

• John is Sarah's Japanese friend voiced by Luca Pilkington Massey.
• Flamingo is John's pet voiced by Tim O'Sullivan.
• The Shallots are planted by Sarah & Duck in the first episode. There are three similar-sized and one tiny one. The three repeat the same phrase when spoken to while the tiny one says a variation thereof. They live in Sarah's front garden by the door, and are voiced by Tim O'Sullivan and Tony Clarke.
• Rainbow makes friends with Sarah & Duck after a rain shower. He is very tickly, and voiced by David Carling.
• Moon first meets Sarah & Duck at the Big Shop when he is heading to work at night. He is voiced by Pete Gallagher.
• Umbrella is scared of the rain and voiced by Jamie Oram.
• Bug is a large ladybird that lives in Sarah & Duck's house plant and collects buttons.
• The Ribbon Sisters are Sarah & Duck's quiet next-door neighbours wearing differently-coloured large sunglasses. They like to play with ribbons and are voiced by Kiki Brooks.
• Scooter Boy has a scooter he never actually rides. He is voiced by Dylan Issberner.
• Plate Girl carries a plate with her at most times and is voiced by Yaeli Miller.
• Cake helps bake and is voiced by Andy Nyman.

Production

The series is produced using computer-assisted animation techniques and the CelAction2D package.^[14]

A second season began airing on 11 August 2014.

Broadcast

BBC Worldwide have secured global distribution and merchandising rights for the new show and will air it to BBC Worldwide's network of channels.^[15] On 19 August 2013, Sarah & Duck was first broadcast in the U.S., on Sprout. The first series of Sarah & Duck has also aired in Japan (NHK), Norway (NRK), Sweden (SVT), Finland (YLE), Germany (KiKa), Portugal (RTP), Iceland (RUV), the Netherlands (NPO) and Israel (HOP).^[16] In Canada it is broadcast on the Family Jr. channel.^[17]

