New games based on BBC shows coming

By Ellie Gibson Published 22 January, 2010

Doctor Who! Night Garden! Top Gear.

The BBC is set to have another go at producing games based on its most-loved TV shows.

According to MCV, BBC Worldwide is hoping to work with developers and publishers to knock up tie-ins for Doctor Who, Top Gear, In the Night Garden and more. The games will be produced for platforms such as iPhone and Facebook as well as Wii and DS.

"We are open to conversations with anybody in games about all kinds of business models to see how we can extract more value," said children's and licensing MD Neil Ross Russell.

"What we’re trying to do is build the brands here - this is not about opportunistic licensing. If we wanted to do that we would have done more with these key brands over the last few years."

The BBC has hired Robert Nashak, a former EA and Yahoo exec, to head up the digital entertainment division.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Fab4 #1 2 years ago

    What the hell is Top Garden?

    Does it have Celebrity in a Reasonably Priced Wheelbarrow perchance? ;)
    Edited by 1 at 22/01/10 @ 08:49

  • darkmorgado #2 2 years ago

    Is this anything to do with the recent accusations that they wasted a billion on their website when they could have been licensing IPs and made money in the games industry?

  • MMJoe #3 2 years ago

    I don't know what Top Garden is either but if it turns out to be VP:TIP spliced with a lovely dose of James May, I'm in.

  • wizlon #4 2 years ago

    The Top Gear game could be full of mini games like, Punch Out!! Featuring Jeremy Clarkson, a 3rd person action game entitled James May Cry and possibly even the Hamster Coma Wake Up Triathlon...

  • EvilBob_leeds #5 2 years ago

    Shovelware ahoy.

  • TonyCocaCola #6 2 years ago

    What? No Blackadder?

  • MiY4MOTO #7 2 years ago

    Forget those bloody programmes! If they insist on giving us games based on BBC programmes how about a 70's GTA set in Manchester (or 80's in London) starring Gene Hunt from Life On Mars / Ashes To Ashes.

    ...and make sure if they do insist on making games based on TV properties that they give them to decent developers, no-one will buy your shovelware, no matter how big a fan of a TV series they are!

  • metalmike25 #8 2 years ago

    I'm looking forward to Richard Hammond Racing, particularly crash mode.

    Hope the make a Question Time game using voice chat, you could get an achievement for completely avoiding answering a question in a roundabout way

  • LazyDan #9 2 years ago

    I still remember Eastenders on the Spectrum.

    I'm not filled with optimism.

  • jonfon #10 2 years ago

    "In the Night Garden"

    Uh-oh. No-one tell my 2 year old this. I'd never get near my PC ever again. On the other hand if it's an FPS I'm sold. *Aims at Upsi-Daisy*

  • jonbwfc #11 2 years ago

    An 'in the night garden' video game would probably be the most surreal game of the last 20 years or so...

  • varsas #12 2 years ago

    Doctor Who has so much potential as a game; I hope a good developer and publisher come in for it.

  • metalmike25 #13 2 years ago

    The idea of an Eastenders game makes me feel sick. The voice acting and script would make Bayonetta seem like Citizen Kane

  • Ellie #14 2 years ago

    Sorry, yes, it's Top Gear, not Top Garden. I think I was imagining some sort of weird Top Gear-In the Night Garden hybrid, where Jeremy Clarkson tries to prove the Ninky Nonk is faster than the Pinky Ponk by racing Richard Hammond to the Tombliboo bush.

  • BaggyAnt #15 2 years ago

    'Extract more value' - I loathe business talk like this, especially when it comes from the BBC - yeuch

  • Steroyd #16 2 years ago

    So the Little Britain game was a success then?

  • Gastrian #17 2 years ago

    Give me a decent Torchwood game and I'll be happy.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #18 2 years ago

    At first I mis-read the headline and thought this was going to be a new BBC show about games. I'd love to work on that. It's incredibly hard to get games on TV - trust me, I know, I've tried!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #19 2 years ago

    James May Cry

    That's fucking genius. I salute your punnage.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #20 2 years ago

    I would have thought there's no reason why not to try to make a proper HD console action adventure game based on Doctor Who.

    The only issue might be that Doctor Who isn't yet all that popular in America. And there's also his traditional aversion to guns. Mind you, if a respectable British developer were to make a well-respected AAA Doctor Who game, there's every chance that could drive popularity of the series overseas.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #21 2 years ago

    Also, I've got an In The Night Garden console game already.

    Trouble is, it's for this.

  • Mkwone #22 2 years ago

    I still think a robin hood game using Assassins creed style gameplay would be imense, just a shame the show got cancelled...well they did kill of the main character.

    not sure what they could do with Dr who, there's already a game on the DS but it's top trumps.

