‘Doctor Who’ Heads to CBeebies With Dominic Minns Directing Preschool Spinoff

With the future of its iconic sci-fi franchise Doctor Who currently in question, the BBC is looking to animation to revitalize the property and find a new audience of preschoolers.

Blue Zoo Animation has appointed Dominic Minns as series director of the upcoming CBeebies production, which is currently in development. Minns has also been named creative director at Blue Zoo, moving over from sister studio Brighton Zoo, where he was co-founder and creative director.

The Whoniverse has targeted younger viewers before, most notably with CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures and the independently produced K9. Both, however, were live-action shows aimed at older children. The new project marks the franchise’s first dedicated preschool series.

“I’m especially thrilled to be working on the CBeebies Doctor Who animation,” said Minns. “My goal is to fully utilize the full talents of both Blue and Brighton Zoo to capture the epic scale and wonder of the series, while making it delightful, funny, and relatable for preschoolers. It’s an honor to be here.”

Minns brings substantial CBeebies experience to the job. He directed the first season of Mojo Swoptops, served as series director on Supertato, and created the BAFTA-winning digital-first property Tee and Mo. His other credits include BAFTA-winning productions Get Well Soon Hospital, Zingzillas, and Big and Small.

The BBC has not yet revealed the show’s title, premiere date, voice cast, or how closely its Doctor will connect to the live-action series.