Recently I needed to use the train to get to work for a few weeks and was very pleasantly surprised to see how much the experience had changed for the better since I last commuted, over 20 years ago.

The trains no longer go ‘clickety-clack’ and sway from side to side while moving, no cloud of dust appears when you pat the seat and there is not a single cigarette butt in sight. The trains even arrive when they are supposed to (well, most of the time!).

So when London Midland (our local train operator) needed someone to animate their first ever TV commercial to publicise their 50% Rail Sale, CharacterShop were delighted to be selected as their animation studio of choice.

The resulting commercial features some awfully good-looking passengers illustrating just a few of the thousands of journeys that can now be made at up to half price on London Midlands lovely clean trains and shows off a few local landmarks in the background. And some sheep too. We never forget the sheep.

And not a blob of used chewing gum in sight – brilliant!

We never thought we could fall in love with a big hairy spider – until we met our new best friend Woolly. (OK he’s more fluffy than hairy!)

Along with our genius friends at Tattiemoon and an amazing cast and crew, we have helped to bring Woolly to life and show everyone how he guides his best friend Tig through those unsettling new experiences that every 3-year old has to face at some time or other. Going to the dentist or starting a new dance class is a lot easier when you have a little blue fluffy friend to show you that things are actually a lot more fun than they might seem.

We are really excited about our first ever commission from CBeebies and we hope you enjoy it too. You can see Woolly and Tig every weekday at 11.05am and 3pm on CBeebies. There are 30 episodes to enjoy, so, in the words of Woolly himself – ‘Go For it!’ and remember – ‘He’s only a toy spider!’.

So we compromised, dropped the outer-space chariot racing scene and made a lovely 2-minute film, showing how any small business could benefit from cheap and effective SMS marketing – from fishmongers to football clubs.

Our film stars Luigi, an Italian restaurant owner, who is facing a very quiet night until he harnesses the power of text messaging to conjure up a queue of hungry diners and put a smile back under his moustache. And not a space chariot in sight!