'Barry Loser' Books Head to TV: 52-Episode Animation Set for 2027

Jim Smith's "Barry Loser" books — 11 titles that have sold more than a million copies worldwide — are being turned into a 52-episode animated series, with production targeted for 2027 and ITVX Kids already on board in the U.K.

Big Little Fish Television, the British company behind the adaptation, and Italian co-producer Frog Head will pitch the project at the newly launched Animation Series Gap-Financing Market at Rome's MIA Market, which runs Oct. 19–23.

Each episode will run 11 minutes. The show follows Barry, a 10-year-old middle-schooler in the fictional U.K. town of Mogden, whose imagination turns mundane errands into epic adventures. The books, translated into 17 languages, won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

Big Little Fish CEO Mark Procter, speaking to Variety ahead of MIA, called the show a "passion project" rooted in his own household. "About three years ago, 'Barry Loser' was my boy's favorite title," he said. "We were devouring these books every night. He couldn't get his hands on them fast enough. It would be a joy to lift that from the page and turn it into a TV franchise."

What does the deal look like?

Florence-based DogHead Animation, founded in 2019 by Movimenti Production and now a subsidiary of Banijay Kids & Family, will illustrate the series. Frog Head specializes in audiovisual, sound design and animation.

The partnership began at MipJunior several years ago. Procter said the Italian team arrived with an irresistible pitch that included photos of the "Barry Loser" books on their own children's shelves. "That level of enthusiasm matched our own," he said. "DogHead's back catalog and experience in producing fast-paced, gag-filled, quick, funny children's shows — it felt immediately like we were meant to be."

Visually, the series will stay close to the source. "We're going to stay faithful to the books with a loose, hand-drawn style in 2D," Procter said. "With that comes the opportunity for us to unleash Barry's imagination and go anywhere with it."

How will it be financed?

The numbers explain the Italian partnership. COO Georgina Surtees acknowledged that Italy's 40% tax credit was "a big draw," and it stacks on top of the U.K. credit. She estimated that 60–70% of the budget is already in place.

"We're exploring other co-pro partners that can also bring tax credits to the table to help bridge the deficit gap," Surtees said. "If we are able to bridge that deficit gap, we are ready to go."

The producers aim to close financing by the end of Q1 2027 and enter production at the beginning of Q2. That timeline depends on landing partners at MIA — a caveat worth noting, since gap-financing markets guarantee conversations, not deals.

Founded in 2019, Big Little Fish built its name on unscripted documentary, not animation. Both Procter and Surtees have children's TV backgrounds, and the company produced the 20-part series "Meet the McQueens" for CBBC in 2023. It is now developing pre-school and older kids' programming from in-house and licensed IP. Still, "Barry Loser" marks a notable stretch for a young company in a sector where financing is scarce.

What happens at MIA?

Financing is the priority, but Procter framed the Rome market as a creative audition as well. "It would also be wonderful to sit down and go through the creative process with European partners to ensure that what we love about this works for them, too," he said.

He added: "We are hopeful that out of MIA we have some really interesting conversations, to have one or two networks come on board to co-produce to finally get this over the line so that I can be the best dad in the world."

Whether those networks materialize will decide if Barry reaches screens on schedule. The books' million-plus readership and an ITVX slot give the project a floor; the remaining 30–40% of the budget is what MIA must now deliver.