 Logo used since 2018 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Network | ITVBe |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | ITV Digital Channels Ltd (ITV plc) |
| History | |
| Launched | 3 September 2018 |
| Replaced | Mini CITV |
LittleBe (stylized as little Be) is a British children's pre-school television programming block broadcast by ITVBe. The block was launched on 3 September 2018. [1] The block airs from 9 am to 12 noon on weekdays, and is aimed at children aged 2 to 5.
On 4 July 2018, the block was announced at the Children's Media Conference [1] tentatively without a name. It was eventually named LittleBe and launched on 3 September 2018.
The block is similar to the Mini CITV block that CITV used to broadcast before the network removed all pre-school TV shows from the channel.
On 30 August 2018, it was announced that Sooty would move to the block from its original broadcaster, CITV. [2]
Jason Ford from ITV Creative made coordination with Bubble to create visual effects and animation for the block's promos and brand. Greg Claridge and James Taylor are the composers of the block's music and sound effects. [3]
Jason Ford had stated for the development:
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Greg, James and the team. From the offset, they completely understood the unique feel I wanted to achieve to complement the stripped-back animation style for littleBe.”
— Jason Ford ITV Creative, Creative Director Brand & Design
Programmes on the block are aimed toward a preschool audience and range from acquisitions such as Pingu in the City , [4] to original series such as Sooty . [5]
ITV, legally known as Channel 3, is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It is branded as ITV1 in most of the UK except for central and northern Scotland, where it is branded as STV. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition and reduce the current monopoly to the then BBC Television. ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been legally known as Channel 3 to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time: BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4.
HIT Entertainment Limited was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turner Laing. Orton alone took over the company in 1989 after learning Henson intended to sell the company to The Walt Disney Company. HIT owned and distributed children's television series such as Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, Pingu, Barney & Friends, and Angelina Ballerina.
Magic Adventures of Mumfie is a British animated children's television series and movie, inspired by the Mumfie books written and illustrated by Katharine Tozer (1907-1943). The initial 1994 season of the series, spanning one continuous storyline, has a music score containing more than 20 songs. The series was created by Britt Allcroft, produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Quality Family Entertainment, narrated by American actor Patrick Breen and directed by John Laurence Collins. Mumfie was first seen in the United States on the Fox Kids Network from 1995 to 1996, as part of The Fox Cubhouse. The second and third seasons debuted on the Fox Family Channel. 79 episodes were produced. The worldwide rights have reverted back to Britt Allcroft.
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a claim now held by its sister service ITV3 both of which are freely available to a majority of households.
Pingu is an animated children's television series co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann that first aired in Switzerland. It was produced from 1990 to 2000 by Swiss companies The Pygos Group and Pingu Filmstudio in Switzerland. It was later revived from 2003 to 2006 by British companies HIT Entertainment and HOT Animation. The series focuses on a family of anthropomorphic emperor penguins who live in the South Pole; the main character is the family's son and title character, Pingu.
ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom.
ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9 pm, replacing Plus (Granada). ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel by audience share and the largest after the five main terrestrial services, the position which was previously held by its sister station ITV2. The channel is known for repeats of ITV dramas, and including sequential reruns of Agatha Christie's Poirot, Classic Coronation Street, Classic Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse and A Touch of Frost, amongst others as well as formerly showing repeats of Kojak, Numb3rs, Columbo, Cagney & Lacey and The Bill.
United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting (UKIB) is an affiliation of three British independent television production companies and broadcasters. The primary function of its predecessor, the Independent Television Companies Association (ITCA), was to represent independent British television interests as a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The current members of UKIB are the ITV network centre, the 4 ITV licence holders, Channel 4, and S4C.
ITV Digital Channels Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of British broadcaster ITV plc. It manages all of the company's television channels with the exception of ITV1, which is part of the entire network.
CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged 6–12. It replaced the earlier Watch It! branding and introduced networked in-vision continuity links between programmes. These links were originally pre-recorded from a small London studio up until 1987, when Central won the contract to produce live links from their Birmingham studios. In 2004, presentation of CITV was relocated to Granada Television in Manchester, which saw the demise of in-vision continuity. Nine years later, the operations moved to ITV Granada's MediaCityUK studios in Salford.
Milkshake! is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 2 to 7.
Engie Benjy is a British stop motion animated pre-school children's television show, broadcast on ITV's children's strand, CITV. Engie Benjy is a blue-haired mechanic who fixes problems with the help of his friends and an assortment of living magic and vehicles. He owns a dog named Jollop and drives a breakdown van named Dan the Van. Other characters include Driver Dottie, Astronaut Al and Farmer Fred. The vehicles included in the show are Dan the Breakdown Van, Bus, Bike, Plane, Spaceship, Boat, Tractor and Big Rig the Truck.
The Illuminated Film Company is a British animation company founded in 1993 by Iain Harvey. It has produced the series Little Princess (2006-2022) and the ITV children's surreal comedy series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud (2019–present) and other 2D-animated productions such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Stories, War Game and On Angel Wings.
Sooty is a British children's slapstick television series that aired on CITV and the Mini CITV block from September 2011 to October 2018. It was later rerun on ITVBe's "Little Be" strand. It was the fifth such incarnation of the series to feature the titular character Sooty, following the previous series which ended in 2004. It is also the first since presenter Richard Cadell bought the licensing rights to the brand in 2008. This programme focuses on the storyline of the titular character, two of his puppet friends, and the presenter starting a new life running a holiday park known as Slater’s Holiday Park based at a British coastal resort. A fourth series has been commissioned and will now be produced by the ITV network itself. It is unknown yet when filming will begin.
ITVBe is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first announced on 12 February 2014 and launched on 8 October 2014. ITVBe broadcasts reality and unscripted shows, including US acquisitions such as The Real Housewives franchise, Million Dollar Listing New York, and Botched; and original programming such as The Real Housewives of Cheshire, Dinner Date, and The Only Way Is Essex. The channel has also occasionally aired feature films, particularly from the romantic comedy genre, and from May to September 2023 also broadcast female-skewed comedy and drama such as Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Pingu in the City is an animated children's television series produced by Mattel Creations, NHK, NHK Enterprises, and Polygon Pictures. It is a reboot/continuation based on the stop-motion television series Pingu by Hit Entertainment. The series first aired on NHK Educational TV in Japan from October 7, 2017 to March 30, 2019.
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids is a British animated horror television series based on the generic trademarked children's book series of the same name by Jamie Rix. After the first three books were published from 1990 to 1996, Carlton Television adapted the short stories into ten-minute cartoons for ITV, produced by themselves, Honeycomb Animation, and Rix's production company, Elephant Productions. It aired on CITV between January 2000 and October 2006 with six series and 78 episodes, as well as a New Year's Eve special that was over 20 minutes longer than other episodes. The series returned in a new format for Nicktoons with 26 episodes split into two series under the name Grizzly Tales, which aired between May 2011 and November 2012.
This is a timeline of the British company ITV Digital Channels and its predecessors Granada Sky Broadcasting and Carlton Communications, and digital channels of other ITV-related companies. The timeline does not include events related to ITV network's flagship channel.
This is a timeline of children's programming on the British ITV network and ITV Digital Channels. The timeline starts in 1980 when ITV launched its first branding for children's programming, although programmes for children had been broadcast on ITV from the earliest years of the network.
 | This article about a children's television show originating in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
