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Puppetry meets politics on the set of Knee High Spies

L-R: Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn, ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland, Nina Taylor MP, Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks, VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher, Joanna Werner, Tim Bain visiting the set of Knee High Spies. Credit: Daniel Mahon.

The Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, recently went behind-the-scenes on the upcoming children’s series Knee High Spies, currently being produced in Melbourne by Werner Film Productions (Dance Academy, The Newsreader) for the ABC.

Knee-High Spies is a groundbreaking new series created by Tim Bain (Kangaroo Beach), featuring state-of-the-art puppets, animatronics, VFX and live-action performances, brought to life by a highly experienced and talented team. It chronicles the secret lives of teddy bear Jeremy Buttons and his ragtag team of toy spies on a mission to save their humans from their family’s scheming pet guinea pig, Silver Paw. Featuring fast-paced action, epic missions, loveable toys and puzzles that the audience helps to solve, the series is a fun, exciting and warm-hearted production that will be visually spectacular to watch.

Minister Brooks was accompanied by Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn and Nina Taylor MP when he visited the studios in Port Melbourne where the green screen component of the show is being filmed.

Hosted by Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) CEO Jenny Buckland and VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher, the MPs met Executive Producer Joanna Werner, Producer Nicole Minchin, Director Jack Jameson and Writer Tim Bain. They watched as life sized versions of the toy characters performed in front of a green screen, and talked to the director and compositors who demonstrated how the performance they saw will see the characters shrink to toy size and be incorporated into live action scenes previously filmed on location in a suburban family home.

The studio visit demonstrated the depth of talent in the Victorian screen industry, and the synergy between VicScreen’s objectives to support the production of Victorian intellectual property and the ACTF’s commitment to Australian stories for Australian kids.

ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: “Programs like Knee High Spies bring immeasurable pleasure and value to Australian children, and this particular show is destined to be a classic, watched by audiences here and around the world for years to come. But it’s difficult to describe how the years of hard work, the contributions of so many talented and ingenious people and the contributions of the broadcaster, screen agencies and ACTF all come together to make this possible. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to demonstrate all this in person, including the way VicScreen and ACTF collaborate on shows like this.”

VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said: “Victoria has a proud history of creating distinctive children’s content that reflects our culture and resonates globally. VicScreen is committed to maintaining Victoria’s reputation as a creative and production centre for children’s screen content. We are excited to partner with the ACTF and support the production of Knee High Spies, an enchanting new series that showcases Victorian creativity and talent. We can’t wait to join Jeremy Buttons and friends on their adventures.”

Knee High Spies will premiere on ABC Kids and ABC iview in 2025. The ACTF will distribute the series internationally.

Knee High Spies is a Werner Films production for the ABC. Production investment from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF), ABC, Vicscreen and Screen Australia. Created, written and co-produced by Tim Bain. Produced by Nicole Minchin. Directed by Jack Jameson. Writers: Tim Bain, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn and Alix Beane. Script producer: Ray Boseley. Executive Producers: Joanna Werner, Stuart Menzies, Bernadette O'Mahony.

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