A new animated series on hedgehogs voiced by conservationist Chris Packham is launching this week, coinciding with Hedgehog Awareness Week.

The Littlest Hoglet is a stop-motion animated series about British hedgehogs and the dangers they face in our modern, urbanised world. Each of the five episodes, voiced by Chris Packham, and created by Liquona, features simple actions to help make Britain a more hedgehog friendly place, where the species can not only survive but thrive.

Each weekday during Hedgehog Awareness Week (5-11 May 2024), a new episode will be aired via the BHPS website and social media platforms so follow the Society on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn for updates. The campaign also includes Key Stage 1 and 2 lesson plans that have been prepared by educators and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) for schools all across the UK, which can previewed on the BHPS teachers’ portal.

Co-writer/director of The Littlest Hoglet Tom Hooker said:

It’s great when two passions collide and, for me, there’s no greater satisfaction than using my film making skills to promote conservation. For as long as I can remember I’ve had an interest in both wildlife and photography. With our busy lives and need for convenience, it’s very easy to forget how closely linked and dependent we are on the natural world.

There have already been huge success stories where communities have worked together to make their neighbourhoods more hedgehog friendly and hopefully these films will inspire an even wider movement.

Co-writer/director of The Littlest Hoglet Nathan Erasmus said:

This project was born from a conversation at the Liquona Christmas Party where I asked Tom what his favourite video project was. He told me about an animated short he created called ‘Hedgehog Close’ which aligned his passion for hedgehogs and his cinematography skills.

We brainstormed some ideas and spoke to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society who got on board to co-produce it into reality and here we are!

As well as the series launch, Hedgehog Awareness Week will feature interactive daily competitions, celebrity videos, and new infographics kindly donated by The Future is Unknown.Fay Vass, chief executive for BHPS, added:

We’re really excited to be launching this mini-series during #HedgehogWeek this year – and to have the amazing Chris Packham on board too. Hedgehog populations are in serious decline, and we need to act now to reverse this – so we hope the story of The Littlest Hoglet will inspire people to create hedgehog highways and establish havens for our prickly friends.