Toronto-based Sinking Ship Entertainment and BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions have partnered to expand the Odd Squad franchise into the U.K.

Odd Squad UK (12 x 30 minutes) is an official treaty coproduction between Sinking Ship and BBC Studios Kids & Family, and is currently in production in the U.K. with a predominantly British cast.

The series is produced in association with CBBC, PBS Kids, TVOKids, and Radio-Canada. Sinking Ship will distribute the series globally, while Fred Rogers Productions holds U.S. rights. It is set to be released in 2024.

The new version builds on the success of the Odd Squad series in the U.K., where it has scored consistently high ratings on BBC’s children’s network CBBC, said the release. The original series, produced by Sinking Ship and Fred Rogers Productions for PBS Kids and TVOKids, launched in 2014, and was created by Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman.

Since its launch, Odd Squad has won multiple Emmys and grown to include more than 114 half-hour episodes, a feature film, digital games, two seasons of a digital shorts series, and a podcast, as well as publishing and merchandising partnerships as part of its licensing program, noted the release. It has been sold to more than 200 countries to date.

Cecilia Persson, managing director of BBC Studios Kids & Family, said in a statement that Odd Squad is “already a winning format, and this U.K. version has brought another sense of quirkiness and fun which has filtered through from script, to set, to screen.”

Photo courtesy Sinking Ship Entertainment