Special documentary, A Grand Night In: The Aardman Story, will air on Boxing Day as part of 40th anniversary celebrations.
Aardman is kicking off the celebrations for its 40th anniversary next year in style – with a special documentary airing on BBC1 on Boxing Day as well as the UK premiere of the new Shaun the Sheep special, The Farmer’s Llamas.
A Grand Night In: The Aardman Story will celebrate the company’s greatest moments, past and present.
It will air at 2.25pm on December 26, straight after Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, and will be part of a full schedule of Aardman films, specials and favourite episodes to be broadcast over the festive period.
The Farmer’s Llamas – the new half hour Shaun the Sheep special – will also premiere on BBC1 on Boxing Day, airing at 6.15pm.
This will begin a year-long celebration for Aardman. It has created a new style guide to bring all its characters together, focusing on the best Aardman on-screen moments from the past 40 years.
In terms of special anniversary product, the company will be concentrating on collectables, publishing, exhibitions and art programmes, along with high quality giftware.
“Also as part of our objective to nurture future generations of talent, we’ll be developing some items that will provide first steps into animation and storytelling,” Rob Goodchild, head of licensing at Aardman, told The Source.
“We’ll be running a full year of events, however we don’t want the celebrations to just be a nostalgia-fest, but also highlight the studio as a contemporary global business, supported by strong IP and the best creative talent.”
