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A Kind of Spark | |
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Genre | Fantasy Children's television series |
Created by | Anna McCleery |
Based on | A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll |
Starring |
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Composer | Jessica Dannheisser |
Country of origin | United Kingdom
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Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 20 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Anna McCleery Gráinne McNamara Andra Johnson Duke Jeff Simpson |
Producers | Paul Munn Kim Powers |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production companies | 9 Story Media Group Brown Bag Films LS Productions |
Original release | |
Network | |
Release | 31 March 2023 – present |
A Kind of Spark is an Irish-British-American-Canadian children's television series created by Anna McCleery, based on the novel by Elle McNicoll. It is produced by Canadian-based 9 Story Media Group co produced with Irish-based Brown Bag Films in association with Scotland-based LS Productions and American tv channel BYU TV for the CBBC. The series follows Addie, a young autistic girl who wants a memorial in her village for the witches who were persecuted there.
It first premiered on 31 March 2023 on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, followed by a network premiere on CBBC and BYU TV. [1] It has also been distributed for streaming on ABC iview (Australia), CBC Gem (Canada), France Télévisions (France), NPO Start (Netherlands), TRTE (Ireland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden).
In October 2023, it was announced that the series has been commissioned for a second season. [2] On World Autism Awareness Day 2024, it was confirmed that the 2nd season would premiere on 26 April 2024 in the United Kingdom, and 28 April 2024 in the United States. [3] [4]
The series was filmed in Knutsford, Cheshire. The series features several actors who are neurodivergent, as is also the case for a large portion of the production team. [5]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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1 | "The Spark" | Marek Losey | Anna McCleery and Elle McNicoll | 31 March 2023 |
2 | "Juniper" | Marek Losey | Elle McNicoll | 31 March 2023 |
3 | "The Witch List" | Marek Losey | Anna McCleery | 31 March 2023 |
4 | "Sisters" | Marek Losey | Vicki Lutas | 31 March 2023 |
5 | "Party" | Marek Losey | Anna McCleery and Vicki Lutas | 31 March 2023 |
6 | "Nicest Village" | Matt Holt | Anna McCleery | 31 March 2023 |
7 | "Sleepover" | Matt Holt | Karissa Hamilton-Bannis | 31 March 2023 |
8 | "Something Wicked" | Matt Holt | Vicki Lutas | 31 March 2023 |
9 | "Burnout" | Matt Holt | Elle McNicoll | 31 March 2023 |
10 | "The Way I Am" | Matt Holt | Anna McCleery and Elle McNicoll | 31 March 2023 |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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1 | "What Next?" | Marek Losey | Anna McCleery and Elle McNicoll | 26 April 2024 |
2 | "Bonnie" | Marek Losey | Elle McNicoll | 26 April 2024 |
3 | "Le Tour de Frank" | Marek Losey | Anna McCleery | 26 April 2024 |
4 | "Shark Day" | Marek Losey | Vicki Lutas | 26 April 2024 |
5 | "Choices" | Marek Losey | Vicki Lutas and Anna McCleery | 26 April 2024 |
6 | "The Codebreakers" | Matt Holt | Scott Payne | 26 April 2024 |
7 | "Miriam" | Matt Holt | Karissa Hamilton-Bannis | 26 April 2024 |
8 | "Juniper at War" | Matt Holt | Anna McCleery | 26 April 2024 |
9 | "Runaway" | Matt Holt | Elle McNicoll | 26 April 2024 |
10 | "Safe" | Matt Holt | Anna McCleery and Elle McNicoll | 26 April 2024 |
The series has received critical acclaim. [6] In an article for The Guardian , disability activist and writer Cathy Reay praised the production's commitment to platforming disabled talent in a children's series. [7]
In 2023, the series was nominated for a Rose d'Or in the Children and Youth category. [8] In the 2nd annual Children's and Family Emmy Awards, the series was nominated in the Outstanding Casting category. [9]
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