Arab channel rounds up S4C singing sheep; Al Jazeera to co-produce hit children's TV series Meees.

Byline: Katie Norman

ARABIC television bosses have been working with singing Welsh sheep for a new television show.

The S4C children's show Meees, which featuresamulti-racial family of all-singing all-dancing sheep, has become the first UK show to be co-produced with the Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera through its children's channel, JCC.

The Qatar-based channel previously bought Meees' first series, as well as the Welsh cartoon Sali Mali, but this is the first UK show it has co-produced.

Executive producer Nia Ceidiog, who also created Fireman Sam 20 years ago, said: "JCC like Meees because it's about how you get on with each other and family values. That's very important in Arabic culture.

"It's also very funny and quite different - you don't normally see sheep walking and talking. But it has a strong educational backbone presented in a very entertaining way."

The show is aimed pre-school children, but Nia believes its audience is more varied.

She said: "We have quiteawide age range, from three to six and we know younger and older children watch too, so we have to give something to keep them happy.

"The younger children take the colour and visual comedy, the older ones get the issues about social development, communication and how we get on.

"Then there's an odd joke to keep the parents entertained at 6am when they're watching with their earlyrising children."

Known as Baaas in English, Meees was co-produced by Welsh television company Cynhyrchiadau Ceidiog and S4C as well as Al Jazeera.

It is the first children's drama in Wales to be filmed in high definition.

As well as being screened on S4C as part of its pre-school service Cyw, the show will be broadcast to 22 countries through JCC.

One of the directors on the programme is former primary school teacher Cliff Jones, who lives in Cardiff, but used to work in Pont Sion Norton in Pontypridd.

"This is the first time I've worked with skins - people in animal or puppet skins, along the lines of the Tweenies," said Cliff, who was director of Welsh teen drama Rownd a Rownd for five years.

He added: "I enjoyed teaching and still run a kids' drama group in Pontypridd.

"And I've worked on teachers' programmes and pre-school programmes like Tecwyn Tractor.

"I do like working with children but I've no regrets leaving the classroom behind."

[e-mail]

CAPTION(S):

MULTI-RACIAL: The all-singing, all-dancing characters from the S4C children's show The Meees