One of the most iconic, fun-loving, brother and sister duos of the 21st century, Charlie and Lola, is celebrating a decade of award-winning television this August in Australia with a special seven-hour TV marathon.

The series, which is based on the award-winning books by Lauren Child, has won the hearts of families across Australia, ranking in the top ten children’s programs for both CBeebies Australia and ABC Kids.

 

“The thing about Charlie and Lola is it has a really unique look,” said Henrietta Hurford-Jones, Director of Investment at CBeebies Global Channels when we spoke recently. “It was ground-breaking. It's fun loving. It's brother and sister heroes. All about siblings, which is a very nurturing thing and a very recognizable thing in a lot of pre-schoolers lives."

 

The series focuses on Lola, a young girl who’s imagination is always leading her on wild adventures, and her older brother Charlie whom is always there to lend a hand. “Charlie is slightly more subversive and fun loving. He and his friends are aspirational for Lola but they're also helping to teach her and guide her through the pitfalls of a very young kid's life.”

 

The program is clearly adored by pre-schoolers “They are a stage where their imagination slightly run wild, you know, if you think back to when you were a kid. The things that you love are things like anything that puts you into that world of imagination Kids of that age, they're looking around them and everything is new and slightly dreamlike in a way,” says Hurford-Jones.

 

“They're comparing real like to imagination and dreams and this is all fun and it's encouraging that. We find that some research shows that it makes kids more resilient. It makes them more able to address life when they're nurtured in that way and they see things that reflect how they're feeling. It makes them feel comfortable about the way they're developing and feeling and gives them free reign in that respect, rather than stifling them and making them feel uncomfortable.”

 

Charlie may get a little bit frustrated at times by the hijinks of his younger sister but at the end of the day is always there to lend a hand, “I don't suppose we can all be lucky enough to have an older brother like Charlie, but he's an example to the older brothers that are watching him. Younger siblings are not so bad after all. They can be a bit annoying at times but really, they're quite fun and we do love them."

 

Charlie and Lola remain hugely popular around the world and have been sold to 111 territories. “In America, they tried a dubbed version and it didn't really work. They preferred the original. Clearly, in foreign language territories we have to dub it but we take a great deal of care to get the original voices on. The tone and the feel and that great casting, it really makes or breaks the show."

 

Charlie & Lola’s Best, Most Exciting 10th Birthday Marathon airing on CBeebies from 9am-4pm on August 15. CBeebies is available in Australia on Foxtel and FetchTV