 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Shaun the Sheep" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Shaun the Sheep | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy Slapstick Slice of life |
| Created by | Nick Park |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Richard Starzak Alison Snowden David Fine |
| Voices of | John Sparkes Justin Fletcher Kate Harbour Richard Webber Jo Allen (series 1) Emma Tate (series 5–present) Andy Nyman (series 5–present) Simon Greenall (series 5–present) |
| Theme music composer | Mark Thomas |
| Opening theme | "Life's a Treat" by Mark Thomas andVic Reeves |
| Ending theme | "Life's a Treat" (instrumental) |
| Composers | Mark Thomas (series 1–5) Dave Newby (series 6–present) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Germany |
| Original languages | Silent Interjection Grammelot |
| No. of series | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 187 (regular) 36 (shorts) 2 (specials)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers | Julie Lockhart (series 1) Gareth Owen (series 2) John Woolley (series 3–6) Danny Gallagher (series 7) |
| Running time | 7–14 minutes |
| Production companies | Aardman Animations BBC Westdeutscher Rundfunk |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBBC BBC One (special) Kika (Germany) |
| Release | 5 March 2007 (2007-03-05) – present |
| Network | Netflix (2020–2021) CBBC (2022–present) BBC One (short film) Kika (2020–present)[1] |
| Related | |
| Wallace & Gromit Timmy Time | |
Shaun the Sheep is an animatedsilent children's television series, produced byAardman Animations. A spin-off of theWallace & Gromit franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun the Sheep who previously starred inA Close Shave (1995), as the leader of his flock on a British farm. The series premiered on 5 March 2007 onCBBC in the UK. In 2020, the sixth series, titledShaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom streamed globally onNetflix. In March 2024, it was announced that a seventh series was in development, which premiered on 26 May 2025. With 187 episodes over 7 series,Shaun the Sheep is one of thelongest-running animated series in British and German television.
The series inspired the spin-offTimmy Time, a show aimed at younger viewers that follows Timmy, Shaun's younger cousin. A first feature-length film,Shaun the Sheep Movie, was released in 2015. A short film,Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, was aired in 2015 as a Christmas TV special. A second feature-length film,A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, was released in 2019, and a second short film,Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, was released in 2021. A two-part episode titled "Shirleyverse" premiered on 24 May 2025 on CBBC and BBC One. A third feature-length film,Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, is due to be released in 2026.
Shaun lives with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm, a small farm inNorthern England. Each episode centres around Shaun's attempts to add excitement to their otherwise boring lives. The action snowballs into fantasticsitcom-style escapades, most often because the sheep are fascinated with human technology and culture. This usually brings them into partnership — and sometimes conflict — with the sheepdog Bitzer, while they all are simultaneously trying to avoid having their anthropomorphism being discovered by the farmer.
 | This section has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
The show was produced byAardman Animations and was commissioned by theBBC and theWestdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR),[2] a member station of German public-broadcasting networkARD. It has aired onBBC channels in the UK since 2007.
Each seven-minute episode is shot in Aardman'sstop-motion animation style. The comedic tone is a combination ofslapstick and classicsilent comedy, similar to that used in theWallace & Gromit shorts. Unlike other shows made by Aardman Animations, the series was restricted in its ability to carry much-spoken dialogue, not even from the human characters, except for a few simple grunts, bleats, barks, growls, pointing, sighs, mutterings, and similar wordless inflections, which are used to indicate a character's mood or motive. Thus, the series also never uses any readable words in any episode, although "Bitzer" can be seen on a dog bowl, and—in series four--"Mossy Bottom Farm" on a gate, in the original English-language title sequence. All other signage, such as on a pizza box or a bus stop, is replaced by illegible scrawls and pictures.
Shaun the Sheep's first appearance was in Wallace & Gromit's third short feature, theAcademy Award-winningA Close Shave. As the youngest member of a flock of sheep, Wallace and Gromit work to save Shaun from being turned into dog food. He was named Shaun as a pun on the word "shorn" after he was accidentally subjected to Wallace's automatedsheep shearing machine. This early version of Shaun shows a hint of his characteristic human-like bravado—among other things, wearing a sweater knitted from his own shorn wool, proving to be a major help in saving the day.
