It’s not often you get to spend a year working with Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Feathers McGraw, but that’s exactly what we’ve been doing throughout 2026, supporting our friends at Carrot Productions on their Aardman in Concert UK tour, celebrating 50 years of one of Britain’s best-loved animation studios.
The production brings together some of Aardman’s most recognisable characters and memorable moments, with a live orchestra accompanying classic footage and a full Wallace & Gromit film screening. Seeing Nick Park discussing Aardman in Concert in footage shared by Aardman from the Bristol performance was a lovely moment and a reminder of the extraordinary creative talent behind the production.
National tours have been a big part of our work at Sundae for years. We love the challenge of building a campaign that starts with a national announcement and gathers momentum as it travels, finding new stories and reaching different audiences along the way.
Our longstanding relationships with regional journalists and broadcasters are central to that work. Every city presents its own opportunities, whether that’s a feature exploring the production’s connection to the area, a television appearance or an interview with the people bringing the show to life. It’s about understanding what will interest local audiences while keeping the wider tour in the spotlight.
For Aardman in Concert, we secured national coverage in Animation Magazine, Cartoon Brew, License Global and Creative Boom. As the tour progressed, we built on that with regional coverage in Secret Birmingham, Shortlist, Londonist, Secret London, the Salisbury Journal, The Yorkshire Post and Chronicle Live, plus many more, alongside television coverage on ITV Central and interviews across BBC local radio.
Next up is Manchester on 23 October, a city with its own proud animation heritage, from Cosgrove Hall’s Danger Mouse and Count Duckula to the incredible stop-motion work of Mackinnon & Saunders. There’s something special about bringing Aardman’s anniversary celebrations to our hometown after spending much of the year promoting the tour elsewhere.
The Manchester campaign is gathering pace, with coverage already secured in I Love Manchester and Secret Manchester, and further media opportunities in development ahead of the performance.
Of course, one of the reasons we’ve enjoyed this project so much is our relationship with Carrot Productions and their commitment to introducing new audiences to live orchestral music.
We’ve worked together for several years, including looking after the national tour of The Snowman with live orchestra every Christmas. Carrot’s productions combine familiar films and stories with ambitious performances, giving children and families the chance to experience the excitement of a live orchestra, often for the very first time.
With Manchester approaching and further performances in Chester, Leicester and Nottingham still to come, there’s plenty to keep us busy. And once Aardman’s anniversary tour wraps up, we’ll be turning our attention to the festivities as The Snowman returns to a venue near you.
Keep your eyes peeled!
Sundae x
