Gladiator School

Macky and Portia finally arrive in Rome, but under very different conditions: Portia is welcomed as the niece of Rome's famous General Tiberius, while Macky has arrived in chains... and that's just the beginning of his problems. He has been sold to a school for gladiators! Macky tells the story of Amos and Amaziah, and recalls the preaching of John the Baptist, to remind us of brave men who spoke out against corruption.

Macky, Portia, Toadie, Cedric Smith (Tiberius), Brutacus, Pontius, Antonius, Luciana, Dudemus, Marcus, Absolom, Sophia

The epic animated tale of two young people in the First Century- Macky and Portia- whose idealism and friendship leads them across the ancient world, from the fabled Egyptian port of Alexandria, to the besieged city of Jerusalem and finally, to the very heart of the Empire: Rome. As they fight for justice and even survival against the might of the Roman Empire, they become friends and then, in turn, heroes.

And what Macky learns is that one person can make a difference- as a friend, or as a hero.

Combined 2D and 3D animation. Cartoon-style 2D animation tells the adventure stories, mixing seamlessly to 3D animation for the Bible stories, two or three of which are interwoven in each episode.

The first series of 13 episodes is set in Alexandria, Egypt in 69 A.D., the second in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and the third in Rome in 71 A.D.

While each single episode is self-standing and each series of 13 shows has its dramatic conclusion, they are all linked in one seamless story by the journeys of Macky and Portia. In each series, two pairs of two episodes follow one storyline and can be combined to create two longer-form "specials," suitable for broadcast at particular times, such as Christmas.

Produced by Friends & Heroes Productions Ltd., a company operating in the Isle of Man. All pre-production and design work was carried out in the United Kingdom; The CharacterShop, at its studios in Birmingham, England, made the 3D animation. The 2D animation came from Starburst Animation in Seoul. The writing team was based in Los Angeles, and the voice recordings took place in Toronto. Post-production was completed at BBC Wales in Cardiff.