Superworm (2021)

Directed by South Africans Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman, Superworm won the coveted Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie Award at the Kidscreen Awards, where it was up against Luck and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. It’s also nominated for Best Special Production at the Annie Awards, where it’s up against the likes of The Sandman.

An animated adaptation of the bestselling picture book of the same name by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Superworm was the most-watched children’s show on the BBC last Christmas, hailed as “an instant classic” by The Sun; “one of Christmas TV’s greatest delights” by The Daily Telegraph; and “the BBC’s standout offering” by The Guardian.

Superworm is super-long and super-strong, and is always saving the day. But who can save him when he gets too full of himself and is captured by the evil Wizard Lizard?

Superworm’s voice cast includes Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Crown) as the narrator, Emmy nominee Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) as Superworm, and Ghanaian-British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paddington 2, Mary Poppins Returns) as the Wizard Lizard.

Superworm is the ninth TV adaptation of a Donaldson and Scheffler book for the BBC by Magic Light Pictures. Previous adaptations include the Oscar-nominated classics The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, as well as the 2021 Annie Award winner The Snail and the Whale and 2020 International Emmy-winning Zog.