EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Oliver’s son, Buddy, is following his dad into culinary TV and kids content distributor Cake has boarded his first show.
As announced in February, he 13-year-old Buddy will star in his own show, Cooking Buddies, on UK kids channel CBBC later this year, with The Jamie Oliver Group producing.
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Cake, which sells shows such as the Total Drama franchise, has picked up worldwide rights (excl UK).
The show is based on Buddy Oliver’s cooking channel — also called Cooking Buddies — which has amassed over seven million views, prompting Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Children’s Commissioning 7+ at BBC Children’s and Education, to order a ten-part series for television. The executive producer for the Jamie Oliver Group is Samantha Beddoes.
Cooking Buddies is billed as a “fun cooking show with a twist,” in which kids join Buddy as he teaches them how to cook simple meals for someone or an important occasion. In a skill-swap, his guests teach him a skill they are passionate about, from basketball to street art, football, karate, ice skating, boxing, BMX’ing, hip hop, salsa and more.
Jamie Oliver and the rest of the Oliver family will make surprise guest appearance in the show, which will promote healthy and balanced eating and aims to inspire kids to start cooking with recipes such as homemade pasta, pesto chicken, pancakes, egg tortillas and a special Christmas dessert.
Ed Galton, CEO of distributor Cake, said: “We know how important cooking is in the mainstream and to kids and families around the world and having Buddy introduce cooking to a global audience is a great way to get children interested in healthy food and encourage them to learn different skills in a unique and entertaining way.”
“We’re leading the charge in children’s TV, commissioning brilliant shows like Cooking Buddies to bring young people and their families entertainment and education in all sorts of flavours,” added BBC Children’s Muller. “Cooking Buddies is all about exploring new hobbies with friends and embarking on a culinary adventure. It encourages young viewers to try new things and shows you can have a great time with each other whilst doing it.”
Zoë Collins, Managing Director, Jamie Oliver Group said Buddy Oliver “has been sharing his passion for cooking for years, through his digital videos and also when he comes in to cook at the Jamie Oliver HQ.”
“It’s this passion for and knowledge about food that we really wanted to capture in this series, and, of course, there will be some surprise appearances from the rest of the Oliver family,” she added. “The show will be packed full of delicious, nutritious and easy recipes that children will be able to cook at home, now and for life, supporting our mission to ensure that every child learns the basics of cooking.”
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