At the end of this short, Shaun is seen living with the duo; Shaun later made a brief cameo appearance in the "Shopper 13" episode of Wallace & Gromit's "Cracking Contraptions" web series. No official explanation has been given for the flock's transfer to the farm.
Although the original series is silent aside from sound effects, aHindi-dubbed version seen onNickelodeon India was redone with scripts and dialogue.[3]
The sixth series was commissioned byNetflix.
The first two series consisted of 40 seven-minute episodes each, and the third 20 episodes. The fourth series debuted on 3 February 2014.[4] The fifth series has 20 episodes and was first aired in theNetherlands from 1 December 2015 to 1 January 2016[5][6][7] and inAustralia onABC Kids from 16 January 2016 to 1 May 2016. In theUnited States,Shaun the Sheep would aired episodes as interstitials between commercial breaks onDisney Channel starting on 8 July 2007.[8]
On 19 February 2020, it was reported that the sixth series ofShaun the Sheep, subtitledAdventures from Mossy Bottom, was released onNetflix on 16 March 2020 inSpain,Poland,Turkey, andUAE. Additionally, it was released in theUK,US,Canada,Australia andLatin America on 17 March 2020.[9]Adventures from Mossy Bottom features a new electronic version of the theme song, a brand new intro episode sequence, and introduced new characters including a super-fast squirrel named Stash, a fancy neighbour Farmer Ben and his pet dog Lexi, and Rita the delivery lady.
On 26 March 2024, a 20-episode seventh series was announced for release in 2025.[10][11][non-primary source needed] It premiered on CBBC on 26 May 2025.[12] Before its release, a two-part episode entitled "Shirleyverse" was announced to be released on 24 May.[12][13]
A series of 15 1-minute3D shorts were released onNintendo'sVideo service for theNintendo 3DS between March and June 2012.[14] TheNintendo shorts were released in early 2016 on the officialShaun the SheepYouTube channel under the name "Mossy Bottom Farm Shorts".[15] Another series of 21 1-minute sports-themed shorts, namedChampionsheeps, aired onCBBC during the Summer of 2012.[16]
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 40 | 5 March 2007 (2007-03-05) | 14 September 2007 (2007-09-14) | BBC One | |
| 2 | 40 | 23 November 2009 (2009-11-23) | 17 December 2010 (2010-12-17) | ||
| 3 | 20 | 26 November 2012 (2012-11-26) | 20 December 2012 (2012-12-20) | CBBC | |
| 4 | 30 | 3 February 2014 (2014-02-03) | 19 December 2014 (2014-12-19) | ||
| 5 | 20 | 5 September 2016 (2016-09-05) | 18 November 2016 (2016-11-18) | ||
| 6 | 20 | 16 March 2020 (2020-03-16) | Netflix | ||
| 7 | 19 | 24 May 2025 (2025-05-24) | TBA | CBBC | |
| Specials | 26 December 2015 (2015-12-26) | 3 December 2021 (2021-12-03) | BBC Netflix | ||
| Films | 2 | 6 February 2015 (2015-02-06) | 18 October 2019 (2019-10-18) | ||
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||||||||||
| Shaun the Sheep 3D (Mossy Bottom Shorts) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 15 | 7 March 2012 (2012-03-07) | 13 June 2012 (2012-06-13) | |||||||||
| Shaun the Sheep Championsheeps | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 21 | 2 July 2012 (2012-07-02) | 30 July 2012 (2012-07-30) | |||||||||
A half-hour television special based on the television series, titledShaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, premiered onBBC One onBoxing Day 2015.[17]
A second half-hour special titledShaun the Sheep: A Winter’s Tale went into production in late 2020 and aired on Christmas 2021 on BBC One.[18][19] On 23 August 2021, it was revealed to debut on 3 December under the titleShaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas,[20] which later aired on Christmas Eve on BBC One.s
In Germany, Shaun the Sheep is a part of "Die Sendung mit der Maus", a famous children's television series of German Television.[21] The creator of Die Sendung mit der Maus also is one of the production companies of Shaun the Sheep.
