From
the BBC in the UK:
BBC has today announced that Henry ‘The Fonz’
Winkler’s brand-new comedy drama series, Hank Zipzer - which is coming
to CBBC on 28 January - will first premiere on BBC iPlayer.
Audiences
will be able to watch the show a week before it’s aired on CBBC,
starting with the first episode being available on 21 January and
continuing on a weekly basis throughout the series.
This is a part
of the BBC Trust’s approved BBC iPlayer trial to premiere up to 40
hours of programmes across the service, exploring the role of online
premiering across a range of genres and channels.
The 13x30-minute
series - which is inspired by the book series Hank Zipzer: The World’s
Greatest Underachiever – is based on Henry Winkler’s own experiences as a
young boy growing up with dyslexia. Fast-paced and funny, the series
follows the everyday life of 12-year-old Hank Zipzer, a young man with a
unique perspective on the world.
Victoria Jaye, Head of TV
Content for BBC iPlayer, says: “We’re thrilled to premiere CBBC’s
brand-new comedy drama series Hank Zipzer on BBC iPlayer. This builds on
the success of premiering our first Children’s series, 4 O’Clock Club,
on iPlayer back in December - the first episode we premiered received
close to half a million requests in seven days. We want to draw on BBC
iPlayer’s popularity to help grow new hits for the BBC, so we’re excited
to see how far premiering Hank Zipzer can drive more viewers to this
exciting new show.”
Cheryl Taylor, Controller of CBBC, says:
“We’re proud to continue to deliver high-quality programmes in a way
that suits our audience. I am certain that CBBC viewers and their
parents will love the Hank Zipzer TV series. Hank’s adventures
illuminate the ups and downs of a child navigating through life with
dyslexia and do so with great warmth, insight and humour. The fact that
Henry Winkler also appears in the show is just a huge cherry on an
already delicious comedy cake.”
