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The Baddies: BBC reveals first look at latest Julia Donaldson adaptation

illustration shows three characters - a witch holding a wand above her head, a blue-green troll with a wooden club smiling and a ghost wearing a top hat hovering above the ground in an alpine setting with a cottage in the background.Magic Light Pictures/PA Wire

The BBC has released a first look at The Baddies

The Gruffalo, Zog, Stick Man - these stories might not be as old as Santa Claus or figgy pudding but they are now a part of Christmas tradition.

Since 2009, 13 film adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's illustrated children's books have been released on Christmas Day on the BBC.

The Baddies is the latest book to get the special treatment, and the BBC has just revealed a first-look at three of the film's main characters.

Find out more here.

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What is The Baddies about?

illustration from the baddies which shows the three baddies - the ghost, the witch and the troll - following the girl with a blue handkerchief down a dirt path out of forest with animals watching them walk.Magic Light Pictures/PA Wire

The Baddies was first published in 2022

It's the story of three so-called "baddies" - a ghost, a witch and a troll.

Each is challenged to steal a blue handkerchief from an unsuspecting girl.

But the challenge is not as straight-forward as it might first appear.

The film has been produced by Magic Light Pictures for the BBC, and will air on Christmas Day on BBC One.

The Gruffalo was the first Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler story made by Magic Light Pictures into a 30-minute film in 2009.

Many more have since been adapted into Christmas specials - including Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and Tiddler.

The Baddies will be the 14th.

Find out all about the NEW Gruffalo Granny! (March 2026)

The film will star some famous voices, including Rob Brydon who has voiced a character in all of the Donaldson-Scheffler adaptations to date.

"Being bad has never been so much fun," said Sheridan Smith, the new film's narrator.

"It's a riot of a fairytale that celebrates courage, kindness, and outsmarting the big bullies - families are going to love the hilarity and chaos this Christmas."

Are you excited to watch The Baddies? Or is there a different book you would like to see made into a film this Christmas? What do you like to watch on TV at Christmas?

Share your thoughts in the comments.