Chorion PLC 25 May 2005 26 May 2005 Chorion PLC Chorion Announces New "Famous Five" Animated Television Series Chorion PLC (LSE: COR), the owner and manager of classic literary-based brands and content, today revealed plans to develop the first ever animated television series based on Enid Blyton's Famous Five, in partnership with Paris-based independent production company Marathon. The announcement of the new series follows the reversion to Chorion last month of the rights to make new television programmes featuring the Famous Five, having been previously granted to a UK television production company before Chorion acquired the Enid Blyton catalogue. Despite being created more than 60 years ago, Famous Five remain among the world's best-selling children's book series with 1.4 million copies sold annually, primarily in Europe, including more than 450,000 copies in the UK. The new series, which will consist of 26 x 26 minute episodes, is expected to be available for broadcast in early 2007. Major broadcasters in key territories such as the UK, France and Germany - where the characters have remained part of childhood reading since the 1950s - have already expressed strong interest in a new series featuring the franchise. In Germany and France the Famous Five are so popular that local publishers regularly commission new, ghostwritten titles and in the UK the publishers have released a spin-off book series featuring the character of George. The new television series gives Chorion the opportunity to introduce the brand into new territories, such as the USA and Japan. Marathon is responsible for the hit animated adventure series Totally Spies which is broadcast in 130 territories worldwide and reaches 1.6 million kids per day in the United States on the Cartoon Network. Totally Spiesis also a top-rated kids programme in the UK and France on Jetix and TF1. Marathon also produces Martin Mystery, seen in 75 territories (including France, Germany, Spain and Italy) and which airs daily in a peak after-school timeslot on the number one US kids channel Nickelodeon. The Famous Five is the second Blyton brand Chorion will have brought to the screen. The company's wholly owned CGI animated pre-school series Make Way for Noddy is broadcast in more than 100 countries around the world and ranks among Britain's top children's TV exports. While programmes aimed at school age children typically generate less toy merchandise revenue than pre-school properties, they generally command a higher price to broadcasters. Welcoming news of the new television series, Chorion PLC chairman, Waheed Alli, said: "The Famous Five represent the heartland of Blyton for generations of young readers throughout Europe. Immediately upon regaining control of the rights to make new television programmes last month, we took action to further develop this valuable brand. I am delighted that we will be making an animated television series that will allow us to introduce the characters to an even wider global audience and am pleased to be working with a studio of the calibre of Marathon on such an exciting project." Vincent Chalvon-Demersay from Marathon said: "Enid Blyton's stories and characters have been an important part of the childhood of European audiences since they first appeared on the Continent in the 1950s and no series of adventures has been more popular than the Famous Five. We are pleased both to be working with Chorion and bringing such well-loved characters to a whole new generation of young people around the world." - ENDS - For further information please call: Tim Allan or Andrew Sholl 020 7404 5344 Portland, for Chorion 07736 364656 andrew.sholl@portlandpr.co.uk High resolution images are available for the media to view and download free of charge from http://www.vismedia.co.uk About Chorion Chorion (LSE: COR) is a leading owner and manager of classic literary-based brands and content. Its foremost properties include Enid Blyton's Noddy and Famous Five, Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men and Little Miss series, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Visit www.chorion.co.uk. About Marathon Marathon, based in Paris and run by Olivier Bremond, Pascal Breton and Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, is a leader in international TV programme production and distribution, working with over 100 French and international broadcasters. With its solid experience in international co-productions, Marathon has become a world renowned player in the fields of drama, animation and documentaries. Marathon is France's top producer of animated programming and one of the genre's leading producers worldwide. See: www.marathon.fr About Enid Blyton: Famous Five creator Enid Blyton (1897-1968) is one of the world's most successful children's writers on the basis of lifetime sales. Her prolific output of 700 books has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold in excess of 400 million copies worldwide. Nearly 10 million Blyton books are sold worldwide every year. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange