Shaun the Sheep gets his own show

Shaun the Sheep first appeared in the short film A Close Shave

Shaun the Sheep, the woolly star of the Wallace and Gromit short A Close Shave, is to get his own show on CBBC, the BBC's digital channel for children.

The 40-part series, commissioned from Aardman Animations, begins production at the end of the year and will be transmitted on CBBC in 2006.

The show will follow the adventures of Shaun and the rest of his flock as they join in with his madcap schemes.

Aardman are currently working on a Wallace and Gromit feature film.

Shaun made his TV debut on Christmas Eve 1996 in Nick Park's Academy Award-winning short.

Since then he has become a regular fixture in schools, appearing on lunchboxes, backpacks and items of clothing.

The new series will see him get up to all kinds of antics, including synchronised swimming in the sheep-dip and dressing up as a scarecrow.

CBBC controller Dorothy Prior describes Shaun as "an adorable character with a big following".

"This is a great opportunity to introduce him and his new friends to a wide audience of children and no doubt their parents too."

Aardman executive Miles Bullogh said he was "very happy to have secured such a strong UK platform" for what he called "a significant global property".