Reviews of the series were consistently positive.Harry Venning ofThe Stage found "characterisation charming and the animation superb. All this before even a mention of how funny and splendidly slapstick the script is."[22]The Guardian noted that the series "hits the four-to-seven-year-old age group smack in the eye."[23] Series producer Gareth Owen said the age range is "four-to-seven, though in reality, the age range is four-to-eighty-seven", as the series is popular among all different age-groups.[24] Charles Arthur wrote "classicAardman style that leaves me laughing out loud."[25]
| Awards and nominations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | Ref. |
| 2007 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation | Julie Lockhart, Chris Sadler, Richard Goleszowski | Nominated | [26] |
| 2008 | Julie Lockhart, Richard Goleszowski | Nominated | [27] | ||
| International Emmy Awards | Best Children & Young People Program | Shaun the Sheep | Won | [28] | |
| 2010 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation | Gareth Owen, Richard Webber, Chris Sadler | Won | [29] |
| International Emmy Awards | Best Children & Young People Program | Shaun the Sheep | Won | [30] | |
| 2014 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation | Richard Starzak, Jay Grace, John Woolley | Won | [31] |
| 2015 | John Woolley, Steve Box, Lee Wilton | Nominated | [32] | ||
| 2016 | "Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas" | Nominated | [33] | ||
| International Emmy Awards | Kids: Animation | Won | [34] | ||
| 2017 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation | Will Becher, John Woolley, Richard Starzak | Nominated | [35] |
| 2021 | International Emmy Awards | Kids: Animation | "Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom" | Won | |
| 2021 | International Emmy Awards | "Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas" | Won | [36] | |
Aardman developed a feature filmShaun the Sheep Movie,[37] written and directed by Richard Starzak andMark Burton, which was financed by French companyStudioCanal,[38] and was released on 6 February 2015. The film received very positive reviews from critics. Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes reports that 99% of critics have given the film a positive review.[39] The film opened to $3.2 million in the UK and grossed $22 million in the UK and $106 million worldwide.[40]
On 18 October 2019, StudioCanal and Aardman released a sequel titledA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,[38][41] written by Mark Burton and Jon Brown, based on a story by Richard Starzak and directed by Richard Phelan andWill Becher. Both films were nominated for anAcademy Award andBAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
A sequel, titledShaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, was confirmed to be in development on 7 May 2025. The film is to be directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written byMark Burton and Giles Pilbrow. It will be released in 2026, distributed bySky Cinema in the United Kingdom andStudioCanal elsewhere.[42][43]
There were plans for an anime adaptation in 2008 which got scrapped,Larry Bundy Jr. produced a series of character designs for the spin-off.[44]
In 2009,Aardman Animations releasedTimmy Time, aCBeebiesspin-off series aimed at preschoolers. It centres on Timmy's own adventures as he attends nursery for the first time and learns how to interact and play with a variety of young animal friends.[45]
On 16 June 2008,D3 Publisher of America, which had previously publisheda game based on Aardman's 2006 filmFlushed Away, announced that it would also release a video game based on Shaun's escapades. TheShaun the Sheep game was developed byArt Co., Ltd exclusively forNintendo DS, and was released in autumn 2008.[46]
A second game forNintendo DS, titledShaun the Sheep: Off His Head, was released on 23 October 2009, exclusively in Europe.[47]
The Shaun the Sheep website is also home to several Flash-based games, includingHome Sheep Home,[48] which was also made available at the iOS App Store foriPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad in April 2011.[49] A sequel,Home Sheep Home 2, was released in December 2011 forWindowsPCs,iPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad.[50] It was released on theSteam digital distribution platform forWindowsPCs in February 2014.[51] In March 2012 the iOS release was updated with a new chapter titledThe Pirates! In an Adventure With Sheep to promote the upcoming Aardman filmThe Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!.[52]
In June 2016, an event course calledShaun's Mossy Mole Mischief, was released onSuper Mario Maker, along with Shaun's costume.[53]
A game entitledHome Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Edition was released in October 2019 forNintendo Switch and PC, shortly after the similarly titledA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. It was later released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2023. The game includes multiplayer-supported remasters of Home Sheep Home and Home Sheep Home 2, as well as a selection of new multiplayer minigames loosely based on the events of the movie. The PC version was released as an update to the existing PC port of Home Sheep Home 2.
Shaun the Sheep characters appear inThe Sandbox, an NFT-based 3D open world game.[54]
In 2021, Shaun the Sheep was added toRollerCoaster Tycoon Touch.[55]
On 9 March 2011, Shaun the Sheep made its live theatre debut inShaun's Big Show.[56] The 100-minute (1 hour and 40 minute) long musical/dance show features all the regular characters, including Bitzer, Shirley, and Timmy.
