***Embargoed until 10th October 9am GMT***
The series follows a 7-year-old girl, Maddie, who just so happens to have a visual impairment, and her doggy best friend Triggs, as they find music and adventure in the sounds of the everyday by really listening to the world around them.
The family and preschool age show was created by Turnip + Duck, an award-winning studio based in the Republic of Ireland.
Each episode features an original song and rich immersive sound design designed to be engaged with by audiences with visual impairments. Being developed as audio first content, with the first 15 episodes initially released as an award-winning podcast in 2021, means the show is fully accessible even if you can’t see it. Maddie + Triggs will also air on BBC Sounds and RTÉ Radio Player as a podcast series.
The show was built around five core pillars: accessibility, representation, education, empowerment, and collaboration.
The creators’ mission was to create a show whereby if two children, one sighted and one vision impaired, sat down side by side to engage with the show, neither would have a lesser experience. They worked with blind and vision impairment organisations, as well as software developers to establish a visual aesthetic that maximises the accessibility of the content.
The show features new talent in front of and behind camera, including Bonnie O’Meara, the visually impaired star of the show who plays the role of Maddie. The series is narrated by Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls, The Great Pottery Throw Down).
The series also had a team of 5 blind and vision impaired writers, and the production company has run educational programs with National Talent Academy for Animation to support emerging diverse voices with disabilities.
- Producers: Turnip + Duck, in association with Sun & Moon
- Stakeholders: BBC (CBeebies), RTE (RTÉjr), Mediawan Kids & Family, Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán
- Affiliated Organisations: Vision Ireland (formerly NCBI), Angel Eyes
- Additional Support: Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, The National Talent Academy for Animation (NTAA), Animation Ireland
Watch the new series from Monday 21st October at 10.20am on CBeebies and RTE Kids.