    Sadly BBC don't have the best track record for games.

  • deepspacefox #23 2 years ago

    I used to play a shareware Dr Who game on the Amiga. It was awesome. Each level was on a single screen with a top down Smash TV-type view. You had to run around avoiding the baddies (each level was either Daleks, Cybermen, Yeti, etc) and grab piece to the Key To Time. Then leg it back to the TARDIS to go to the next level. Player 2 was the companion

  • nottingham01 #24 2 years ago

    hahahahahahahahahahahaha

  • Spekingur #25 2 years ago

    So, I guess the Top Gear game will be in the form a click-and-point adventure games similar to DOTT. But Jezza would only have one tool, a hammer. James would insist on cleaning everything and the Hamster has extremely white teeth.

  • darkmorgado #26 2 years ago

    'Extract more value'

    Literally, a euphemism for "milk the cash cow"

  • Murton #27 2 years ago

    James May Cry. That's awesome, I'd pre-order that.

    I think the BBC should stay away from making full games, it's just not worth the time and effort, unless we get a Gene Hunt game, that would be the balls. Seriously though, they should just give licence to have BBC stuff referenced and used in proper games rather than trying to make their own. The Top Gear Test Track and downloadable episodes of Top Gear in Gran Turismo 5 for example, that way the risk lies with the developer and publisher and not the BBC.

  • Wyrm #28 2 years ago

    Isn't GT5 gonna be the Top Gear game?

  • chrisola #29 2 years ago

    Dr Who is a great concept for a game.

    I imagine something like Batman AA but more stealthy \ puzzle based, with the doctor running around the Dalek \ Cybermen mothership trying to get back to his Tardis and stop Davros destroying the Earth.

    You could use the Sonic Screwdriver to construct traps to get past the bad guys, or maybe a bit of proper british fisticuffs against to stun mind controlled human slave henchman prior to deactiving their control thingy.

    You would have your female assistant to worry about and maybe even liberate some mind controlled henchman who would have no issue with using guns on the Daleks.

    Also one method of play would see you hijacking a Dalek and getting to ride around shooting stuff :p


    Of course, Dr Who past 1990 doesn't count, we need to go OLD SCHOOL
    Edited by 1 at 22/01/10 @ 12:22

  • hardtech #30 2 years ago

    Give the Doctor Who game to Rock Steady and I would have total faith in them after the fantastic Batman: AA

  • superdelphinus #31 2 years ago

    If there is a game where you can murder iggle piggle, I'm in

  • FogHeart #32 2 years ago

    It takes around two years to make a decent game...will the BBC accept that? You can make shovelware out of CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures, but please give our precious Doctor a game he can be proud of!

  • JensonJet #33 2 years ago

    As has been pointed out, a Dr Who game has a lot of potential if handled correctly.

    As for a Top Gear game if could work and stand out amongst the crowd in this genre if the game was full of the kind of stupid things they do in Top Gear... playing football with minis, Jumping over cars with caravans in tow, driving through army firing ranges! There could be some fun ideas there, just don't let Codemasters near it. I hate those guys more than I do that little idiot on Top Gear.

  • metalangel #34 2 years ago

    Top Gear will likely be as shit as the Pimp My Ride game. Just do a Top Gear DLC for Forza, featuring the test track and the Lacetti, and that will sell by the bucketload. Assuming GT5 hasn't sewn it all up...

  • BBIAJ #35 2 years ago

    Give Doctor Who to Revolution and let them do a Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templar's style point and click adventure out of it. Good times...

  • Stiggy #36 2 years ago

    Expect any game to have to go through an extra layer of certification with the BBC to ensure that it is polotically correct enough, features the required amount of gay kisses, mentions MAN made global warming at least 3 times and in no way offends Guardian readers. Or a sandbox Larkrise to Candleford period game based on the Fable II engine.

  • EmiliasHorse #37 2 years ago

    Always fancied having a ride on the Ninky Nonk.

  • MMJoe #38 2 years ago

    Top Gear of War

  • Murton #39 2 years ago

    JensonJet: you're right, a game in which you engage in Top Gear antics would be amusing, football in minis, destroying caravans, racing against various long distance travel alternatives in supercars, would certainly be different.

    EarlBasset: BBC Wordwide does fund the regular BBC as well, though I agree the DVDs should be discounted somewhat in the UK on account of programming being made using the licence fee. BBC dvds are priced rather high compared to other shows like House or Star Trek which technically are imports from another country let alone company. I saw the Life on Mars boxed set before Christmas for £35 while on the next shelf was Family Guy 1-5 for like £40, it's crazy.