In 2015, Shaun starred inSnow White and the Seven Dwarfspantomime atBristol Hippodrome.[57]
On 26 September 2013, theInternational Rugby Board and Aardman Animations announced that Shaun and other characters from the franchise would be used in a merchandising programme to promote the2015 Rugby World Cup to children.[58]
In 2015, Shaun the Sheep appeared as the face of the "Holidays at Home are Great" initiative. In the advert, seeing the Farmer going away, Shaun and the flock decide to have their own holiday around the UK before the Farmer gets back.[59]
In August 2022, TheEuropean Space Agency announced that Shaun would fly aboard theArtemis 1 mission which launched on 16 November 2022.[60][61][62] Shaun returned to Earth on December 11 when the Orion capsule reentered the atmosphere and splashed down.[63]
In May 2023,Natural England and Aardman Animations launched a new campaign for the countryside code, with Shaun the Sheep being the face of the campaign that tries to encourage young people and children to "respect, protect and enjoy" the countryside.[64]
In 2015, Shaun the Sheep starred in two public charity art trails to raise money for sick children in hospitals across the UK. Organised by Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation in collaboration with Aardman,Shaun in the City saw 50 giant artists and celebrity-decorated sculptures of Shaun appear in London in the spring before a further 70 appeared in Bristol throughout the summer.[65] All 120 sculptures were auctioned in October 2015, raising £1,087,900 forWallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal andWallace & Gromit's Children's Charity.[66]
A Shaun the Sheep ride area, titledFåret Shaun Land was opened atSkånes Djurpark inSweden in early Summer 2016.[67]
In 2015, a family attraction based on Shaun the Sheep, called "The Shaun the Sheep Experience" opened atLands End, rebranded "Lamb's End" for the duration of the attraction. It features original sets, models, and characters from many Aardman productions. Using green screen technology, guests are able to "star" in a scene from the show, as well as meet other characters from the Aardman filmography includingWallace and Gromit andMorph.[68]
In 2021, Aardman announced the launch of a 30-minute immersive game experience to be located at Electric Gamebox venues inLondon,Manchester Arndale andLakeside,Essex.[69]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Country | Local name | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Shauno Kavir Zagros eşekleri apoya binerken | |
| Albania | RTSH Fëmijë | |
| Austria | Shaun das Schaf | ORF 1 |
| Australia | ABC Kids | |
| Azerbaijan | Quzu Şon | ARB Günəş |
| Basque Country | Shaun Ardixota | ETB 3 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Ovčica Šoni | BHT 1 |
| Brazil | Shaun, o Carneiro | |
| Canada | Knowledge Kids[a] | |
| Catalonia | El Xai Shaun | Super3 |
| China | Chinese:小羊肖恩 (xiǎo yáng xiào ēn) | |
| Croatia | Janko Strižić | |
| Czechia | Ovečka Shaun | |
| Denmark | F for Får | |
| Estonia | Lammas Shaun |
|
| Finland | Late Lammas (transl. Late Sheep) | Yle TV2 |
| France | Shaun le Mouton | |
| Galicia | O Cordero Shaun | tvG2 |
| Germany | Shaun das Schaf | |
| Greece | Star Channel | |
| Hungary | Shaun, a bárány | |
| Iceland | Hrúturinn Hreinn | |
| India | Nickelodeon | |
| Indonesia | ||
| Iran | بره ناقلا (Bar'reh-ye Naaqolaa,transl. The Playful Lamb) | |
| Israel | ||
| Italy |
| |
| Japan | ||
| Mexico | Shaun el Cordero | Canal Once |
| Myanmar | Canal + Pu Tu Tue. | |
| Mongolia | Шонн Хонь |
|
| Latvia | Auniņa Šona piedzīvojumi | |
| Malta | In-nagħaġ Shaun | One |
| Netherlands | Shaun het Schaap | Zappelin |
| Norway | Sauen Shaun | |
| Portugal | Ovelha Choné | |
| Romania | Mielul Shaun | Prima TV |
| Russia | Барашек Шон | 2X2 |
| Scotland | Seonaidh | BBC Alba |
| Serbia | Ovčica Šone | Prva TV |
| Slovakia | Veselá Farma | Jednotka |
| Slovenia | Bacek Jon | |
| Sri Lanka | සෙල්ලම් ද ෂෝන් | Hiru TV |
| South Africa | Shaun die Skaap | SABC Children |
| South Korea | ||
| Spain | La Oveja Shaun | |
| Sweden | Fåret Shaun | SVT Barn |
| Thailand | ThaiPBS | |
| Turkey | Koyun Shaun | Minika GO[70] |
| Ukraine | Баранчик Шон | Піксель TV [uk] |
| Vietnam |
|
The series is also broadcast in theMiddle East and North Africa byMBC 3 andJeem TV.
