An animated model of B.C.-based show The Beachcombers is within the works.
Nick Orchard, who labored on the unique show as the manufacturing supervisor, made the announcement through the show’s fiftieth anniversary celebration on Oct. 1 at Molly’s Reach, a restaurant in Gibsons that was often featured within the show and nonetheless operates as we speak.
Created by L.S. Strange and her late husband Marc Strange, the unique show follows the adventures of two males, the ‘beachcombers,’ who make a residing by salvaging stray logs alongside the shoreline.
The thought to create the animated series got here to producer Blair Peters final 12 months when he was sitting in Molly’s Reach.
“I noticed these characters on the wall and I used to be like ‘why not deliver this nice show to an entire new legion of followers?'” mentioned Peters, who resides on the Sunshine Coast.
He partnered with Orchard, and the 2 struck a cope with the show’s authentic creators.
Now they’re working with animators and a few of the show’s authentic writers to develop the series.
“Beachcombers was, and nonetheless is, an iconic show and one of many greatest exhibits actually in Canadian television,” mentioned Orchard.
“At it is coronary heart, Beachcombers was a household show that instructed tales with comedy, some drama and coronary heart. . . and plenty of messages have been slipped in via that comedy and the drama.”
Filmed on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, The Beachcombers was one of many longest working series in Canadian television historical past, airing on CBC for 19 seasons from 1972 till 1990.
While L.S. Strange will not have a hands-on position within the series, Orchard mentioned she will likely be “standing by, cheering us on.”
The Beachcombers was forward of its time by way of illustration of Indigenous characters on display screen, in accordance to Orchard. He mentioned they hope to carry that ahead within the animated model.
“We have been doing environmental points, we have been doing Indigenous story traces, we have been all about these issues method forward of the time and we’ll proceed to do those self same issues going ahead.”
Orchard mentioned the objective is to deliver an entire new viewers to the show, as well as to those that watched the unique show.
“Our notion of the show is just not to delve into nostalgia. . . the characters — we deliver them ahead to current day.”
Peters mentioned they hope to get a broadcaster on board by subsequent spring.
“We’re actually excited to dive in over the subsequent few months and see the place this goes,” mentioned Peters.