Leading British actor and comedian Adrian Edmondson (The Comic Strip, Bottom, The Young Ones, War and Peace) heads an exciting cast of UK contemporary acting talent bringing the bucolic riverbank adventures of Mole, Toad, Ratty and Badger to life for a new generation of viewers.
Hoho Entertainment’s brand-new CG animated series, Toad & Friends (52×11’), is based on Kenneth Grahame’s British classic novel The Wind in the Willows, which has been enchanting children since its first publication in 1908 – its gentle values of altruism, good manners, community and citizenship as relevant today as ever.
Alongside Edmondson as Toad, the cast includes Reuben Joseph, currently headlining as Hamilton in London’s West End as Ratty; Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel, Emmerdale) as Mole; Seanna Kerslake (Smother, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope) as Hedge; Ryan Sampson (After You’ve Gone, Plebs, Brassic)) as Smudge/Kingfisher; Amalia Vitale (Shaun the Sheep: Farmagedden, Christmas Eve) as Tinker/Heron/Adder; and Simon Paisley Day (This England, Star Wars, Brexit, Victoria and Abdul) as Badger/Chief Weasel.
Working with a diverse cast, group of writers and production team, Toad & Friends honours the legacy of the original novel whilst refreshing the characters and storylines to resonate with a modern audience. The beloved characters remain but they are joined by some feisty new female ones including fearless Hedge, scheming Tinker, diligent Heron, mischievous Adder and motherly Mrs Otter.
Adrian Edmondson said: “I read The Wind in the Willows as a child and also to my children as a bedtime story – it’s a delightful book to read, especially out loud. I thought at the time that my Toad was rather brilliant – which is rather big-headed, in the same way that Toad is rather big-headed!
“Toad is a very enthusiastic person, which I am too. His enthusiasm is real, it’s never faked. You want people like that in the world, who really like stuff and who want to go for it, so I’ve always loved him and I love playing him. I play a version of him in my own life, and always have. My best friend Troy and I send emails to each other as if they are written by Toad – an enthusiast who doesn’t have much regard for the rules and likes to have a good time. That’s what I’m bringing to Toad!”
Toad & Friends is produced by London-based Hoho Entertainment, animated in Scotland by Wild Child Animation and directed by Tim Searle (Danger Mouse, Dennis and Gnasher). The new series has been developed and supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and produced with the support of the Creative Media Programme, MEDIA of the European Union and is set to launch on Warner Bros. Discovery’s pre-school brand Cartoonito across EMEA and on HBO Max in Europe in 2023.