Next BBC Julia Donaldson

[PollyPeeves]

All of my children and I love the annual Julia Donaldson film on Christmas Day.
Which book would you like to see adapted in 2025?
This house hold would love to see 'The Smartest Giant in Town' or 'The Scarecrows' Wedding'

Would love The Baddies!!

Saw it on stage and it was fab the kids loved it

The paper dolls, I can’t read it without getting a lump in my throat

I really wish they’d do something different. So many wonderful children’s stories and authors out there. We like the Julia Donaldson books but it’s been years and years of them at Christmas. Presumably they had to sign a contract for a certain number of them. Feels like they adapted the best ones some time ago and are stretching it somewhat now.

I think that Jonty Gentoo has a brief cameo in tiddler. Obviously Magic Light likes to give the odd little Easter egg to other stories but I would have thought Jonty Gentoo is too new to be an Easter egg without something else going on.

I think the main question is how many characters is Rob Brydon going to voice?

Magic Light have done some other adaptions as they have produced Pip and Posy and the Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, that I’ve seen but there could be more. I think for the BBC though the winning combination is obviously Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffeler, Magic Light (and Rob Brydon). In which case What the Ladybird Heard isn’t likely to make the cut as it’s not illustrated by Axel Scheffeler.

Also what the ladybird heard is just home alone.

I work with deaf children I’d love to see What the jackdaw saw or Freddy and the fairy.

The jackdaw if made must have a Manchester accent.

This is my absolute favourite. I’d be balling on xmas day if they made it x

I'm hoping for The Scarecrow's Wedding. I have good fun making up the voice for Reginald Rake and I think it would be sweet and funny with the right voice actors.

Toby Jones narrating in full Detectorist mode perhaps? Or Mackenzie Crook!

Scarecrow's wedding 🙏

Has zog been done? That would be brilliant! And the ugly five.

@holjam yes they’ve already done 2 Zog ones! They’re brilliant!

For books by other authors, I'd love Giraffes Can't Dance, Cops & Robbers or Sam's Super Stinky Socks

I would like-
Ugly Five
Scarecrows Wedding
DP would like
Smartest Giant in Town

DS5
Would like singing mermaid

DS7
Would like the baddies or hospital and detective dog!

Oh brilliant! Huge zog fans in this house, I need to look for these.

Detective dog Nell would be good. Please no for the hospital dog which is rubbish!

I'm fairly sure I googled this over the Christmas period and the Wikipedia page said it was going to be smartest giant, but the page has changed now so not sure if that was a secret spoiled or just wrong! I'd like to see that one, or Charlie cook or a squash and a squeeze. And hurry up before mine turn into grumpy teenagers!

As much as I love monkey puzzle, I'm not sure it would ever be done and shown over Christmas. A hard one to read for anyone who've lost a parent maybe so not one for Christmas Day?

Steve Backshall did the Ugly Five on CBeebies bedtime stories a while back... never thought I'd hear him singing. Proper earworm 😂

When I read DS Jonty Gentoo for the first time I thought it’s been written specifically to be a made into a film. I’d be shocked if it was anything else - assuming they stick to the Julia and Axel partnership.

The scarecrow wedding is deffo must on tv or Monkey Puzzle I love those two stories

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/the-scarecrows-wedding

DH is wondering how they will deal with the cigar.

We are wondering the same thing here!!

I always thought they might not be able to do this one because of the cigar too! Amazing though - I do love this one!

The scarecrows wedding yayyyyyyyyy I love scarecrows and I have my collection of scarecrows!