BBC bosses gives Shaun the Sheep a starring role in its festive schedule

The BBC has given Shaun the Sheep a starring role in its festive schedule after deciding all I want for Christmas is ewe.

Three shorts featuring Shaun and his friends, including little Timmy, Shirley, and the dog Bitzer, will be shown between programmes in December.

There is plenty of slapstick humour as Shaun and his pals put up a tree, squashing poor Shirley in the process, and then decorate it using Timmy’s special tree-turning machine.

The clips are a taster for the half-hour film Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, a mischief-filled caper likely to be shown on Christmas Day.

The BBC has given Shaun the Sheep a starring role in its festive schedule (BBC)

It is the first time Aardman Animation have been asked to provide the BBC ’s festive shorts since 2008, when Wallace and Gromit starred to tie in with A Matter of Loaf and Death, which was broadcast on Christmas Day.

Aardman director Steve Harding-Hill said: “It feels like a bit of a Shaun takeover on the BBC, which is nice for us. You’ll see Shaun on the ‘idents’ and then, when you see the trailer for the film, there will be a connection.

“The brief was to try and create an understated, simple theme – it couldn’t be too crazy or have too much story and had to be quite natural.

Three shorts featuring Shaun and his friends, including little Timmy, Shirley, and the dog Bitzer, will be shown between programmes in December (BBC)

"But they did want them to feel lovely and atmospheric and Christmassy.”

BBC content boss Charlotte Moore said: “Nothing brings audiences together like Christmas on the BBC, and the star at the heart of our festive family offering is everyone’s favourite animated animal, Shaun the Sheep.”