ALL ABOARD FOR DRIVER DAN’S STORY TRAIN ON CBEEBIES!
Weekdays 12.30pm - Starting Saturday 9th January
Launching on CBeebies this January 2010, “Driver Dan’s Story Train” is a CGI
animated/live-action series that welcomes its young audience aboard The Story
Train, with its cast of loveable new animated friends, led by the grown-up lion,
Driver Dan.
The series features a colourful and inquisitive group of 3D animated animal
characters of pre-school age, who love stories and adventure. Each full of
personality and individuality, the animals join the ‘grown-up’ lion, Driver Dan,
on his Story Train as they play games, have adventures, solve puzzles and find
out that there is a book for absolutely every occasion.
“Driver Dan’s Story Train” presents children with a totally immersive and
interactive storytelling experience – from the intimate moments of choosing a
book, to discovering the joys of a story as it unfolds, through listening,
reading and participating. “Driver Dan’s Story Train” therefore helps promote
pre-literacy development and awareness while conveying the message that books
are fun and comforting. It does not require children to have a particular level
of knowledge of the alphabet or numeracy to be able to engage in the series and
comprehend the content. The series has also been developed for multi-platform
applications which will include an online and interactive website.
Choosing, telling, sharing, listening, remembering… this new series captures all
the magic of storybooks and storytelling.
Peter Serafinowicz, Actor, comedian and the voice artist for Driver Dan
says, “Having always wanted to narrate a children’s show, it seems fitting that
now, when story-telling is diminishing in the family home, I can be involved in
such an exciting project. “Driver Dan’s Story Train” brings back the value of
books and introduces them as fun without the educational association.”
Rebecca Elgar, Author, illustrator and the creator of “Driver Dan’s Story
Train” says, “In the twenty years I have been working in both children's
publishing as a writer and illustrator, I have done lots of research on the use
of books and story-telling with both pre-school and year one and two children.
Everything underlines the crucial importance of the enjoyment of stories and
that children relish the opportunity to join in and talk about what they have
seen and heard. "Driver Dan's Story Train" is all about this and I hope it may
also encourage mums and dads and carers to listen to the stories with their
children and then all talk together about them.”
Estelle Hughes, Producer, 3Line Media adds, ““Driver Dan’s Story Train”
has all the qualities we at 3Line Media look for in a property … distinctive,
engaging, internationally appealing and with creativity and interactivity at
it’s core. We’ve developed its strong entertainment and educational values into
a show with a unique and visually arresting style, and we are confident that it
will become a show that appeals to children and parents alike.”
Brian Neish (MEd), Educational Consultant “Driver Dan’s Story Train”
adds, "Driver Dan’s Story Train” promises not only to be a fun, enjoyable and
entertaining series for young children but also a series that develops their
knowledge and thinking skills, regardless of their primary learning style.
Group-based social values are developed strongly in each episode through
observing positive and imaginative play action - modelled by the characters and
later enriched by seeing real children responding to what we have all seen. The
series also explores a quite unique approach to language and communication
learning, whereby children learn to see connections between stories, books,
spoken language and their own expressive play. Watching this promises to
'scaffold' their real play activity and therefore help them learn to communicate
more effectively with their peers."
Kay Benbow, Head of CBeebies Production, Animation and Acquisitions said
“We are delighted to welcome the arrival of Driver Dan's Story Train to CBeebies
- it is a charming and engaging series which draws children into its beautiful
world and involves them in the narrative in a unique way.”
“Driver Dan’s Story Train” is a 3Line Media and twofour54 Abu Dhabi production
for CBeebies UK. The series was created and designed by Rebecca Elgar, produced
by Teresa Reed and Estelle Hughes and directed by Mark Taylor. The BBC Executive
Producer is Jackie Edwards.
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