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Why not see Friends and Heroes at an event in the
UK or USA? Click here for details!
To read what the media are saying about Friends and Heroes just click here!
You can read our latest Press Releases on-line too! Click here to view them!
This month Ofsted, the UK's Schools'
Inspectorate, released a report on the quality of RE teaching in schools
-
Transforming Religious Education.
It concluded that “Many of the
primary and secondary schools visited did not pay sufficient attention
to the progressive investigation of the core beliefs of Christianity”.
Yet in well performing schools, “imaginative use of challenging and
evocative resources stimulate(d) the pupils’ imagination and encourage(d)
them to explore their personal responses”.
Interestingly presenting the "core
beliefs of Christianity” is precisely what
Friends and Heroes KS2
Lesson Plans and Pupil Worksheets, see example below, are intended to enable teachers to do!
So it was gratifying to discover that the two schools inspected for the
report which were Friends and Heroes users were rated "Good" by Ofsted -
one being "Good with outstanding features".
You can read more about the report in our Press
Release here.
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Friends and Heroes has been on the road during
May, visiting the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park, Esher
(above) for four days. We met many Church leaders who already use the
programme in their children's ministry and many more who plan to very
soon. We also met a number of our retail partners who make the DVDs
available through their bookshops. It was a very busy time but meeting
so many happy users made it highly enjoyable.
The late May Bank holiday weekend was an
opportunity to join many thousands of families at The Big Church Day Out
near Worthing in Sussex (below). It was the first time we have ever
erected a stand in a field and that brought some interesting challenges!
This two day event was excellent and we made many new friends - several
children refusing to move away from our TV.
You can view our events diary
here - please come and visit us at any of the events listed!
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Since the opening of our North America
Online Store Friends and Heroes has been busy recruiting a team to
better serve our customers and we can now announce the opening of
our North America Office!
Karlie Moyer, pictured above, is our Major Accounts
Manager for North America and she will be helping us to create new
opportunities for Friends and Heroes throughout the continent. Our initial
projects include the creation of Spanish Language DVDs and versions of
our Bible Lesson material with North American spellings and language!
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 Friends and Heroes has been available from
many local Christian Bookshops since its release in 2007 and we know
that many of our purchasers prefer to buy locally when possible. That's
why we have recently begun sending a new Friends and Heroes display
stand to these stores. The stand features the Pharos Lighthouse in Alexandria from Series
1 of Friends and Heroes with Macky and Portia, and the pocket at the
front holds the DVDs.
One of the first
to receive their stand was Michael Gibson, the Resource Centre Manager
for Scripture Union in Northern Ireland. Michael has made good use of
his stand in the window of their Belfast store and was kind enough to
send these photographs.
Look out for the new flashing display stand in a store near you and if
you can, please send us a photograph!
You can e-mail your photos to us by clicking
here.
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Today at the USA's National Religious
Broadcasters Annual Convention, Alison Dorricott received the second of
the awards presented to the show's Children's Website. This award
is for: International Innovation
"This award is given to an organization based outside the United States
that excels in innovative uses of electronic media in the proclamation
of the Gospel of Christ."
You can view the award-winning website
here.
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We have just received the first of the two awards presented to Alison and David Dorricott, the show's Executive Producers,
at the USA's National Religious Broadcasters Annual Convention. The award
is for: Best Ministry Website
"This award honors the Internet website of a ministry or content producer
that shows excellence in design and content, is creative in
presentation, and is helping fulfill the ministry’s mission."
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We are delighted to announce that our North American
Online Store is now stocked with Friends and Heroes NTSC DVDs. This marks
the release of Series 2 and 3 for that continent!
These DVDs are the International Versions with ten
fully dramatised language soundtracks in: Arabic; Chinese (Mandarin);
English (in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound); English (with Audio
Descriptions); French; German; Hindi/Urdu; Korean; Portuguese
(Brazilian); Russian and Spanish (South American). This makes the DVDs
ideal for many ethnic groups and also for language teaching by viewing
subtitles in any of the languages listed.