Episodes

Series 1 2013

No.	Title[18]	Original UK air date[19]
1	"Lots Of Shallots"	18 February 2013
Sarah and Duck find some free seeds in their newspaper and plant them to see what grows.
2	"Sarah, Duck And The Penguins"	19 February 2013
Duck wants to be a penguin, so Sarah decides it is time for a trip to the zoo.
3	"Cheer Up Donkey"	20 February 2013
Donkey looks a little sad and Sarah and Duck try to find out why.
4	"Cake Bake"	21 February 2013
Sarah and Duck try their hand at baking a cake for Duck.
5	"Bouncy Ball"	22 February 2013
Sarah's brand new bouncy ball has a rather unexpected problem.
6	"Robot Juice"	25 February 2013
Duck accidentally breaks his favourite toy robot, so Sarah decides to help him improvise while she fixes the robot.
7	"Scarf Lady's House"	26 February 2013
Scarf Lady welcomes Sarah & Duck to her house full of scarves.
8	"Rainbow Lemon"	27 February 2013
Sarah & Duck head to a breakfast picnic with a colourful new friend.
9	"Sit Shop"	28 February 2013
Duck's chair breaks so Sarah & Duck take the bus to the chair shop to look for a new one.
10	"Kite Flight"	1 March 2013
On a windy day, Sarah and Duck try to get their new kite to fly.
11	"Umbrella And The Rain"	18 March 2013
Sarah finds an umbrella that doesn't seem to like the rain.
12	"Big Shop"	19 March 2013
Sarah and Duck visit a large department store, looking for some new toys.
13	"Woolen Music"	20 March 2013
Scarf Lady's Jukebox inspires Scarf Lady to knit an instrument band.
14	"Doubles"	21 March 2013
Sarah and Duck try to play a tennis doubles match, but are two players short.
15	"Fairground"	22 March 2013
A Fairground is being held in the park, but Sarah & Duck can't find their bench. They take a ride on a ferris wheel with Moon and locate it. Moon had trouble squeezing into his safety belt.
16	"Sarah Gets A Cold"	25 March 2013
When Sarah has a cold, Duck helps her enjoy a visit to the doctors.
17	"Ribbon Sisters"	26 March 2013
Sarah and Duck are exercising but the neighbours need their help.
18	"Coloured Light"	28 March 2013
Rainbow's colourful glow inspires an art project.
19	"Stargazing"	29 March 2013
Sarah and Duck are excited about seeing some shooting stars.
20	"Strawberry Souffle"	27 March 2013
Sarah and Duck work together to make a delicious souffle.
21	"Camera"	12 August 2013
Inspired by a nature documentary, Sarah and Duck attempt to take photographs of birds.
22	"Tapping Shoes"	13 August 2013
Sarah needs some new shoes, but picks out a very unusual pair.
23	"Bobsleigh"	14 August 2013
Sarah and Duck learn to Bobsleigh and have a speedy, snowy adventure with Scarf Lady's help.
24	"Fireworks Dance"	15 August 2013
A game of hide and seek takes longer than usual when Duck gets scared by some fireworks.
25	"Fancy Park"	16 August 2013
When their local park is closed, Sarah and Duck try to find a suitable alternative.
26	"Pipe Conductor"	19 August 2013
Sarah and Duck are woken up by a loud clanging overhead and decide to investigate the noise.
27	"Slow Quest"	20 August 2013
Tortoise is on a mission straight through Sarah and Duck's house! The pair try to find out what he wants.
28	"World Bread Day"	21 August 2013
When there's a bread festival in the park, Sarah & Duck find themselves part of an exciting treasure hunt.
29	"Pond Princess"	22 August 2013
Sarah becomes princess for a day by the ducks in the park because she feeds them so well, so she tries to work out what her royal duties should be!
30	"Scared of Stairs"	23 August 2013
John and Flamingo get invited around to Sarah and Duck's house, but Sarah and Duck must help John get over his fear of stairs.
31	"Balloon Race"	4 November 2013
Scarf Lady takes to the skies in a knitted hot air balloon to race against her old sporting friend, the Hat Man.
32	"Puncture Pump"	5 November 2013
When their tandem bike gets a flat tire, Sarah and Duck hope to get help from the local bike shop.
33	"Plate Fog"	6 November 2013
Sarah and Duck turn into detectives when their friend, Plate Girl, loses her plate on a foggy day.
34	"Moon Paint"	7 November 2013
Sarah and Duck give Moon painting lessons after being inspired by a trip to the Art Gallery.
35	"The Play"	8 November 2013
Sarah and Duck dress up as each other and decide to perform a play!
36	"Bread Bike"	11 November 2013
Sarah and Duck help the local baker make deliveries.
37	"Bug's Button Bank"	12 November 2013
Bug's plant is looking droopy, but his button collecting seems to be the cause of the problem...
38	"No More Wool"	13 November 2013
Scarf Lady has run out of wool so Sarah and Duck help her get more by harvesting some, but not from a sheep, but from a wool-growing tree.
39	"Octagon Club"	14 November 2013
Sarah decides that octagons are her favorite shape, so she decides to find some things that are that shape. But when she can't find anything that is octagon-shaped, she decides to get her friends to help her.
40	"Petal Light Picking"	19 December 2013
Sarah wants some special lights for her Christmas tree and Bug knows where she might find some.

