Sarah & Duck

Did You Know?

• The series is produced using computer-assisted animation techniques and the Adobe After Effects and CelAction2D packages.
• A second series began airing on 11 August 2014.
• On 17 June 2015 it was renewed for a third series which aired starting 18 October 2016 on CBeebies.

Cast and characters

John, a Japanese friend of Sarah, is voiced by Luca Pilkington Massey. He has a friend named Flamingo, much like Duck is a friend to Sarah. In Sarah's front garden by the door, she and Duck have planted The Shallots: three of them are similar in size, and one is tiny. The three larger Shallots repeat the same phrase when spoken to, while the tiny one says something slightly different.

Tim O'Sullivan and Tony Clarke provide their voices. After a rain shower, Rainbow becomes friends with Sarah and Duck; he is very ticklish and is voiced by David Carling. Moon first encounters Sarah and Duck at the Big Shop as he heads to work at night, with Pete Gallagher voicing him. Venus, a good friend of Moon, is usually seen by Sarah only at night; Hilary Maclean plays her.

Mars, a gruff character reminiscent of a Sergeant Major, occasionally joins Moon and Venus, voiced by Tim O'Sullivan. Hat Lady, also called Hattie, is Scarf Lady's old sporting rival and runs the local hat museum; like her arch-nemesis, she is voiced by Lesley Nicol. Umbrella, who is afraid of rain, is voiced by Jamie Oram. Bug is a large ladybird living in Sarah and Duck's house plant, collecting buttons.

The Cloud Captain, a French engineer, operates the weather system from a tower in the local park, voiced by Derek Griffiths. The Ribbon Sisters, Sarah and Duck's quiet next-door neighbours, are identical twins distinguished by their differently coloured sunglasses; they enjoy playing with ribbons and are voiced by Kiki Brooks. Scooter Boy always brings a scooter and is very safety conscious, voiced by Dylan Issberner. Plate Girl habitually carries a plate with her, voiced by Yaeli Miller.

Cake, a living cake Sarah created, helps with baking and is voiced by Andy Nyman. Bread Man runs the local bakery, a frequent stop for Sarah and especially Duck, voiced by David Carling. Bus Man operates the bus that often takes Sarah and Scarf Lady to places like the Zoo and the Big Shop. Tortoise is slow and easily frightened; his shell has windows for looking out, and he does not speak.

Leftover Wool, a bundle of wool that waits patiently in Scarf Lady's wool room, is voiced by Andy Nyman. Poetry Pete, a poet first heard on one of Scarf Lady's LPs, is voiced by Simon Callow. Comet, an old friend of Moon, Mars, and Venus, lost his memory on his last visit to Earth and is voiced by Sylvester McCoy.

Broadcast

BBC Worldwide originally held the global distribution and merchandising rights to Sarah & Duck, airing it across its own channels. The show debuted in the U.S. on Sprout on 19 August 2013. Its first series later aired in Japan, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Israel. In Canada, it appears on Family Jr., and in Australia on ABC Kids. The program was added to Netflix in Mexico on 12 February 2016, but removed on 12 August 2018, with episodes from 2017–2018 never shown there. In August 2023, Karrot Animation regained the licensing and merchandising rights, though BBC Studios continues as the distributor.

Reception

The show's pilot debuted at the 2010 Cartoon Forum and was well-liked. After its launch, the series quickly became popular in the UK, with its first four episodes ranking as the top pre-school programs on BBC iPlayer for their week. The debut episode, 'Lots of Shallots,' was chosen for the official lineup at the 2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. In October 2013, the show received a nomination for the British Academy Children's Award for Pre-School Animation, but the prize went to Timmy Time. A nomination in the pre-school category of the British Animation Awards followed in January 2014. The series earned a second BAFTA nomination in November 2014 and won the award for Pre-School Animation. In February 2017, it shared the Kidscreen Award for best animated series with Doc McStuffins.