Charlie and Lola: Volume 1

Lola is four and she "will not ever, NEVER eat a tomato!" Sometimes she is "not sleepy and she will not go to bed", and how will she cope when she is really everso ill and may never smile again? It falls to big brother Charlie to win her round, and he uses every trick in the book - logic, humour, and the power of the imagination. Eating yucky, sticky mashed potato instantly becomes an expedition to the top of Mount Fuji tasting spoonfuls of cloud fluff. And tomatoes? They're really moonsquirters from the land of Moon! Using 2D CelAction animation, paper cutout, fabric design, real textures, photomontage and archive footage, all the distinctive style and exuberance of Lauren Child's award-winning picture books come to life. Glorious music and sound effects help to conjure up fantastical worlds that only children could invent, while realistic dialogue, voiced by children, ensures these magical adventures really resonate with kids.

Episode 1: I WILL NOT EAT A TOMATO - Lola is a very fussy eater, she won’t eat mushrooms, or peas or fishfingers and she will never ever eat a tomato! Charlie helps her to discover that peas are really green drops from Green Land and mashed potato is cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji. But will she eat that tiny weeny tomato? Never! But she might just eat a moonsquirter

Episode 2: ON MY OWN - Today Lola wants to do everything that’s anything all on her own. In the park, Charlie and his friend Marv persuade her that a see saw won’t “see” or “saw” with only one person. When the boys get on the other end up goes Lola, high in the sky, where she sees things she could only dream of. And, what’s more, she saves Marv and Charlie from the ever-so evil pirates. All on her own.

Episode 3: I'M NOT SLEEPY - Will Lola ever be sleepy enough to go to bed, Charlie wonders? She drinks pink milk with tigers, cleans her teeth with a lion, shoos whales down the plughole and has a pyjama party with some dancing dogs. When at last, Charlie manages to get his little sister to feel sleepy, there’s a surprise waiting for him in his bed.

Episode 4: IT'S MY BOOK - You have to be quiet when you’re in a library. But that’s very hard for Lola when she can’t find her absolutely most favourite book, Beetles Bugs and Butterflies. Charlie introduces her to books about dinosaurs, and books about Romans, and he even takes her into a beautiful Chinese pop-up book. But nothing matches Beetles Bugs and Butterflies. Or does it?

Episode 5: I'M IN THE SUN - It’s the school play and Lola is determined to be The Sun. She knows the part will be hers because yellow is her favourite colour. She was born to play the sun! Imagine her disappointment when she finds out that she’s a leaf. And not only that, she’s a boring brown autumn leaf. But, with Charlie’s help, Lola discovers how leaves are far from boring. And when the big day arrives, Lola is the best leaf in the whole wide forest.

Episode 6: WE CAN LOOK AFTER YOUR DOG - Lola and her friend Lotta know everything there is to know about dogs. So they are really pleased when Marv lets them look after Sizzles in the park. They stroke him, they pat him, they groom him. It is all going well - until Sizzles disappears. And when they find him, there isn’t just one Sizzles, but two! How will they tell them apart?

Episode 7: I'VE WON - Lola simply has to win all of the time. She can run faster than a cheetah, she can bounce higher than a kangaroo, and she can stand on one leg for longer than a flamingo. She beats Charlie at snakes and ladders by climbing up a slippery snake. Could this be cheating? But when Charlie wins the race round the park, a tired little Lola points out that you don’t have to win all the time... or maybe you do.

Episode 8: I LIKE MY HAIR - I Like My Hair Completely The Way It Is It is time for Charlie and Lola to get their hair cut. But something is bothering Lola and she does not want to tell us what it is. She just wants to keep her hair completely the way it is. Lola wants her hair long, so that she can sit on it and look like a princess. Then Charlie wonders if she is scared. Absolutely not! She’s not scared of the snippy scissors, of hairdressers, of anything! But don’t let that hairbrush get near my knots...

Episode 9: I'M REALLY EVER SO NOT WELL - Charlie has promised Marv that he’ll play football with him but poor Lola has a very nasty cold and is stuck in bed. She begs Charlie to stay with her. Charlie tries all sorts of ways of making her feel better but a butterfly chase Flutterby Mountain finally does the trick. Will Charlie ever make it to his football match?

Episode 10: I'M HURRYING, I'M ALMOST NEARLY READY - Charlie wants Lola to hurry or they will be late for school. But there are so many exciting things to do on the way that Lola keeps getting distracted. There’s colouring, and dancing with clouds, playing hopscotch on musical pavements and giggling with hysterical hedgehogs. Charlie has to come up with a cunning ruse to get his little sister to hurry up... You wouldn’t want to miss Dragon Day at school, would you?

Episode 11: BOO! MADE ME JUMP - It’s ever so easy for Charlie to make Lola jump. But what Lola wants more than anything is to make Charlie jump. This proves quite tricky. Lola tries everything. She asks her best friend Lotta and Marv to help her make Charlie jump. They try hiding, ghosts and really really scary stories. Soon Charlie, too, is longing to jump. Will nothing work?

Episode 12: THE WONDERFULLEST PICNIC - You cannot have a picnic without swirly tennis and boildy eggs and, of course, sunshine. Lola, Lotta, Charlie and Marv are really excited because they have all of those things. But just as the fun is about to begin, the storm clouds gather. Luckily, Charlie knows how the desert people have picnics indoors and a potential disaster turns into the most wonderfullest picnic ever.

Episode 13: IT WASN'T ME - Charlie wins first prize at school for his fantastic homemade rocket which he made from 10 yoghurt pots and some extra wide tin foil. As he puts his rocket safely away on the top shelf he explains to Lola that the rocket really isn’t a toy and she must absolutely promise not to touch it or play with it. Then Lola and her imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson, find that they have to transport an elephant back to the jungle, Soren persuades Lola that the rocket is a really good idea. But it isn’t. Whoops!

"...a beautifully animated series. It neatly evokes the distinctive visual style of the original books in stories that tackle the concerns of its target three- to seven-year-olds, credibly and charmingly, in their language. And with plenty of wit, too, it’s a parent-friendly newcomer with the look and feel of an instant classic.” -Daily Telegraph
“...a sweet and very observant cartoon about an imaginative little girl and her sensible elder brother that will also help with reading ... Lola’s tricks will be familiar to any parent, and the cartoon’s colourful style will provide children with another reason not to turn off the television and go to bed.”- Guardian
“...delightful..." Times Educational Supplement “Kids’ Choice ... promising ... a rich streak of fantasy and discovery...” -Daily Mail

Author, Illustrator, Creator & Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . Lauren Child Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Noble, Bridget Hurst, Dave Ingham, Samantha Hill Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kitty Taylor Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Leigh Hodgkinson Series Producer . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claudia Lloyd

Follow the adventures of seven-year-old Charlie and his feisty little sister Lola in this fresh, exuberant, delightfully witty animation based on the award-winning books by Lauren Child.

Using 2D CelAction animation, paper cutout, fabric design, photomontage and archive footage, all the distinctive style and exuberance of the delightful picture books come to life in this magical children's series. Carefully selected music and sound effects help to conjure up fantastical worlds that only children could invent, while realistic dialogue, voiced by actual children, ensures that these wondrous adventures really resonate with kids. As seen on the Disney Channel.

Includes the following episodes from Series 1:
I will not ever, never eat a tomato
We do promise honestly we can look after your dog
I'm far too extremely busy
It's a secret
I love going to Granny and Grandpa's just that....
I'm just not keen on spiders
I'm really ever so not well