Completely restored and remastered! Classic animated TV series returning on BritBox UK

Classic animated series 'The Raccoons' is returning to TV.

The show initially ran from 1985 to 1992 and followed the day-to-day life of three raccoons; Bert, Melissa and Ralph, their friend Cedric the aardvark and his father, Cyril Sneer, whose constant desire for fortune causes conflicts in The Evergreen Forest.

The programme has now been "completely restored and remastered" and will be streamed on BritBox UK, which is available via ITVX Premium.

Kevin Gillis, CEO of Run With Us Productions, said: "We are excited to be relaunching the completely restored and remastered 'The Raccoons' series and specials on BritBox and ITVX!

"The UK and Ireland were one of the first countries to partner with The Raccoons back when we first launched in the 1980s.

"We have incredible fans here and it is an honour to be back again for our existing fans and new ones alike!”

In a huge technical undertaking, involving studios in four different countries, all 65 hours of 'The Raccoons' have now been remastered from the original 35mm film elements.

The series and specials originally aired in over 180 territories and was known for exploring themes including the environment, pollution, the importance of family and friends, kindness and bullying.

In 'The Raccoons', voice actor Len Carlson was in the role of Bert, the show's main protagonist, while Michael Magee provided the vocals for aardvark Cyril, who was originally the main villain of the series.

What's more, Michael voiced Cyril and Cedric Sneer's non-anthropomorphic and bad tempered pet dog Snag.