Islanders' cartoon aired by BBC

The series has already gone down well overseas

The cartoon capers of Friends and Heroes, a new animation series put together by an Isle of Man company, is to get an airing on national TV.

The stories follow characters in the 1st Century, with elements of different Bible stories incorporated along the way.

Producers David and Alison Dorricott, based in Ramsey, say they hope it will teach children good values.

The first showing of the series is on Monday on CBBC.

The idea behind the series, Mrs Dorricott says, was to present the well known stories in a way that is fresh and appealing.

It's a great fun story that also has a moral Alison Dorricott Executive producer

She claims she felt children were growing up and not knowing about the bible culture and traditional values were being lost.

But she said: "The main point is it tells stories that teach good values, tolerance and understanding of each other.

"People like it because it's a great fun story that also has a moral."

Although the company is based in the Isle of Man , the actual animation is an international operation.

"The voice over was done in Canada, the writers are from L.A. and the animation was done in Birmingham and Korea," said Mrs Dorricott.