Shaun the Sheep is a British stop-motion animated children's television series produced by Aardman Animations, and commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD. It is a spin-off of the Wallace and Gromit franchise, starring Shaun from A Close Shave as its main protagonist. It first aired in the UK on CBBC in March 2007. The series has also inspired its own spin-off show, Timmy Time, which is aimed at younger viewers. The show has been broadcast in 180 countries around the world.