Annecy 2026: Blink Industries developing ‘The Young Magicians’ animated series with Nick Mohammed and BBC Studios Kids & Family
Skwigly
The Young Magicians (Blink Industries)
Multi award-winning UK production studio Blink Industries has unveiled a brand new animated comedy-adventure series for ages 8+, developed as part of their first look deal with BBC Studios Kids & Family. The project was announced today at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Based on the book series by Nick Mohammed, The Young Magicians is an animated series that follows the lives of four talented young magicians – Zack, Sophie, Jonny and Alex – as they uncover secret conspiracies and hidden dangers within London’s most exclusive club: The Magic Circle. Nick Mohammed serves as executive producer and showrunner, bringing his distinctive vision to the series, with Blink Industries spearheading production. Ayoola Solarin, Executive Producer at Blink Industries, leads development of the series.
Creator Nick Mohammed is a double Emmy-nominated actor, comedian and writer whose credits include Intelligence, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, Renegade Nell and Deep Cover, alongside hosting the Olivier Awards 2026 in April. He is also widely celebrated for his live comedy work as Mr. Swallow, currently touring with Show Pony and more recently, appeared as a contestant on the first series of The Celebrity Traitors in the UK. The first book in the series, The Young Magicians and The Thieves’ Almanac, was first published in 2017 and was inspired by Nick’s lifelong fascination with magic- tricks, having developed a passion for practical magic from an early age.
Nick Mohammed says:
It’s been an absolute dream come true getting to dive back into the world of The Young Magicians, even more so to develop this as an animated series with Blink Industries and BBC Studios. Magic was, and kind of still is, my first true love, and so to share that passion with a wider audience, given magic’s rich and bountiful history, its oddness and curiosities, has always been a hope of mine. I can also 100% assure you that every single element of this series is true – including the bit where our four heroes stumble across a set of booby traps in the Magic Circle library preventing them from accessing the restricted section and come face-to-face with a real-life automaton!
James Stevenson Bretton, CEO and co-founder at Blink Industries says:
We fell in love with the charming and exciting world that Nick built in his books and it’s no surprise that Nick has been able to translate that magic into such an exciting show. Just like Nick himself, the show is warm and hilarious and super smart and we can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve been conjuring up.
Blink Industries, an Emmy, BAFTA and Annie Award-winning London-based production company and animation studio, is renowned for its distinctive and author-led approach to animation, with recent credits including Netflix’s Dead End: Paranormal Park and Love, Death & Robots, the Oscar- nominated short Wander to Wonder, the Annie award winning episode Enkai for Disney+’s Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire and Emmy-nominated Peter & The Wolf for HBO MAX. Alley Cats, Blink’s latest production for Netflix, created and directed by Ricky Gervais, is also being revealed at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Benjamin Lole, VP of Games & Longform at Blink Industries, adds:
We couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with Nick and BBC Studios on The Young Magicians. The show is an exciting mix of intrigue, comedy, adventure and real magic. None of that wizards and spells nonsense… just proper sleight of hand and clever trickery. Nick has been a dream collaborator and we can’t wait to share his fantastic story with the world.
Cecilia Persson, Managing Director, Kids & Family, BBC Studios says:
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Blink to bring The Young Magicians to life as an animated series. Nick Mohammed’s brilliantly original world offers truly distinctive storytelling. We’re sure this series will have audiences of all ages spellbound.