RKCR/Y&R launched a holiday spot promoting BBC One entitled “Sprout Boy meets a galaxy of stars.”
The stars in question include narrator Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) and animated versions of Luther, Mary Berry, Will.i.am, Dot Cotton, Graham Norton, Sherlock and Watson, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Sprout Boy, meanwhile, is an anthropomorphic little sprout who deals with constant rejection. “Nobody likes a sprout,” a baker, toymaker and woodcutter shout at the much maligned (unfairly, in my opinion) vegetable. The BBC One cast, however, always has room at the table, even for Sprout Boy, telling him, “Take a seat, the fun is about to begin.” It’s all a bit of a mess, like a poorly prepared dish of boiled sprouts, but we suppose the character illustrates the message of inclusivity communicated with the “For Christmas Together” tagline.
“BBC One truly is the home of Christmas, with more families watching it together than any other channel. Our endearing little Sprout Boy celebrates this sense of togetherness,” Alison Hoad, vice chairman of RKCR/Y&R, explained to Adweek.
“The BBC One team asked us to tell a story that encapsulates the spirit and excitement of a contemporary British Christmas. The resulting campaign is probably as close as you can get to a visual representation of this,” added directing duo Smith & Foulkes.
Credits:
Client: BBC
Agency: RKCR/Y&R
Executive Creative Director: Mark Roalfe
Creative Director: Marc Hatfield
Head of Planning: Emily James
Business Director: David Pomfret
Account Director: Fabia Palliser
Account Manager: Ilona Lunny
Agency Producer: Edel Erickson
Animation Production Company: Nexus
Directors: Smith & Foulkes
ECD: Chris O’Reilly
Producer: Tracey Cooper
Production Manager: Fernanda Garcia Lopez
CG Supervisor: Ben Blundell
Storyboard: Gabriel Schucan, Richard Fitzgerald
Character Designer: Max Kostenko, Gillian Reid, Ben Godfrey, Daniel Burgess
Matte Painters: Adam Willis, Callum Strachan, Marco Caradonna, Daniel Burgess, Adam Leary
Modeling: RedKnuckles, James Hardingham, Matthew Clark, Sophie Loubiere, Juan Carlos Gracia
Texture Artists: Benjamin Lebourgeois, Arkin Esref
Animation: Dominic Griffiths, Roland Edwards, Aziz Kocanaogullari, Benjamin Tron, Edward Sherwood, Jean-Guillaume Culot
Rigging Technical Director: Pete Addington
Rigging: Dan Lane, Anthony Vincent
Lighting & Rendering: Darren Rolmanis, Andy Spence, Kevin Russell, Dorianne Filbeuil,
VFX: Pierre Clenet, Tobin Brett
Compositing: Ken Hau, Elliott Kajdan, Alexander Swann, Leslie Belot
Editor: David Slade
Post Production / Grade: Simone Grattarola @ Time Based Arts
Sound Design: Anthony Moore & Tom Joyce @ Factory
Sound Design Producer: Raluca Anastasiu @ Factory
Music Composer: Alex Baranowski C/O Siren
Executive Music Producer: Sean Atherton @ Siren
Music Producer: Sian Rogers @ Siren
Musicians: London Symphony Orchestra
@ Abbey Road Studios