BBC and RTÉ have commissioned a second series of BeddyByes, the original animated preschool series created and produced by award-winning Irish studio JAM Media.
The new 52 x 11-minute series doubles the total number of episodes to 104. Production is now underway across JAM Media’s studios in Dublin and Belfast, with delivery scheduled for autumn 2027.
The commission comes as BeddyByes prepares to make its retail debut this October, with products from global master toy partner Moose Toys and publishing partners Penguin Random House Children’s Licensing under the Ladybird imprint, and Random House Kids.
Series 2 will take best friends MeMo and BaBa into previously unexplored parts of Planet BeddyByes. New adventures will bring them to the Wild Patch and beneath the Lullaby Lake aboard GoGo Sub, where they will discover an underwater world and meet a playful new octopus, alongside a host of new characters. Each episode will continue to follow MeMo and BaBa as they move from imaginative play and discovery towards the comfort and calm of bedtime.
Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning, CBeebies, says: “BeddyByes brings together everything that makes a great bedtime watch for young children: warmth, imagination and a sense of calm. The series has created a beautiful space where little ones can relax alongside MeMo and BaBa as they prepare for sleep, and these new episodes will offer even more comforting adventures for families to enjoy together.”
Suzanne Kelly, Head of Children’s & Young People’s Content RTÉ, says: “BeddyByes is one of the most important series in our animation offering for preschoolers. It is very difficult indeed within this fragmented and content saturated world to produce a series that feels as if it has always been here. BeddyByes has already achieved this. In one season it has established itself as a firm favourite with both our preschool audience and very importantly their parents. BeddyByes is pitched perfectly and delivers a beautifully crafted warm hug of a series. So much thought and development has gone into this IP and BeddyByes 2 promises to open up a whole new world of adventures in the Wild Patch and aboard the GoGo Sub. RTÉ and our audience are very excited for Season Two!”
John Rice, CEO and co-founder of JAM Media, says: “BeddyByes was created from a simple idea: to make a programme that captures a young child’s imagination while respecting the particular rhythm of the end of their day. The response to the first series has shown us how strongly that idea has connected with children and families.
“For Series 2, our ambition is to make Planet BeddyByes bigger, not louder. The Wild Patch, GoGo Sub and the new underwater world give MeMo and BaBa wonderful new places to explore, while the warmth, humour and reassuring journey towards bedtime remain at the heart of every episode.
“This commission is a major vote of confidence in the show and in the enormously talented teams behind it in Dublin and Belfast. It is also particularly special to announce the new series around Cartoon Forum, where we first introduced BeddyByes to the international industry four years ago.”
The first season has established a growing international footprint. Disney Kids & Family acquired U.S. linear television rights to the series for Disney Jr. and global SVOD rights for Disney+. Broadcast partners also include YLE in Finland, NRK in Norway and ABC in Australia. The series received six nominations and a Best Voice Acting win for Dawn French as Gramma Leeba at Kidscreen, and was named one of the Top 50 shows on Disney+ by the New York Times.
BeddyByes was produced in Belfast with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Ireland and is produced by JAM Media for CBeebies and RTÉ. The Executive Producers for JAM Media are Alan Shannon and John Rice, with Beth Gardiner and Grace Loughrey serving as Executive Producers for CBeebies, and Suzanne Kelly as Executive Producer for RTÉ.
Blue Ant Media handles international distribution and manages the global consumer products programme for BeddyByes, with Bulldog Licensing serving as the property’s UK licensing agent.
Jon Creamer
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