Nine-year-old Amelie Bea Smith makes her debut voicing the title character of the beloved animated preschool series in new episodes that launch next month in the U.K., U.S., Australia and international territories that air episodes in English.
Smith is the fourth British voice artist to take on the role in English-speaking territories. Her voice will first appear in the Peppa Pig episode "Valentine’s Day", airing Friday, February 14, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on the Nick Jr. channel in the U.S.
The Peppa Pig "Valentine’s Day" episode will premiere on Channel 5's Milkshake! on Friday 14th February 14 2020 at 7:30am GMT!
Before voicing Peppa Pig, she appeared in several episodes of long-running British soap opera EastEnders in 2018 and 2019, and is set to appear in Netflix’s Haunting of Bly Manor.
Smith takes over from Harley Bird, now 18, who has voiced the cartoon pig for 13 years, since she was 5 years old, taking over in 2007 during its third season and voicing Peppa for 185 episodes, winning a BAFTA for the role in 2011. Bird is in her final year of school, and her acting credits also include feature film How I Live Now, alongside Saorise Ronan, Doctor Who, and Disney app series So Sammy, created by Miranda Hart.
Harley Bird, pictured, has voiced the character since she was 5.
Bird has been the voice of Peppa Pig in 185 episodes. As well as voicing episodes, Bird also performed songs for the recent “Peppa Pig My First Album” music release and the hit charity Christmas single "Bing Bong Christmas".
Previously, Lily Snowden-Fine and Cecily Bloom provided the voice for Peppa Pig, which first appeared on U.K. screens in 2004.
Peppa Pig co-creators Neville Astley and Mark Baker, from animation studio Astley Baker Davies, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Amelie to the Peppa Pig voice cast and confident that she will continue the strong legacy of the previous Peppa voice actors.
“Lily Snowden-Fine defined the role when she first voiced the character in series one at age five.
“Lily passed the baton to Cecily Bloom for series two before handing the reins to Harley Bird. As our longest-standing Peppa, Harley’s award-winning contribution to the show over the past 13 years has been tremendous, making her a key part of the success of Peppa Pig.”
Bird said, “Becoming the voice of Peppa Pig at the age of five was the start of an incredible journey, and I’ll never forget my time on the show. The people that work on Peppa Pig have become like a family to me and they’ve given me some unforgettable memories. I wish Amelie the best of luck in the role and am looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life.”
Smith's agent, Mark Jermin, said the 9-year-old was "thrilled" to be taking over the role. "Amelie has been a huge fan of the show since she was little, so voicing the title role is like a dream come true and she's thrilled to become part of the voice cast," Jermin added.
Peppa Pig first aired on the U.K.’s Channel 5 Milkshake and Nick Jr in 2004. It is now available in more than 180 territories and broadcast in more than 40 languages, including many Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels globally.
The show celebrated its 15th anniversary in the U.K. and Australia in 2019. There will be a total 381 episodes following the current production slate.
More Nick: VisitEngland Launches Peppa Pig Inspired Campaign to Encourage Families with Young Children to Take a Break at Home!
Originally published: Friday, January 31, 2020 at 19:15 GMT.
Sources: Variety, Deadline, CNN; Additional sources: TVLine, Evening Standard, Digiguide.
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