BBC and Magic Light Pictures unveil first look at The Baddies special

Being bad has never been so much fun! narrator Sheridan Smith said as the BBC and Magic Light Pictures unveiled a first look at the upcoming festive animation The Baddies.

The half-hour fairytale comedy is adapted from the picture book written by Dame Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, according to reports from BBC and The Independent. The project marks Magic Light Pictures’ 14th animated adaptation of the authors’ work for the BBC. The special follows a troll, a witch, and a ghost who proclaim themselves the baddest of all and delight in tormenting everyone they meet. When challenged to steal a girl’s blue spotty hanky, the trio discovers they may have met their match against a brave little girl and a mouse.

Sheridan Smith and Rob Brydon Lead the Voice Cast

Sheridan Smith narrates the special, leading a voice cast that features Alison Steadman as the witch, Hammed Animashaun as the troll, Robyn Cara as the girl, and Francesca Mills as the mouse. Rob Brydon returns for his 14th Donaldson and Scheffler adaptation to voice the boastful ghost. The Independent noted that the casting brings together several actors known from Gavin & Stacey, including Smith, Brydon, and Steadman. The production is directed by Andy Martin and Sarah-Jane Knox, and produced by Barney Goodland and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures. Nawfal Faizullah serves as the BBC Drama Commissioning Editor overseeing the project, with animation services provided by Triggerfish Animation.

Previous Ratings Success on BBC One and iPlayer

The upcoming special follows last year’s festive adaptation, The Scarecrows’ Wedding, which drew 8.7 million viewers across a 28-day BARB window. That broadcast finished as Christmas week’s most-watched program in the UK and delivered Magic Light’s highest-ever audience share at 48.2 percent. is slated to air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer, joining a catalog of previous Donaldson and Scheffler adaptations currently available on the platform.

Character Dynamics in the Fairytale Comedy

Alison Steadman described the narrative as a subversion of standard storytelling tropes. What I loved about the story is how it flips traditional fairytales on their head, Steadman said, noting that the boastful villains are outsmarted by ordinary, smaller characters. Sheridan Smith added that the special celebrates courage, kindness, and outsmarting the big bullies for family audiences during the holiday season.