A new project from storyteller Laura Henry-Allain MBE has been awarded development
funding from the UK Government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is
managed by the BFI to bring new material to audiences 18 and under for regulated TV
channels and online platforms.
Daddio & Co is an inspiring, 2D-animated warm-hearted comedy series for a pre-school
audience featuring a modern black-British family. It follows journalist Dad, affectionately
known to his family as “Daddio” and his lively sons Louis (6) and Quincy (4) as they navigate childhood from different perspectives: Quincy is neurotypical and Louis is autistic. Mum, who is American, is also present and is a dynamic working mum who spends much of each episode at work as a barrister.
The show highlights the bond Daddio has with his sons as they navigate daily life with fun,
warmth, humour and above all, with love.
Louis and Quincy approach life as opposites but always find a way to work together; they
don’t always realise how to until Daddio gives them a nudge in the right direction. As a unit, the family are artsy, musical, and sporty.
The family in Daddio & Co is busy, talented, loving and engaged. The show celebrates black families and black dads in particular, challenging stereotypes and showing a perspective rarely depicted in the media.
The show champions Daddio as a strong black male role model who breaks stereotypes and handles day-to-day problems with a coolness and calmness that Quincy and Louis ALWAYS learn from. Viewers will love Daddio’s tender masculinity, which they will find refreshing and a change from the more usual representation of black men in books and TV shows.
Elliott Rae, author, speaker and founder of Music, Football and Fatherhood agrees: “It’s so
important for positive black dads to be shown in the mainstream media and in children’s TV. Not just so black dads and families can see themselves represented, and benefit from all the positive benefits that brings, but also so wider society can challenge their ideas and beliefs about the role black dads play in their families.”
The show’s approach to autism and neurodiversity is also refreshing. Louis often has a
different approach to solving problems and the others always learn from him. For example,
when Daddio loses his keys as they are about to leave the house, it is Louis who comes up
with an innovative solution.
Alison Rayson, executive producer said: “We are so excited at Raydar to be partnering with the hugely talented Laura Henry-Allain MBE on her new original series Daddio & Co. Laura has a unique gift as a storyteller and writer to make the day-to-day adventures of preschoolers’ lives not only warm hearted and relatable, but also incredibly funny and
engaging. Daddio & Co’s depiction of the everyday life of a modern black British family will have all of these values in abundance, whilst also shifting traditional perspectives on
fatherhood and on learning disability in pre-school television.”
Laura Henry-Allain MBE, producer, storyteller and creator of Daddio & Co said: “Daddio & Co, started off as small seed of an idea six years ago when I reflected on the intersectionality of how disability and black UK families show up in the media, books and television. I looked at my own family, my son who is autistic, and especially how black men and dads are depicted either negatively or not at all. I wanted to show the joy and love that is not often seen on TV and show black men positively as fathers. I also wanted to examine the social model of disability within a black family. The audience will love the warmth, closeness and the many comedy elements that Daddio & Co illuminates as a fun-loving family.”
1. Laura Henry-Allain MBE is the inspiration behind the popular CBeebies characters
JoJo and Gran Gran.
2. Laura has also written books addressing race and racism, including the bestselling My
Skin, Your Skin.
3. Daddio & Co is aimed at a pre-school audience aged four to six years.
Notes to Editors
About the Young Audiences Content Fund Managed by the BFI, the Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF) supports the creation of distinct, high-quality content for children and young audiences to be broadcast on free-toaccess, Ofcom regulated television channels and online platforms. Financed by the UK Government as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Contestable Fund, the YACF aims to provide new avenues for creators of original content and bring new voices to the market, and back content which entertains, informs and reflects the experiences of young people growing up across the UK today.
www.bfi.org.uk/yacf
About the BFI
We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image.
Our mission is:
● To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers
● To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television
archive
● To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our
programmes and festivals – delivered online and in venue
● To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and
understanding
● To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s
screen industries
Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.
The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Tim Richards.
For more information, please email: alison@raydarmedia.com
Please visit our website: www.daddioandco.com
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