“Barry Loser,” the award-winning, million-selling children’s book series from creator Jim Smith, is being adapted into an animated series by the U.K.’s Big Little Fish Television and Italian co-producer Frog Head.
It’s one of the projects that will be pitched to industry reps during the newly launched Animation Series Gap-Financing Market at Rome’s MIA Market.
Based on the Roald Dahl Funny Prize-winning book series that’s been translated into 17 languages, the show – which comprises 52 episodes, each 11 minutes long – follows the comic misadventures of Barry Loser, a lovable middle-schooler with a wonderfully warped imagination. The series, which aims to go into production in 2027, has been picked up in the U.K. by ITVX Kids.
Speaking to Variety ahead of MIA, Big Little Fish CEO Mark Procter described the show as a “passion project” — and one that hits close to home.
“About three years ago, ‘Barry Loser’ was my boy’s favorite title,” said the veteran TV exec. “We were devouring these books every night. He couldn’t get his hands on them fast enough. It would be a joy to lift that from the page and turn it into a TV franchise.”
Launched in 2019, Big Little Fish Television is best known for its catalog of unscripted documentary, though both Procter and COO Georgina Surtees have worked extensively in children’s TV, including both live-action and animation. In 2023, the company produced the 20-part scripted reality family series “Meet the McQueens” for CBBC, and is currently developing a slate of pre-school and older kids’ programming based on both in-house and licensed IP.
Created by Smith, the “Barry Loser” franchise includes 11 books and graphic novels that have sold more than a million copies worldwide. “We’re starting from a good place. The characters are well-rounded. There’s some really funny personalities in there. His home life, his friends and school,” said Procter. “All of those incredible characters and worlds that already exist give us endless opportunities to have a returnable series.”
Set in Mogden, U.K., which is described by the producers as “an ordinary town [with] an extraordinary imagination,” “Barry Loser” turns on the 10-year-old’s ability to make something as mundane as a trip to the store or a visit to grandma’s seem like an epic, over-the-top adventure.
“A lot of the charm of this is Barry’s imagination,” said Procter. “We’re going to stay faithful to the books with a loose, hand-drawn style in 2D. With that comes the opportunity for us to unleash Barry’s imagination and go anywhere with it.
“He lives in an everyday, ordinary town that kids will relate to, but he finds extraordinary adventures within these worlds,” Procter continued. “His everyday challenges lead to fantastical adventures.”
The series is co-produced by Frog Head, an Italian specialist in audiovisual, sound design and animation, and illustrated by Florence-based DogHead Animation, which was founded in 2019 by Movimenti Production and is now a subsidiary of Banijay Kids & Family.
The partnership sprung from a fruitful meeting at MipJunior several years back, said Procter, with the Italians making an irresistible pitch that included photos of the “Barry Loser” series on their own children’s bookshelves.
“That level of enthusiasm matched our own,” he said. “DogHead’s back catalog and experience in producing fast-paced, gag-filled, quick, funny children’s shows — it felt immediately like we were meant to be.”
Given the challenges in financing animated TV series, Surtees acknowledged that accessing Italy’s 40% tax credit was “a big draw,” which combined with the U.K. tax credit gives the producers a leg up heading into the MIA market.
“We’re exploring other co-pro partners that can also bring tax credits to the table to help bridge the deficit gap,” she said, estimating that 60-70% of the budget for “Barry Loser” is already in place. “If we are able to bridge that deficit gap, we are ready to go.” The producers are aiming to close financing by the end of Q1 in 2027 and go into production at the beginning of Q2.
While shoring up the show’s financing is the main goal at this year’s MIA Market, Procter said the team behind “Barry Loser” is just as excited to find creative partners to help the series on its journey to the screen.
“I love the books and ITV love the books. Our Italian co-producers and animators love the idea of it. But it would also be wonderful to sit down and go through the creative process with European partners to ensure that what we love about this works for them, too,” he said.
“We have all of these wonderful worlds and characters. But the idea of sitting down and presenting and then adapting to local needs and wants — all of that is part of the creative development process that we’re really excited to move into,” he continued. “We are hopeful that out of MIA we have some really interesting conversations, to have one or two networks come on board to co-produce to finally get this over the line so that I can be the best dad in the world.”
Rome’s MIA Market runs Oct. 19 – 23.