As well as the single DVDs, you can also purchase
the Series 1 and 2 Packs containing all 13 Episodes in each series in an
easy-to-store slip-case.
The final part of this release is the new Licence
and Lesson Packs which provide any easy and convenient way for
organisations like Churches and Schools to obtain a lifetime Public
Display Licence and be given a FREE CD-ROM containing two sets of Lesson
Plans - one for Children's Ministry and one for School use.
Click on the image above to go straight to the
store.
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Biblefresh is a partnership of over 50 agencies,
festivals, colleges and denominations who are joining forces to help
people grow their appetite and confidence for the Bible during 2010 and
2011. It will offer a whole host of resources to inspire individuals,
churches and communities to read, study, meditate, listen learn and live
the Bible.
Friends and Heroes is delighted to recommend this
initiative - our series is also devoted to bringing Bible material to
everyone especially children! Click on the logo above for more details.
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As you can read below, Good TV began
broadcasting Series 1 in May 2008 and Series 2 in September 2009. We
are now pleased to announce that the show has been so well received
by the audience there that they have signed-up to broadcast Series 3
too! We will announce the commencement of the broadcasts here when we
have the date.
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We have just heard that the Friends and Heroes'
Children's Website will receive two awards early next year. Due to be
presented to Alison and David Dorricott, the show's Executive Producers,
at the USA's National Religious Broadcasters Annual Convention in
March 2010, the awards are for:
International Innovation
"This award is to an organization based outside the United States that
excels in innovative uses of electronic media in the proclamation of the
Gospel of Christ." and
Best Ministry Website
"This award honors the Internet website of a ministry or content producer
that shows excellence in design and content, is creative in
presentation, and is helping fulfill the ministry’s mission."
We are thrilled that our Children's Website has been recognised in this way.
You can view the award-winning website
here.
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Over 100 churches ordered our new Bright Sparks
Party Pack this month ready to run a party for local children as an
alternative to Halloween. We have already had feedback from one church
which said:
"This is just to let you know how much we enjoyed the
Bright Sparks resources. The children at [our] Church had a fabulous
party thanks to the excellent resources. They made the event easy to
organise and the range of activities meant there was something for
everyone. Thanks for producing them, they have been well appreciated."
AGWe are currently seeking feedback
from anyone who used this material - you can leave your feedback
here.
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You may not be able to read the magazine article
above but it announces that Friends and Heroes is now being broadcast on
Good TV in Taiwan. As you can read below, Good TV began
broadcasting Series 1 in May 2008 and the show has been so well received
by the audience there that they have now begun to broadcast Series 2 and
are considering Series 3 too! You can view the Series 1
trailer in
Mandarin here.
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We are delighted to have received yet another
award, this time at the International Christian Retail Show in Denver
on July 13, 2009. These awards, sponsored by Christian Retailing
magazine "were judged on the impact they have had on (retailers') staff
and customers, including their ability to speak to hearts and evoke
emotion, open minds to new ways of thinking and encourage and affirm
Christ-like living."
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"We are thrilled to receive
this award", said David Dorricott, Executive Producer of Friends and
Heroes, "especially since we were nominated by the staff from the
stores which retail our DVDs in the USA. They will know first-hand the
way that our adventures are loved by the children who watch them!" The award was made for Friends
and Heroes Episode 5: True Heroes - you can read more about this episode
here. Interestingly the sister-episode to True Heroes, Episode 4
- False Heroes, was nominated for the prestigious Epiphany Award last year.
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Nearly seven years after the beginning of production,
Friends and Heroes has released Episode 39 (on DVD19) the final episode of the final series. Fans in
the UK and Ireland can now purchase and view all three series in their
entirety. It would be quite a marathon if they did - taking nearly 19
hours without any extras.
This special extra-value, bonus DVD contains
the THREE final
episodes of Macky and his friends' adventures
in Rome, completing Series 3 and the entire story!
In Episode 37, Betrayal,
news arrives that Felix is in trouble and later Antonius is arrested.
Through the stories of Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet, Jesus and the
Lepers and the Last Supper and Jesus’s Arrest, we learn the importance of
humility.
