Find 'Mrs Armitage' and 'Snuff' in Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures at Easter
Wednesday 20th March 2024
Alison Steadman joins Simon Pegg and series narrator Adrian Lester in two new episodes for the BBC’s animated series Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures.
Snuff and Mrs Armitage on Wheels will launch over the Easter weekend on CBBC, BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Families can enjoy the new heart-warming stories and whimsical adventures in the Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures collection on CBBC on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 March and on BBC One on Sunday 31 March and Monday 1 April.
The landmark animated boxset of hand-picked specials is based on six of Quentin's own best-selling books (Jack and Nancy, Zagazoo, Snuff, Mrs Armitage on Wheels, Loveykins, and Angel Pavement). Created using traditional hand-drawn animation techniques to capture the iconic nature of Quentin Blake’s illustrations, the series adds to the BBC’s long-established tradition of animated specials for family audiences.
Quentin commented: “It’s wonderful to see the characters that I’ve known for such a long time suddenly moving across the screen in front of me. The BBC and Eagle Eye have brought them to life beautifully and I’m so grateful."
Alison Steadman stars as the voice of inventor extraordinaire Mrs Armitage in Mrs Armitage on Wheels. Mrs Armitage and her faithful dog Breakspear love adventurous hobbies like skydiving until an accident dents Mrs Armitage’s confidence. Recovered, she plans a short cycling trip, but keeps putting it off adapting her bike with horns, a tool kit, and even a sail!
Simon Pegg returns to the series to provide the voice of Snuff’s Sir Thomas Magpie, the village knight well-known for both his generosity and love of flamboyant hats, though he despairs that his clumsy page Snuff, who can’t horse-ride, duel, or even dance will ever learn the tricky skills he needs to one day be a knight himself. But when four thieves threaten to raid a local bootmaker’s shop, Snuff has a clever idea to outfox the villains and save the day.
Simon Pegg returns to the series to provide the voice of Snuff’s Sir Thomas Magpie, the village knight well-known for both his generosity and love of flamboyant hats, though he despairs that his clumsy page Snuff, who can’t horse-ride, duel, or even dance will ever learn the tricky skills he needs to one day be a knight himself. But when four thieves threaten to raid a local bootmaker’s shop, Snuff has a clever idea to outfox the villains and save the day.
The animated boxset also features an original score crafted for each episode, performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures was commissioned by BBC Children’s and Education and produced by Eagle Eye Drama in a co-production with Creative Conspiracy and in association with animation studios Spicy Acorn, Tchack and Kong Studio. The series is directed by Gerrit Bekers working to Eagle Eye’s creative director for animation Massimo Fenati.
Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK viewers only) from 30 March