Series 2 2014–15

No.	Title	Original UK air date
41	"Outside Outside"	11 August 2014
The Shallots want to explore beyond the front garden, so Sarah comes up with a plan.
42	"Umbrella Bubbles"	12 August 2014
After getting muddy, Umbrella has to brave his fear of getting wet and take his first bath!
43	"Cloud Tower"	13 August 2014
A search for shade on a hot day leads Sarah and Duck to discover a fascinating tower in the park.
44	"Sound Jumble"	14 August 2014
When Sarah hears some interesting music on the radio, she and Duck try and recreate it.
45	"The Mouse's Birthday"	15 August 2014
Sarah is hoping for a nice, quiet birthday, but does not get her wish once her friends arrive.
46	"Tortoise Snooze"	14 October 2014
Sarah & Duck help Tortoise prepare to hibernate.
47	"Fast Slow Bungalow"	21 October 2014
John and Flamingo ask Sarah and Duck over for rice cakes and invite them to play their favourite game.
48	"Bags of Bags"	28 October 2014
Sarah and Duck help Scarf Lady find her Bag after she misplaces him in the Big Shop.
49	"Ribbon Fall"	4 November 2014
The Ribbon sisters invite Sarah and her feathered friend to the park for their favourite seasonal event.
50	"Garden Gaming"	11 November 2014
Duck is getting frustrated with the controls on his computer game Mister Jump Bread versus The Monster Toast, so Sarah creates a more bird-friendly game that Duck can play.
51	"Seacow Snow Trail"	16 December 2014
Sarah and Duck have received some Christmas presents and are keen to find out who delivered them.
52	"Origami Overload"	27 January 2015
John is excellent at origami, but he is having a little trouble with his flamingos.
53	"Shallot Circus"	28 January 2015
The Shallots have discovered acrobatics and are inspired by the Ribbon Sisters to put on a show.
54	"Toy Tidy"	29 January 2015
Duck is being extremely untidy with his toys, so Sarah works out a way to turn tidying up into a game.
55	"Plate Escape"	30 January 2015
Sarah, Duck and Plate Girl discover some unusual inhabitants at the Big Shop.
56	"The Big Sleepover"	3 February 2015
Sarah invites some friends around for a sleepover, but it is hard to sleep when you get to thinking about things.
57	"Paisley Sea"	4 February 2015
Sarah and Duck's bus is diverted on its way to the zoo, and it makes a couple of important stops underwater.
58	"Duck's Quack"	5 February 2015
Duck loses his voice, so Sarah sets about getting him a new one.
59	"Rainbow's Niece"	6 February 2015
Rainbow tells Sarah about his niece, whom he misses very much. So, Sarah and the Cloud Captain work hard to create a rare a Double Rainbow.
60	"Decorating Donkey"	10 February 2015
It is time for Tortoise to wake up from his sleep, so Sarah and Duck arrange a wake-up party. Donkey, however, finds the decorations very tasty.
61	"Duck Hotel"	11 February 2015
Duck wins a trip to a fancy duck hotel. Sarah goes along too, but finds it hard to relax when everything is designed for ducks.
62	"Parasol Show"	12 May 2015
Sarah and Duck accompany umbrella to a parasol show to meet up with his pen pal. Instead, he meets an intriguing new prospect.
63	"Extra Bounce"	13 May 2015
John has a bouncy ball that is just too bouncy. Sarah and Duck take him to the ball dispenser and encounter many balls that bounce a little differently.
64	"Cake Relocate"	14 May 2015
Cake is tired of living in the fridge, so Sarah and Duck help him think about where else he would like to stay.
65	"Lost Librarian"	15 May 2015
The librarian has lost his big reference book and Sarah thinks her toy periscope might help with the search.
66	"Scooter Stand Still"	19 May 2015
Scooter Boy gets his confidence knocked after a small accident, so Sarah and Duck help him to get it back.
67	"Music Fixer"	20 May 2015
Sarah's tuba is making some very peculiar sounds, so a trip to the Music Shop is in order.
68	"Wool on Wheels"	21 May 2015
Scarf Lady holds a knitted treats sale in the park, but the weather causes a problem...
69	"Lemon Cafe"	22 May 2015
Sarah and Duck discover a Lemon Cafe in the park, but it seems to be nearly closing time.
70	"Star Renovation"	21 August 2015
Venus has attempted to redecorate the night sky, causing confusion.
71	"Woollen Memories"	28 August 2015
Sarah and Duck decide to recreate the footage from Scarf Lady's old film reels.
72	"Beach Break"	31 August 2015
Sarah and Duck decide to spend a day at the beach and plan to build some sand animals.
73	"Bubble Bumbling"	4 September 2015
The Bubble Man is in town so a visit to the Big Shop is in order.
74	"Toggle Tangle"	11 September 2015
After Sarah helps Scarf Lady prepare the wool for her roof, she settles down for a sleep.
75	"Tummy Talk [20]"	27 November 2015[lower-alpha 1]
When Sarah forgets her sandwich, her rumbling tummy inadvertently starts a conversation with a frog.
76	"Moon's Exhibition"	1 December 2015[lower-alpha 1]
A trip to the art gallery unexpectedly helps Duck with the hunt for his lost toy Rhino.
77	"Pond Prose"	2 December 2015[lower-alpha 2]
Sarah is inspired by listening to a poetry record and decides to make up some poetry of her own.
78	"The Art of Pink [21]"	3 December 2015[lower-alpha 3]
The art gallery holds a celebration of the colour pink and Sarah is keen to take part.
79	"Bug Bop"	4 December 2015[lower-alpha 4]
Bug and his friends lead the duo to their outdoor music concert.
80	"Duck Flies [22]"	15 December 2015[23] [lower-alpha 5]
When Duck decides to migrate, Sarah remembers the day she and Duck met.

