Josh Weinstein is responsible for some of the most famous kids’ television of all time, so he may not have expected to find himself making a CBBC puppet show in Altrincham.
However, The Simpsons and Futurama writer insists he is more excited about working on new CBBC show Strange Hill High than anything he has ever worked on.
And the opportunity to swap Los Angeles for the North West of England was an added bonus for the 46-year-old.
“I’m obsessed with Manchester,” said Weinstein.
“The Smiths, Joy Divison, New Order, James and The Stone Roses are literally five of my six favourite groups ever.
“I wanted to come here just to be here, but I there’s also a spirit of creativity in Manchester that you don’t have in a lot of other cities.
“You don’t find that in LA, you just don’t. People are much more creative here.”
Strange Hill High offered Weinstein the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting talent in British children’s TV, as well as stars like Richard Ayoade and Ben ‘Doc Brown’ Smith.
He was eager to combine the rich opportunities of British comedy with lessons he learned during his time around some of the US’s top talents.
“For American comedy writers British humour is, sort of, the god of humour and comedy,” he said.
“The chance to work in England with British writers and actors and comedians was sort of like a dream come true for me.
“We were taught by Matt Groening on The Simpsons to never ever talk down to kids.
“Kids are smart, they get it, and so we write what really amuses us and excites us and then trust that kids will enjoy it.”
And from the show’s cutting-edge hip-hop intro sequence, it’s clear this won’t be your run-of-the-mill CBBC mid-afternoon offering.
That and the innovative animation – known as ‘hypervynorama’ – combining old-fashioned stick puppetry, stop motion and CGI.
It was shot and put together at Altrincham’s Factory Transmedia, where crews could capture just a minute and a half of film each day.
The surreal storylines and tongue-in-cheek humour will combine to keep kids and parents entertained – a crucial formula for successful children’s TV.
Mythical knights and disinfectant light sabres are intertwined with references to David Bowie and King Kong, as well as a John Cleese-inspired headmaster – a favourite character of a number of cast members.
The script is even bold enough to take a sly dig at Harry Potter, wrapped up in a bit of old-fashioned toilet humour.
Emma Kennedy, one of the stars, believes its creativity and free-movement of ideas were key to the process and Weinstein’s involvement was vital to that.
“I think for the English writers involved it was a shock to know that Josh was coming over,” she said. “When he walks in the room, goodness me, you sit up a bit straighter.
“He created such a lovely atmosphere where any idea, whether it was rubbish or brilliant, was welcome.
“That’s the essence of creativity – you have to be brave enough to fail.”
Weinstein added: “The environment on The Simpsons was very democratic.
“I started as a junior writer and worked my way up, but it didn’t matter if I just started that day or somebody had been there three years already.
“If it’s a good joke, it’s a good joke.”
Image courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company via YouTube, with thanks
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