Meet ‘My Friend Maisy’: Producer Laura Irvine Discusses the Creative Mouse’s New Animated Series

Lucy Cousins’ famous mouse heroine Maisy is getting another animated lease on life, thanks to a beautifully crafted 2D show produced by Sky Kids, BBC Studios Kids & Family and Trustbridge Entertainment. The charming, kind and energetic Maisy has entertained several generations of families since it was first introduced in the book Maisy Goes Swimming in 1990. The new show, titled My Friend Maisy, follows the adventures of Maisy and her friends Tallulah, Eddie, Charley and Cyril, as they fly a rocket to the moon, slide down rainbows, meet stripey zebras and spread the message that “anything is possible.”

The show’s producer Laura Irvine (production manager on The Snail and the Whale, The Seal Team) was kind enough to answer a few of our burning questions about Miss Maisy’s exciting new adventures. Here’s what she told us:

Animation Magazine: When did you begin work on the new take on Maisy?

Laura Irvine: It would have been approximately two years ago and development took about a year. My Friend Maisy is a co-production with Trustbridge Entertainment and BBC Studios Kids & Family. Together with the publisher Walker Books and author Lucy Cousins, they were keen to retain Maisy’s British identity, so joined forces with BBC Studios Kids & Family to assist with development. Trustbridge and Lucy Cousins didn’t want to create just a great TV show, they wanted a truly best in class series that would capture children’s imaginations worldwide. Matilda Tristram, writer for Peppa Pig, also joined the team and we engaged the wonderful combination of Karrot Entertainment and A Productions for animation services.

How closely did you work with Lucy Cousins?

We are very fortunate to be able to work with author Lucy Cousins, who has maintained her involvement all the way through production. To have such a close collaboration with the author is a privilege. We wanted to ensure that the show retains the same emotional tone and visual identity that millions of children already love and working with Lucy has meant that the series radiates the same warmth, handcrafted love and quirky humor that are in the books. At the same time we have also been able to create something that feels fresh and new for today’s preschoolers.

Can you talk a bit about the animation production team?

BBC Studios has worked with A Productions previously on JoJo & Gran Gran and has also produced Love Monster with a similar pairing of A Productions and Karrot Entertainment. The duo is a fantastic combination of top-quality creative ability and a robust production pipeline, allowing the best value to be showcased on screen. The studios being based in Bristol and London also respectively allow a broad creative talent pool to be hired, with our series director Beth B. Hughes based in Cardiff. Both studios are highly experienced in the preschool space specifically, which means there is synergy in the creative problem solving — each partner adding to the overall magic of what makes My Friend Maisy so fresh and unique.

Additionally, we’re excited to be working with Beth B. Hughes for the first time, a leading creative voice in the Welsh animation industry. Her script writing, as well as storyboard and animation directing experience for over 15 years has proved invaluable, helping to balance the illustrative qualities of the books with the medium of animation for TV. [The Hounds of Annwn, a short film written and co-directed by Hughes, is available to view on BBC iPlayer, and is funded by Beacons BFI short film fund.]

What excites you about bringing back this popular property, which was first adapted to a TV show back in 1999?

This is a completely fresh take on Maisy. The books have been our North Star. Lucy’s sense of whimsy, fascinating details and gentle subversion of expectations creates a real warmth and comedy inherent in the characters themselves. While audiences consume content in contemporary ways, we believe that remaining faithful to her unique sense of perspective and graphic style is still appealing for today’s viewers. The animation studios we have brought on board knew we wanted to do this and have worked closely with Lucy to faithfully reproduce her designs, develop a fresh colour palette, and have even created a custom comp process that looks like real brushstrokes on screen.

What is different about the new show and where is the animation being done?

The beautiful animation is created by A Productions, based in Bristol, and Karrot Entertainment, based in London. The series is directed by Beth B. Hughes. The series pushes the boundaries of classic pre-school storytelling with stories that slip seamlessly between the real and the surreal, like a child’s imagination.

While some of the themes can be similar, in terms of narrative we tell linear stories but also explore concepts and ideas. Maisy can go anywhere and do anything. Our audience will be kept guessing as each episode allows the characters to do something new: go to the Moon, be a butterfly, or run a café.

For the first time, we’ll hear not only Maisy speak, but all of her friends too. Together they encourage each other and problem solve — how to get to sleep, handle your feelings or even keep your mouth open during a dental exam! These are everyday scenarios that our audience will recognize and relate to, while at the same time the show allows them to follow flights of fancy and go beyond the bounds of reality. This surreal element is captured by the original books and we’re excited to replicate and expand on this in a new medium.

Can you tell us a bit about finding the voice for Maisy for the first time? What were the challenges? What was the process like?

There was a huge responsibility in creating the voice of Maisy when she is such a beloved character. We will all have an idea in our own minds as to how she will sound. The voice of Maisy has also always been specific in author Lucy Cousins’ mind too so there was a lot of pressure getting it right! Working alongside Lucy though we were able to get a really good understanding about how Maisy should sound.

The challenge was finding an authentic voice for Maisy that didn’t sound too performed. With everyone having their own idea of what Maisy sounded like, it was an interesting process! We also had to find the line between what sounds right for the U.K. and what sounds right internationally. It was about finding that special quality and friendliness, feeling like any child can connect with Maisy.

At the same time, it was important to us to represent diversity within the U.K. for voices on screen. Maisy has a Northern accent and there is a wide variety of regional accents represented in the show. We’re excited about this local authenticity being brought to an international stage.

Will the new show have a narrator like the 1999 version?

No, there isn’t a narrator. The dialog is exclusively through the characters on screen, for the first time giving them agency to express their own preferences, feelings and personalities. It’s also important to point out that the characters are childlike, but not children. They are fully independent, so we had to find that balance between modelling good behaviour for the children that are watching but also allowing Maisy to do or be anything that she chooses.

Why do you think Lucy Cousins’ character has been so popular through the years?

We believe Maisy is universal in her appeal, because she’s accessible to children around the world regardless of their own lived experiences. She’s friendly and completely without judgement. She can go anywhere and do anything, allowing children to dream beyond the bounds of their reality. Plus, Lucy’s illustrative style is iconic and deceptively simple — her careful choice of bright colors and engaging details are essential to the new show too.

My Friend Maisy will join the Sky Kids lineup in 2026.

You can revisit the 1999 Maisy series developed for Nick Jr. on the official YouTube channel.