| DVD name | Ep# | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 | Region 1 | Region 4 (Australia) | Region 4 (India) | ||
| The Complete First Series | 40 | 17 November 2008 | 19 October 2010 (fullscreen[71]) / 24 November 2015 (widescreen[72]) | 4 November 2015[73] | 4 November 2013[73] |
| The Complete Second Series | 40 | 3 October 2011 | 15 November 2011 (widescreen)[74] | 4 November 2015[75] | 7 October 2015[75] |
| The Complete Third Series | 20 | 24 October 2015 | 7 February 2017 | 2 November 2016[76] | 2 November 2015[76] |
| The Complete Fourth Series | 30 | 6 June 2018[77] | |||
| The Complete Fifth Series | 20 | — | — | 6 June 2018[78] | 4 August 2019[78] |
| The Complete Series | 170 + 36 Shorts (Regions 1 & 2) 150 (Region 4) | Late 2024 | 12 December 2023[79] | 30 October 2019[80] | 13 October 2020[80] |
In the United Kingdom, the DVDs released from 2007 until 2011 were distributed by2Entertain. DVDs from 2014 until 2018 were distributed byStudioCanal while Dazzler Media released the DVDs of 2024. In the United States, the DVDs were released byHIT Entertainment and distributed byLionsgate Home Entertainment
| DVD name | Episode count | Release date (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Shaun the Sheep: Shape Up With Shaun (8 Baa...rilliant Adventures!) | 8 | 17 September 2007; Re-Release: 23 July 2018 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Off The Baa! (8 Woolly Adventures!) | 8 | 5 November 2007; Re-Release: 23 July 2018 |
| Shaun the Sheep: The Box Set! (Includes Shape Up With Shaun (8 Baa...rilliant Adventures!) and Off The Baa! (8 Woolly Adventures!) DVDs) | 16 | 5 November 2007 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Saturday Night Shaun (Fleece Is The Word!) | 8 | 10 March 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Abracadabra | 8 | 20 October 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Wash Day | 8 | 17 November 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Triple Pack (Includes Saturday Night Shaun (Fleece Is The Word!), Abracadabra and Wash Day DVDs) | 24 | 17 November 2008 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Spring Lamb | 8 | 29 March 2010 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Two's Company | 8 | 6 September 2010 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Party Animals | 8 | 8 November 2010 |
| Shaun the Sheep: The Gift Set (Includes 3 DVDs: Spring Lamb, Two's Company, and Party Animals) | 24 | 8 November 2010 |
| Shaun the Sheep: The Big Chase | 8 | 4 April 2011 |
| Shaun the Sheep: We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas | 8 | 3 October 2011 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Spring Cleaning | 10 | 7 April 2014 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Shear Heat | 10 | 21 July 2014 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Christmas Bleatings | 10 | 3 November 2014 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Flock To The Floor | 10 | 26 January 2015 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Picture Perfect | 10 | 30 March 2015 |
| Shaun the Sheep Movie (limited edition with championship shorts) | 1 Movie | 1 June 2015 |
| Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas | 1 Special + 15 Shorts | 8 February 2016 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Pizza Party | 10 | 13 February 2017 |
| Shaun the Sheep: Spoilsport | 10 | 10 April 2017 |
| Shaun the Sheep: 10 Years (Episodes Re-Release) | 10 | 12 February 2018 |
In the US, the following DVD compilations were released:
Home Media releases are distributed by Panorama Corporation in Hong Kong, andWalt Disney Studios Japan in Japan, with earlier releases under the latter'sGhibli Museum Library imprint.
| Current |
|
|---|---|
| Former |
|
| |