In Trials and Tribulations, Episode 38, Portia seeks the
Emperor’s help to get Antonius released, but the outcome is not certain
and Antonius may still be condemned. Our friends recall how Jesus
appeared before Pilate, the events that took place as Jesus
carried his cross and at The Crucifixion.
The final episode, entitled The Road Ahead, sees Macky finally
deciding that he must leave Rome. So Portia must also decide what she
wants her future to be! We hear the stories of Jesus being seen on the
road to Emmaus, and of the Rich Young Man and the Ten Commandments,
reminding us to make good choices in life.
All 19 Friends and Heroes DVDs and
the three Series Packs can be ordered on our website:
just click here.
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Senator Marcus blames all the Empire’s problems on the
Friends of Jesus and will go to any length to keep them oppressed! Macky and
the Masked Rebel are very busy trying to keep the damage Marcus does to a minimum.
In Episode 35, Spies and Lies, Macky wants Senator Antonius to speak out against
Marcus in the Senate but Antonius isn’t sure that’s the right thing to do. So,
Antonius tells Macky the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem to remind Macky how
important doing the right thing is. Macky tells the story of Jesus and the
Moneylenders – also about doing the right thing. Felix and Sophia encourage Macky and
Portia when Antonius is wrongly arrested by telling the story of Jesus
healing a Paralysed Man.
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Toadie informs on Marcus in Episode 36,
Conflict, and tells Antonius that Marcus is
going to rob Rome’s treasury. Antonius tells Macky the story of The Parable of the
Tenants in the Vineyard to remind him that things can be seen differently. Toadie
wants a reward for his information but when Macky tells him the story of Jesus and
the Widow’s Offering and how, quietly, she gave all she had, Toadie doesn’t understand
– all he thinks about is money! Later, when Macky and the Masked Rebel confront Marcus
inside the treasury, Antonius tells Macky the story of Jesus and the Roman Tax.
Friends and Heroes DVDs and Series Packs can be ordered on our website:
just click here.
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Senator Marcus is determined to
prove that Senator Antonius is the Masked Rebel and he recruits Toadie
to be his spy in the latest exciting episodes of Friends and Heroes.In Episode 33, Rome Alone,
Antonius spends more time at home with his son Felix and discovers that
he is being left out because he won’t speak. He encourages Felix to have
faith by telling the story of Jesus healing Blind Bartimaeus. Absolom
suggests Macky steps into Antonius’s shoes persuading him with the story
of Samuel anointing Saul. Toadie is determined to find out what secrets
Antonius’s home holds but when he finally enters the villa he is in for
a big surprise!
Macky and the Masked Rebel rescue
several slaves from certain death in the Circus Maximus and take them into
hiding in Episode 34, Give and Take. Absolom encourages the
slaves with the story of how Elijah was fed by a poor widow. Marcus
blackmails Babatunji into helping him capture Antonius but the scheme
goes wrong and Macky and Antonius must find a way to rescue him. Once
released, a dazed Babatunji and an unconscious Toadie are taken to a
rebel safe house. The Parable of the Lost Sheep helps Babatunji to understand
how God cares for us all.
All the Friends and Heroes DVDs and Series Packs are available from our website:
just click here.
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In the two linked episodes on DVD16, Senators Only and Senators First,
Marcus has developed an evil plan and enlisted Toadie to help him.
Antonius tells Macky about Abraham and the three strangers, to teach him about
welcoming guests and recalls the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus the tax collector, emphasising how Zacchaeus changed his dishonest ways.
Determined to find out what’s going on, Portia sets out to do
some detective work at a mysterious warehouse where she runs into Macky, who is then is badly injured.
Macky escapes from the warehouse
with Portia who tries to keep Macky conscious on the way home by focussing on the story of Joseph and
Pharaoh’s Dreams.
Later, because Macky is sick, Portia must take the lead in foiling
Marcus’s plot and Antonius's daughter Sophia tells a frightened Felix how Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter
back to life to help her brother to learn to trust God.
The entire catalogue of Friends and
Heroes DVDs and Series Packs
are available from our website:
just click here.
