Chez Beckhams
"2DTV leads ITV comedy drive" - Broadcast, 15 June 2001
WINNER - Press Prize for Comedy, Rose D'Or Festival, Montreux 2002
WINNER - Best Animation - Indies 2003
Nominated Best Comedy - Golden Rose Of Montreux 2003
Nominated Best Entertainment - RTS Awards 2003
Nominated Best New TV Comedy - British Comedy Awards 2002
Nominated Best Comedy - British Animation Awards 2002
Nominated Best Animation - Indies 2002
Nominated Best Series - Annecy 2002
Nominated Best Comedy - Golden Rose Of Montreux 2002
2DTV is a topical animated comedy show, with up-to-the-minute sketches on the week's news, featuring impressions and caricatures of all manner of celebrities, from Tony Blair to Posh Spice, from Michael Portillo to Lassie.
As the name suggests, 2DTV consists entirely of 2D animation, using the latest computer technology to speed up the animation process and enable topical animation to become a reality. Emphasis has been put on using traditional animation and drawing skills, to ensure that the show has an accessible and appealing look.
2DTV features a huge cast of personalities; William Hague, Gordon Brown, and Anne Widdecombe will all be regulars on the show, as will all the main members of the Cabinet, and Shadow Cabinet, and even the odd Lib Dem. Prince William, David Beckham, Robbie Williams, and a host of other celebrities, will also make regular appearances. All characters are voiced by the country's leading impressionists.
It is produced by 2DTV Ltd. and the 10 minute pilot was broadcast on 27th March 2001 on ITV. A 6 episode series began on ITV1 at 10pm, Sunday 14th October 2001. Unofficial overnight ratings put the figure at 5.3 million viewers, taking 25% of the audience share - so successful that ITV repeated the programme two days later, moving the schedules to accommodate it.
A 30 minute compilation featuring never-before-seen 'out-takes' was shown on ITV1 on 31st December 2001, and two new series have been commissioned for 2002. The second series started on 27th April 2002. The third series, of even longer episodes, started 27th November 2002. The fourth series started March 2004, and a fifth series is broadcasting from November 2004.
CelAction2D allowed the animators to produce scenes to a very tight time schedule, so that last-minute news items could be included in the show. The team was still producing new sketches on the day of broadcast.
Screenshots © 2001 2DTV Ltd. Screenshots shown with kind permission of 2DTV Ltd.
2DTV is a 2DTV Ltd production.
