{"id":42374,"date":"2023-12-22T14:36:42","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T13:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1950989"},"modified":"2023-12-22T19:20:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T18:20:49","slug":"shaun-the-sheep-co-creator-reveals-the-series-almost-didnt-happen","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/shaun-the-sheep-co-creator-reveals-the-series-almost-didnt-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaun the Sheep co-creator reveals the series almost didn\u2019t happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peter Lord recently spoke to RadioTimes.com about the history of Aardman Animations. <\/p>

By Sabastian Astley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 22 December 2023 at 13:36 PM<\/p>

\n\n

When it comes to iconic Aardman Animations characters, after Wallace & Gromit<\/a>, Shaun the Sheep isn\u2019t far behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

First introduced in the Wallace & Gromit short<\/span>\u00a0A Close Shave <\/span>back in 1996, Shaun had his first full solo outing in 2007, with the first season of his self-titled spin-off show. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, there have been over 150 episodes, two movies, an adorable spin-off \u2013 <\/span>Timmy Time \u2013 <\/span>for toddlers, video games and live theatre. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shaun has even been to space, having been one of the lucky passengers on Artemis 1 back in 2022, as part of the European Space Agency<\/a>\u2018s work.<\/span><\/p>

While it\u2019s clear now how remarkably universal the fusion of Aardman\u2019s warm humour with the everyday farmyard antics is, not everyone was sure that the studio could pull off the strong, silent approach in the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a> during a recent in-depth<\/a> chat about the studio\u2019s 50-year history, Aardman co-founder Peter Lord revealed that not everyone was sure about the mischievous mute sheep at the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Wallace & Gromit creators look back on 5 decades of Aardman Animations<\/a><\/li>\n
\n
Chicken Run sequel director explains hidden Wallace & Gromit reference<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThere were naysayers with Shaun the Sheep,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere were people that said, \u2018You can\u2019t make a series without any words, you know, that\u2019s not possible.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then subsequently they said, \u2018You can\u2019t make a movie with characters that don\u2019t say any words!\u2019 <\/span>And in both cases, we did, and people loved it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
According to the Science and Media Museum<\/a>, Shaun the Sheep has actually gone on to become Aardman\u2019s most successful animated character in the history of the company, having been broadcast in over 170 different countries, while stage shows of the farm have been put on in the likes of Cairo, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. <\/span><\/p>\n
In Japan, an exhibition set within the world of Shaun the Sheep garnered over 30,000 people in just five days. Little sheep, big audience.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHad you asked them, \u2018Do you want a series without any words in?\u2019 they may not have said yes,\u201d Lord continued. \u201cBut when they see it, when they see the potential \u2013 that\u2019s the joy of art, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>