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Portia finds a way to keep Macky out of the
Circus Maximus arena, and certain death, by helping him to become a
slave in Senator Antonius’s home.
In Episode 29, Friends, Romans and Mystery Men, Macky tells the story of
Jesus calming the storm to the Senator’s two children, to help them get
to sleep during a dramatic storm. We hear of the trust between David and
Jonathan, while Macky succeeds in foiling a trap laid by Brutacus and
the mysterious Masked Rebel considers acquiring a daring young partner.
Toadie has a new job in Episode
30, Sowing the Seeds: he’s managing a gladiator, and we soon find him resorting to his usual cheating habits. Macky tells the story of
David and Mephibosheth to explain the importance of helping others, and
Antonius retells the Parable of the Sower and the story of the House
built on Rock to underline the need for solid foundations in life.
All our DVDs and the full Series sets
are available to order on our website
here.
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"When we created Friends and Heroes our
aim was that
children all over the world would be able to see and hear Bible stories
in a way they love - via TV!" said David Dorricott - Executive
Producer. "We have taken a significant step towards seeing that become a
reality now by signing distribution agreements with companies in
Australia and South Africa."
Rhema - Greek for 'utterance' or 'word' - will be
distributing Friends and Heroes DVDs throughout southern Africa!
Founded by Pastor Ray McCauley, the President of the International Federation of Christian Churches, and based
in Johannesburg, Rhema Ministries distributes Christian media to many
countries throughout the region.
Koorong - meaning 'oasis' or 'waterhole' - is one of Oceania's largest distributors
of Christian resources and their mission is: "To effectively supply
and promote an extensive range of Christian products that will be of
spiritual benefit to the body of Christ." Founded over 30 years
ago and still in family-ownership, Koorong Books Pty will be releasing all three
series of Friends and Heroes and will be supplying them to bookstores
throughout the region, including the 18 Australian stores which they own.
Australian ministry Scripture At School is also
planning to distribute Friends and Heroes direct to schools via their
video-streaming technology. This is a first for Friends and Heroes but
it fits our original aim of allowing more children all around the world to
have access to Bible stories.
We are delighted to announce that viewers in the
Middle East can now watch Friends and Heroes on SAT-7 KIDS - the
Christian Arabic kids channel. Click here
to view the current broadcast schedule.
You can watch SAT-7 KIDS on Eutelsat Hot Bird 6
at 13º East, (Frequency 11.642 GHz, Horizontal Polarity, 27.5 MSym/sec,
FEC ¾) or by clicking
this link (which opens a new window). Children's Arabic broadcasts run 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. See www.sat7.com
for more details in Arabic.
To read the original broadcast announcement click here!
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Macky and Portia have left Jerusalem but in
very different circumstances. Portia travels with her uncle - the famous
Roman General Tiberius. Macky leaves in chains as a prisoner!
In Episode 27, Gladiator School, Macky arrives in Rome to find that he
has been sold to a school for gladiators! He reminds himself and his
friends of brave men who spoke out against corruption by telling the
story of Amos and Amaziah and the preaching of John the Baptist.
Macky's life is under threat in School’s Out, Episode 28, when the
gladiator school manager decides to send him into the arena.
Because he won’t kill, he will almost certainly be killed. Portia
appeals to Senator Antonius but he seems unwilling to help. We hear the
story of King David and the Three Soldiers, and Antonius tells Portia
about Jesus speaking in Nazareth.
All our DVDs and the full Series sets
are available to order on our website
here.
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Children in Italy, and some other Italian speaking areas, will soon be able to
see and hear Friends and Heroes in their own language on DeAgostini's new DeAKids
channel which began broadcasting on 1st October 2008!
"DeAKids is a very exciting new satellite channel with a wide range of programming
and we are delighted that Friends and Heroes will soon be part of their
schedule!",
said Alison Dorricott - Executive Producer. "Broadcasting on Sky
throughout Europe, Italian speaking children will be able to enjoy the
adventures of Macky and his friends and also hear and understand the
Bible stories."
