Multi-award-winning actress and comedian Catherine Tate (Doctor Who, The Catherine Tate Show, Billionaire Boy) and prolific TV actor Mark Bonnar (Line of Duty, Unforgotten, Tree Fu Tom) lead the talented voice cast for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, which will be available on Sky’s on demand service Sky Kids in the New Year. The TV stars will be joined by newcomer 10-year-old Logan Matthews in the title role and the book series’ creator, Liz Pichon who also presents the ‘draw it’ segments of the show.
A Sky Kids Original series featuring a modular mixed-media magazine format, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is based on the award-winning, multi-million-copy-bestselling Tom Gates books written and illustrated by Liz and published by Scholastic.
The 20 x 11’ series, primarily aimed at kids aged 7-12, is set to premiere on Sky Kids UK & ROI in early 2021, coinciding with the 10th anniversary year of the first Tom Gates book and the publication of the 18th in the series, Tom Gates: Ten Tremendous Tales.
Bringing Tom’s unique and comical world vividly to life, the series features Catherine Tate as the voice of Tom’s long-suffering, relatively sane mother Rita Gates, Mark Bonnar as Tom’s strict, beady-eyed teacher Mr Fullerman and Logan Matthews as master of excuses and doodler extraordinaire Tom Gates. They are joined by Harley Broomfield as Tom’s next-door neighbour and partner in crime Derek, Ahann Gupter as Tom’s arch nemesis and school snitch Marcus, Lily Wedlock as Amy Porter – the classmate that Tom is always trying to impress - and Liz Kingsman as Tom’s dismissive “grumpy” big sister Delia.
Tom Gates fans will be thrilled to see that creator, Liz Pichon appears in the series in the live action art segment. Filmed in Liz’s magical craft den, the segment sees Liz designing incredible ‘Tom-inspired’ artwork and crafts for viewers to try at home.
Catherine Tate said: "The Brilliant World of Tom Gates books have a massive following and I'm looking forward to bringing Rita Gates to life for the books' loyal fans. Like most households with children, the Gates house is a bit of a madhouse and I’m sure the everyday chaos of family life will strike a chord with parents everywhere!”
Mark Bonnar adds: "I am very flattered to have been asked to play a long-suffering, grumpy school teacher in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates. It's great to be involved with such a successful and distinctive series of books and I'm really looking forward to discovering them in more depth and watching the TV series with my kids".
Newcomer Logan Matthews said: “I was amazed when I got this part, I love the books and everyone in my class reads them. It’s so fun playing Tom, it’s brilliant as it’s my first voice over job and I love it.”
Liz Pichon’s award-winning Tom Gates book series has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 45 international territories. The heavily illustrated novels, in handwritten font with Tom’s doodles and pictures embellishing the text, document in hilarious detail his everyday trials and tribulations at home and school, which all kids can relate to.
Liz Pichon, Tom Gates’ creator, said: “The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is exactly the kind of TV show that as a kid I would have completely DEVOURED. The cast is amazing, and I was so excited to see how they brought the characters to life. Now I can't wait for the children to see what we've all been working on.”
Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky UK & ROI, adds: “We are thrilled to have secured such a talented cast to breathe life into Liz Pichon’s quirky, quick-witted cast of characters. This really special series will entertain our audience and encourage them to get crafty and creative too.”
“This is the first time that Tom has appeared on screen and we know there is a generation of children out there who love Tom’s adventures and can’t wait to see him come to life”, said Ken Anderson & Arabella Page Croft of TG Entertainment Ltd Executive Producers on Tom Gates. “We’re delighted to have secured such a talented cast, led by Catherine Tate and Mark Bonnar, to get under the skin of Liz’s comic creations and bring them to life for their many fans”.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is produced by TG Entertainment Ltd – a company jointly owned by Black Camel Pictures and Wild Child Animation – with additional funding support from Screen Scotland. The Executive Producers are Ken Anderson from Wild Child Animation, Arabella Page Croft from Black Camel and author illustrator Liz Pichon and Ian France for Sky, Series Director is George Sawyer, Series Producer is Sueann Rochester and Head Writer on the show is Ben Ward (Horrible Histories). Wild Child Animation provides the animation production services.
Background
For further information contact:
Valerie Taylor
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About TG Entertainment Limited
TG Entertainment Ltd was set up to produce and manage the audio-visual rights, licensing and merchandising rights based on the best-selling book series The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon. The company possesses a wealth of knowledge, talent and experience in kids and family entertainment across: TV, film and animation from its award-winning founders and owners, Arabella Page Croft from Black Camel Pictures (Sunshine on Leith and Falling For Figaro) and Ken Anderson from Wild Child Animation (64 Zoo Lane and Dennis and Gnasher).
About Sky
With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 32,000 employees help connect our customers to the very best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own local, original content.
Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, we plan to double our investment in original content by 2024. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone.
Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, we believe it is our responsibility to do it safely. That’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.
We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 – two decades before we have to – and we’re an inclusive employer recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity. We’re a proud employer – recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our approach to inclusivity.
About Scholastic
For 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children's learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
About Screen Scotland
Screen Scotland is the dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland. Sitting within Creative Scotland, it is a partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success. With funding from Scottish Government and The National Lottery, Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland, through enhanced funding, services and support. Follow us on Twitter @screenscots and @screenscots on Instagram.