A new animated series produced in Belfast will follow an autistic character as he navigates primary school. Pablo: Next Level, a spin-off from the pre-school series Pablo, has been made by Paper Owl Films and Crayola Studios. The 40-episode comedy will air on CBBC, BBC iPlayer and RTÉ Kids from 7 September 2026.

The title character, an eight-year-old boy, processes the challenges of mainstream school with the help of a sketch pad and his book animal friends. The series is written and acted by young people with autism, and the creative team says it presents the autistic child’s perspective.

The voice of Pablo is provided by 11-year-old Alexander Myles from Ballycastle, County Antrim, who himself has autism. He described how the character struggles with textures, food touching, unexpected rule changes and forming friendships. He expressed hope that children with autism and other disabilities would relate to the show and feel supported through difficult times.

In Northern Ireland, more than 17,700 school-age children (5.9 per cent) had a recorded autism diagnosis in the most recent year, while research has shown that autistic pupils face higher levels of exclusion and bullying than their peers.

Gráinne McGuinness, creative director at Paper Owl Films, said the series had been six years in development. She said it aims to show how the world can be hard for autistic children, but also how small changes could make a big difference. She described the project as a movement to foster understanding and engagement with all kinds of minds, and noted that every episode contrasts the outside view of Pablo with his inner experience. She added that the launch is timed to coincide with the return to school, and that humour is used to lower barriers and highlight how minor adjustments can help.

Alexander Myles is about to start secondary school himself.