MIPJunior Hot Pick: EVE

Leopard Drama’s first foray into the world of kids drama, EVE, has already garnered international attention, with HBO Latin America a prebuyer.

The high-concept show was ordered by the BBC’s CBBC kids channel in the UK and part-funded by Ingenious Media.

Leopard’s factual arm produces kids competition reality series Trade Your Way to the USA, which “opened our eyes to the possibilities in kids TV”, says EVE series producer Jez Swimer. “In the UK we sometimes talk enviously about the big, wide stories that are told in US drama, but here we have a big, wide story for kids.”

The show was created by Leopard Drama’s David Chikwe and Tracey Beaker writer Emma Reeves. Nineteen-year-old Poppy Lee Friar (Mr Selfridge) plays Eve, a sentient robot who goes to live with a human family after her creator vanishes. The family drama plays out alongside sparkly and futuristic sci-fi elements as genres combine, with an overarching narrative and standalone stories for the casual viewer.

Leopard is part of Argonon and its distribution arm is selling EVE. Swimer is confident that although it is shot in suburban Scotland, it addresses themes wide enough to attract kids from different parts of the world. He says: “It should resonate everywhere, it’s a localised story but it’s really about asking, ‘who am I, should I be good, how much do I want what my parents want, and what do I want to do with my life?’”

The show: EVE
The producer: Leopard Drama
The distributor: Argonon International
The broadcasters: CBBC (UK), HBO Latin America
The concept: Live-action drama about a sentient robot living with a human family