The DeAKids channel is part of
the well known Italian publishing group DeAgostini, probably best known
in the UK for their Sticker Albums and Part-Work magazines. Friends and
Heroes will feature alongside their current programming which includes
Garfield, Babar, Justice League and M.I. High. Click the image below to
go straight to their website (in Italian)...
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The UK’s Christian Broadcasting Council (CBC)
has again presented Friends and Heroes with their Gold Award for the
Best Children’s/Youth Programme. Judged by media industry professionals
this is the second year that CBC has honoured Friends and Heroes in this
way.
Presented to Friends and Heroes by Rt Revd James Jones, Bishop of
Liverpool, at the CBC Annual Media Awards Ceremony on Friday 21st
November, the judges praised the quality of Episodes 20 & 21 stating
that Friends and Heroes was “clearly a Gold Award programme!”
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Friends and Heroes has been awarded an “Adam”
by the 3rd Sabaoth International
Film Festival in Italy after expert and public voting! Hailed as the Oscar® of Christian cinema this award, for
the Best Children’s/Youth Film, was revealed during the Gala evening at the Palalido, Milan on Saturday 15 November.
The festival organisers described Friends and Heroes as being “exceptionally high quality!”
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This special extra-value, bonus DVD contains THREE new
episodes of Macky and his friends' adventures
in Jerusalem, completing Series 2!
In Episode 24, Desperate Measures, the zealots decide to kidnap General Tiberius.
Through the stories of Solomon’s wisdom with a baby and Paul’s Appeal to Caesar,
our friends learn the importance of wisdom and finding a different way.
Toadie on Trial - Episode
25, sees Toadie accusing Portia of being a rebel sympathiser.
The stories of Paul’s disappearance and Moses and the Manna from Heaven remind us
how important it is to be brave, and that God protects and provides.
Although Hope, Episode 26, begins with Macky still imprisoned
and Tiberius launching the final
assault on Jerusalem, our friends recall the story of Noah and the Ark and its
message of hope! They also hear about Paul speaking to King Agrippa and
are reminded that we can trust in God.
DVD 13 contains a brand-new music-video featuring the Friends and Heroes theme tune,
“Looking for a Hero” sung by Lauren Waterworth, visualised with extracts from the
Series 2 Bible story animations.
You can order this DVD or the full Series set of six DVDs on our website
here.
The Series 1
School's lesson
plans which are currently available on the website have now
been updated to include links to the Isle of Man RE Curriculum. We are
always striving to make Friends and Heroes accessible to as broad an
audience as possible.
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The penultimate DVD of Friends and Heroes
Series 2 was released today in the UK and Ireland. DVD 12 which contains Episode
22, The Big Lift, and Episode 23, Home, takes our story closer to the fall
of Jerusalem where the people inside the walls are finding life very
difficult indeed.
The stories of Jesus feeding the five thousand
and Elisha and the woman with olive oil emphasise the theme of
Helping Others in Episode 22. Overcoming Difficulties is the theme of
Episode 23 which contains the stories of Jethro the Midianite welcoming
Moses the stranger and Paul escaping from the mob. The
lessons, for both Schools and Churches, were also released today
and are based on these Bible stories. Click
here to order a copy of this new DVD.
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"What can I say that hasn't already been said about the excellent quality DVDs in this series?
Friends and Heroes continues to be quite simply the best Christian children's film series I have seen."
These are the opening words of Andrew Wright's Five Star review of DVD 10
in Christian Marketplace magazine this month, our fourth 5-star review in the last year.
We are thrilled that the quality of our programmes is being recognised by reviewers and also by viewers!
"Wonderful...Better than Disney," e-mailed LT. You can read more viewer comments
here.
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The next DVD in Series 2 of Friends and
Heroes was released today for UK and Ireland customers! We have now
released 21 episodes on 11 DVDs. Containing Episode 20: Aid and Comfort
and Episode 21: Hostages, DVD 11 also includes interactive DVD quizzes and
other exciting extras. The Bible stories are: Elisha and Naaman;
Jesus cures a sick woman; Herod and the Wise Men and the Boy Samuel and
Eli, covering the themes of being obedient and making difficult
decisions.
