Cookie! Northern Ireland’s very own Sesame Street

Update - April 2007 - it's made it onto our screens.

After years of waiting - well Slugger O'Toole mentioned it in January 2006 - twenty 15-minute episodes of the new Northern Ireland version of Sesame Street will be produced and broadcast on BBC NI starting in February 2008.

Sesame Street variations already operate in over twenty countries.

Aimed at children aged between three and six, the regular Sesame Street crew of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch will be joined by two specific NI Muppets. Set in a tree, one of the aims of the series will be to teach youngsters about life outside the suburbs, including turf-cutting.

It’s good news for the local media industry, with Sixteen South writing and producing the series, and local actors behind the puppets too.

Ian McDonald, Sixteen South’s head of development explained that the series would be educational and would represent NI’s diversity:

“It will reflect the lives of all the communities in Northern Ireland at present, Catholic and Protestant, but also Chinese and Polish as well.”

He added:

“It’s tremendous fun ... There’s a real feeling of joy, but that we’re also doing something that kids 20 years from now will remember.”

Rumours that the two new puppets will be called Ian and Martin have yet to be denied!