HALIFAX and LONDON – DHX Media and King Bert Productions announced Tuesday that the new live-action series, Malory Towers, has been greenlit by CBBC, the BBC’s channel for children aged 6-12, and DHX Television’s Family Channel.
The (13×30’) series is based on the book series of the same name by Enid Blyton and follows 12-year-old Darrell Rivers as she leaves home for the first time to attend an all-girls’ boarding school. Principal photography on Malory Towers begins this month in Toronto, and will shift to the UK in September 2019. The series is expected to premiere on CBBC and Family Channel in 2020.
“We’re thrilled to add Malory Towers to our strong slate of live-action shows for kids and families. The enduring popularity of Enid Blyton’s novels illustrates that her stories are as relevant today as the day they were written,” said Michael Goldsmith, executive producer at DHX Media.
Set in the 1940s on the sun-drenched cliffs of the Cornish coast, Malory Towers (an official Canada-UK treaty co-production) explores this nostalgic world of midnight feasts, lacrosse, pranks, and lasting friendships. For a contemporary audience, the show is both aspirational and inspirational, telling the story of universal experiences include shifting cliques, FOMO, bullying, crushes, peer pressure, and self-doubt, says the press release.