Click
here for ordering details. The new School Lesson Plans and
Bible Lessons for
this DVD are also available from our web site from today.
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DVD 10 which contains two 25 minute episodes plus lots of
exciting extras was released today for UK and Ireland customers! This
DVD covers the themes of God's Provision and Mercy, illustrated by the Bible stories of Paul, Silas and the earthquake, David spares King Saul, Paul and Elymas the Sorcerer and Moses and the Miracle Water.
Click
here for ordering details. Also available from our web site
are the related new School Lesson Plans and Bible Lessons for
this DVD.
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We are delighted to announce that Friends
and Heroes will be broadcast in Arabic through
a new agreement with Cyprus based
SAT-7. "We are thrilled to be working with SAT-7 to see
Friends and Heroes broadcast in the Middle East region, especially as
our adventure stories are set in this part of the world!",
said Alison Dorricott - Executive Producer. "The
Arabic and Farsi speaking children in that area, whatever their
background, will really enjoy the adventures of Macky and his gang."
SAT-7 has three channels:
SAT-7 ARABIC and
SAT-7 KIDS broadcasting 24 hours a day to 8.5 million people in the Middle East and
North Africa and
SAT-7 PARS which broadcasts to Iran and the wider Persian world in Farsi.
Watch the Series 1
trailer in
Arabic here. The Farsi dub has not been created yet!
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In partnership with
Good TV, Taiwan is to receive broadcasts of Friends
and Heroes in the dialect of Mandarin Chinese used in Taiwan. "Our main aim in creating the programme
was that children around the world should be able to watch Friends and Heroes,
and to understand the Bible stories it features - it is so much better
if this can be in their own language",
said David Dorricott - Executive Producer. "We are
delighted to be working with the Good TV team to make this possible for
the children of Taiwan!"
You can view the Series 1
trailer in
Mandarin here.
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We are delighted to announce that DVD 9 of
Friends and Heroes was released today containing Episode 16: The Ram and
Episode 17: Rescue Strangers. This DVD has the themes “Grace and
Humility” and tells the Bible stories of: Elijah, Ahab, Naboth and the
vineyard; Paul and the Shipwreck; Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14) and David
and King Saul. Click
here for ordering details. As usual new School Lesson Plans
and Bible Lessons
have also been created and are available from our web site.
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The first DVD in Friends and Heroes Series
2 - containing episodes 14 and 15 shipped to customers in the UK and
Ireland today. Click
here for full details. School Lesson Plans and Bible Lessons
have also been loaded onto our web sites to support this exciting new
release.
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Friends and Heroes has commissioned the professional dubbing and
sub-titling of our exciting TV programmes into a number of major world
languages - currently including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French,
German, Hindi/Urdu, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian and Spanish
(South American). View our "Introducing
Friends and Heroes Clip" in some of these languages.
Broadcasters or DVD distributors may request Friends and Heroes Series 1
in any of these languages (plus English and Manx) for delivery /
broadcast from June 2008. Series 2 should be available
approximately January 2009, and Series 3 by September 2009.
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Friends and Heroes has released a series of UK Bible Lessons
- using the Bible stories found in each episode.
The lessons for the 13 episodes in Series 1 are ready now. They
are completely FREE to UK Friends and Heroes Presenters. For more
information
click here.
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Friends and Heroes is to be dubbed into the historic Manx Language, in
co-operation with the Manx
Heritage Foundation and the
Bunscoill.
Manx (Gaelg) is one of the
ancient Gaelic family of languages, and although not many can claim
Manx as a first-language, there has been renewed interest in Manx - and
in the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin), the opportunity to learn and be
taught in this fascinating tongue.
Adrian Cain, Manx Language
Development Officer said "Yindyssagh
erskyn towse" (it's fantastic above all measure).
The award-winning Friends and Heroes TV series will provide a modern,
lively platform for the Manx language in schools, educational
institutions and in homes throughout the world, when it is launched on
DVD, hopefully late in 2008 - but
click
here to watch a short test-piece of the Daniel in the Lions' Den story
in Manx, right now.