Reception

A pilot for Sarah & Duck was first aired at the Cartoon Forum 2010 ^[24] where it was warmly received. The series was an immediate hit in the UK, and the first four episodes were the most popular pre-school programmes of their week on the BBC catch-up TV service, iPlayer.^[25]

The first episode 'Lots of Shallots' was part of the official selection for the 2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.^[26]

In October 2013 Sarah & Duck was nominated for a Children's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the pre-school animation category.^[27] The BAFTA was awarded to Timmy Time.

In January 2014 Sarah & Duck was nominated in the pre-school category of the British Animation Awards.^[28]

In November 2014, with a second nomination, Sarah & Duck won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the pre-school animation category.^[29]

Notes

1. Aired on Sprout in the US on 10 October 2015.
2. Aired on Sprout in the US on 15 October 2015.
3. Aired on Sprout in the US on 17 October 2015.
4. Aired on Sprout in the US on 14 October 2015.
5. Aired on Sprout in the US on 19 October 2015.

References

1. "Sarah and Duck official site". Karrot Entertainment. 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
2. "Skwigly - Sarah & Duck CBeebies latest hit!". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
3. Siti Syameen Md Khalili (3 December 2012). "TRENDS: Connecting through humour". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
4. BBC Media Centre (2013). "Roger Allam and Lesley Nicol provide voice talent as Sarah & Duck waddles onto CBeebies". BBC. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
5. Charlotte Scarborough. "Sarah & Duck Series Two commissioned by BBC Worldwide for CBeebies international network". Retrieved 3 October 2013.
6. Patrick Callan. "Sarah & Duck gets third season". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
7. Steve Henderson (2013). "Sarah & Duck – CBeebies latest hit!". Skwigly. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
8. "BBC - CBeebies - Grown-ups - Sarah & Duck". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
9. "Toonhound - Sarah and Duck". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
10. "Mid Sussex Times - Haywards Heath's Tasha voices new CBeebies animation". 14 February 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013. Seven-year-old schoolgirl Tasha Lawrence is getting ready for vocal stardom as she breathes life into the lead character of Sarah from brand new CBeebies’ animation Sarah & Duck .. It features the adventures of a seven year old girl, Sarah
11. "Cake Bake". Sarah & Duck. Season 1. Episode 4. 21 February 2013.
12. "BBC - Media Centre - Roger Allam and Lesley Nicol provide voice talent as Sarah & Duck waddles onto CBeebies". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
13. "Lesley Nicol - Curriculum Vitae". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
14. "Sarah and Duck premieres on CBeebies UK". Karrot Animation. 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
15. "BBC Press Office - BBC Worldwide commissions Sarah & Duck for CBeebies around the world".
16. "On Screen Asia: BBC Worldwide commissions "Sarah & Duck" S2 for CBeebies". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
17. "Sarah and Duck". FamilyJr.Ca.
18. "Sarah & Duck Episode Guide - TV.com". Retrieved 17 October 2013.
19. "Sarah & Duck Official Facebook". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
20. zap2it.com http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/sarah-and-duck-tummy-talk/EP017787110095?aid=zap2it. Missing or empty |title= (help)
21. zap2it.com http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/sarah-and-duck-the-art-of-pink/EP017787110097?aid=zap2it. Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. zap2it.com http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/sarah-and-duck-duck-flies/EP017787110098?aid=zap2it. Missing or empty |title= (help)
23. "Want to know how Sarah & Duck first met? You'll get the answer in 'Duck Flies'- Tues 15th Dec 5:25pm on CBeebiesHQ!". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
24. "Karrot Annimation - Sarah and Duck launches at cartoon forum". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
25. "Karrot Animation - Sarah & Duck make the top four slots on BBC iPlayer". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
26. "Annecy - Official Selection". Retrieved 18 April 2013.
27. "British Academy Children's Awards listing". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
28. "BBC News: Bill Nighy nominated for British Animation Award". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
29. "British Academy Children's Awards listing". Retrieved 27 November 2014.

External links

• Official website
• Sarah & Duck at the BBC
• Karrot Entertainment
• Sarah & Duck series Launch trailer
• Sarah & Duck at the Internet Movie Database