Hannah Waddingham to lead 'Tiddler' animated Christmas special

The Oscar-nominated Magic Light Pictures is producing the animation alongside, which is based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's classic children's picture book of the same title.

According to its official synopsis, "Tiddler" tells the story of a "small grey fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep wide ocean, until he's saved by his storytelling."

Waddingham is set to narrate the half-hour special, which will feature Lolly Adefope as Miss Skate, Jayde Adams as Plaice and other characters and Rob Brydon taking on the roles of the Fisherman, Whale, Starfish and Anchovy. Child actors Reuben Kirby and Theo Fraser also star as Tiddler and Johnny Dory, respectively.

"Every day, Tiddler tells a different story to his teacher and his friend Johnny Dory about why he's late for school," the synopsis continued.

"His stories stretch from riding on seahorses or swimming around a shipwreck to being captured by a squid. His stories are so great that word of mouth helps them travel through the ocean and so, when Tiddler gets lost, he realizes they may help him find a way home. The film is an underwater adventure about the power of imagination and finding confidence in yourself - and how to be content as a little fish in a big ocean."

In a statement, Waddingham said her narrator role was "a real joy to record," adding that "Tiddler is "the tale of the storyteller in all of us, and helps children understand what it's like to be a small fish in a very big pond (and we've all felt THAT in life!) I have loved reading the books by Julia and Axel to my daughter over the years and it's so lovely to get to bring one of them to screen in this beautiful animation."

'Tiddler' is Magic Light Pictures' 12th animated special for the BBC, based on Donaldson and Scheffler's books. Andy Martin and Alex Bain direct from a script by Michael Bohnenstingl, while Barney Goodland and Martin Pope produce for Magic Light, according to Variety. (ANI)