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Friends and Heroes won the Gold Award in the Youth & Children's
Programme category at the annual
Christian Broadcasting Council 2007 ceremony in High Ongar, Essex.
Executive Producers
David & Alison Dorricott and Marketing Director Dave Carlos attended
the awards ceremony to collect the prestigious award - which the judges
commended as 'Engaging
and high quality story-telling for children'.
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David & Alison Dorricott took part in the
Spring Harvest Holidays Open Day and Exhibition at the Island Civic
Centre, Lisburn near Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday 24th November. There
were lots of opportunity to see Friends &
Heroes episodes, talk about the Series and the forthcoming new
production - and for the kids lots of games and activities. Three pieces of Genuine Production Artwork
from Friends and Heroes Series 1, each individually signed by one of the
production team, were offered as prizes and won by visitors from the
surrounding area.
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The release of
DVD
7 completed the release of all Episodes in Friends and Heroes
Series 1 - as broadcast on CBBC and BBC2 in the United Kingdom. This DVD contains Friends and Heroes Episode 12
"No Way Out", and Episode 13 "No Turning Back".
A new "sing-along" version of the Friends and Heroes Music video, and
more exciting "Macky's
Quizzes" are amongst the extras on DVD7.
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DVD
6 has now been released for customers in the UK
and Ireland. This DVD contains Friends and Heroes Episode 10
"Horseplay", and Episode 11 "Doing Our Part". Macky's
Quizzes continue to test what you remember about each episode!
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Friends and Heroes is on stand RO-76 at the
Nexus 2007 exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow 23 - 25 August. Do
call in to say hello to Dave Carlos, Marketing Director and David
Dorricott, Executive Producer if you are in the Glasgow area.
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Friends and Heroes is delighted to announce that
Series 1 will be broadcast during Autumn 2007 on BBC2, one of the BBC's
two principal terrestrial channels -
click here
for full details and a broadcast schedule.
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DVD
5 has now been released for customers in the UK and Ireland. This DVD contains Friends
and Heroes Episode 8 "The One that Got Away", and Episode 9 "Doing
Our Part". For those who want to know a little more
about "Macky", there's a special Macky Confidential interview
amongst the DVD extras!
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The Friends and Heroes management team in Ramsey, Isle of Man was
thrilled to welcome a group 15 children from the Chernobyl area in
Belarus who were visiting the Isle of Man as guests of the local
"Friends of Chernobyl's Children" charity. The youngsters enjoyed
learning about animation - and watching "Long Journey" - whilst one
budding artist from the group even drew a picture of Macky for us!
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DVD 4 has now been released in the UK by Friends & Heroes
Productions Ltd for customers in the UK and Ireland. This DVD contains Friends
and Heroes Episode 6 "Sweet Freedom", and Episode 7 "Lost
in Alexandria".
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The Friends and Heroes Team, including Executive
Producers Alison & David Dorricott, and Marketing Director, Dave Carlos,
attended the major ICRS Convention which took place in Atlanta, Georgia,
USA from the 9th to 11th
July.
Thanks to Becky Brandvik of Tyndale House
Publishers, visitors were able to join Macky, Portia and other Friends
and Heroes characters for a photo-opportunity (thanks to green screen
technology) and take home a picture!
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Friends & Heroes Productions Ltd are now
shipping the third DVD to customers in the UK and Ireland. DVD3 contains Friends
and Heroes Episode 4 "False Heroes", and Episode 5 "True Heroes" - plus
lots of exciting extras, including Macky's Quizzes on the two episodes.
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The
second DVD designed for customers in the UK and Ireland, was
released on 4th May. DVD2 contains the whole of Friends and Heroes
Episode 3 "Leviathan", and lots of exciting extras. Sub-titles have now
been extended to include Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese and Punjabi as well
as English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
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Friends and Heroes DVDs released recently in the
USA climbed to number 7 and 8 at the end of March after just two weeks
of release - and they have now reached number 1 & 2 on the weekly
charts.
Long Journey, Episode 1 of the animated adventure series Friends and Heroes, was No 1 in last week’s ECPA retail
sales chart, closely followed by Episode 2, A Friend in High Places,
which reached No 2! Sales of the series to date already top 30,000 DVDs
in the USA alone.
Release of
DVDs has also started in
the UK.
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A music CD Single (with an extra bonus track!)
is now available at the
online store, It contains "Looking for a Hero", "Samson and
Delilah" and "Jesus and the Fishermen"
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With fascinating info, activities, puzzles and
video clips at
www.friendsandheroes.tv
The best way to guarantee first receipt of every
DVD - and save money too
http://ukstore.friendsandheroes.com/acatalog/Friends_and_Heroes_DVD_Club.html
The Friends and Heroes online store is waiting to
serve you
http://ukstore.friendsandheroes.com
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UK Lesson plans with pupil worksheets for Friends
and Heroes Episodes 1 - 7 are now available at
http://uk.friendsandheroes.com/lessons/index.htm
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Whilst still preparing for the launch of Friends
and Heroes in the UK, the Friends and Heroes production team are now
preparing to start work on the next 26 episodes - Series 2 and Series 3.
Series 2 takes place in Jerusalem, where
Macky, Portia, Tiberius and Tobias - and not forgetting Pontius - arrive
after their adventure in Alexandria. In Series 3, the action
moves on to the capital of the Empire - Rome.
These two Series will again have full Dolby
5.1 surround sound, and the decision has been taken to produce them in
HD video - which is quickly becoming a new world standard for quality
television materials.
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Friends and Heroes are delighted to announce our
agreement with the BBC for the broadcast of Friends and Heroes in the
British Isles. The BBC's first plan (subject to change) is to broadcast
Friends and Heroes on the CBBC channel on weekdays between 12th and 23rd
March 2007:
-
Episodes 1 and 2 : Monday 12th March @
12.00
-
Episode 3 : Tuesday 13th March @ 12.30
-
Episode 4 and 5: Wednesday 14th March @ 12.00
-
Episode 6 : Thursday 15th March @ 12.30
-
Episode 7 : Friday 16th March @
12.30
-
Episode 8 : Monday 19th March @ 12.30
-
Episode 9 : Tuesday 20th March @ 12.30
-
Episode 10 and 11 : Wednesday 21st March @ 12.00
-
Episode 12 : Thursday 22nd March @ 12.30
-
Episodes 13 : Friday 23rd March @
12.30
(all times subject to change)
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TBN hosted the world premier broadcast of Friends
and Heroes Episode 1 "Long Journey" on 6th January 2007 on the TBN
and "Smile of a Child" networks, with more broadcasts following - more
information www.tbn.org
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Dave Carlos has
been appointed as Friends and Heroes Marketing Director, with effect
from 1 January 2007.
Dave who began his career teaching in primary
school, before moving into technology journalism, has spent the past 13
years in a senior role at Care for the Family (www.careforthefamily.org.uk).
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We are delighted to announce the appointment of
Tyndale House Publishing (www.tyndale.com)
to provide Friends and Heroes products and broadcast in North America
(USA and Canada). Tyndale will be working with broadcast partner,
TBN (www.tbn.org), to broadcast Friends
and Heroes Series One on the TBN cable and satellite networks.
Contact
Becky Brandvik
Senior Director, Media Products
Tel: +1 800 323-9400
Email: beckybrandvik@tyndale.com
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The new Friends and
Heroes Online Store is now open for business, featuring exclusive
products based on this exciting and innovative TV Animation Series.
In good time for Christmas 2006, our first
available product features the nativity scene from Friends and Heroes
Episode 5 produced as a high-quality Christmas Card. The cards are
available in packs of 10 or 100, complete with envelopes - or as a
digital download file, complete with a licence to print as many cards
as you wish for personal use.
A pre-broadcast premiere DVD will be added to
the shop shortly, including an introduction to Friends and Heroes by
Stephen Gaukroger, a Music Video of the Title Track "Looking for a
Hero" sung by Lauren Waterworth and a complete copy of Friends and
Heroes Episode 7. |
15 November 2008 - Friends and Heroes wins "Adam" Award
