Bluey survives! Producer of children's favourite show confirms it WILL be coming back after cancellation rumours - to the relief of parents everywhere

One of the world's most popular TV shows Bluey will be coming back after rumours of its cancellation swirled online, according to a producer.

Fans of the animated Australian children's show which follows an anthropomorphic puppy called Bluey and his family known as the Heelers had been panicking after an ominous 'For Sale' sign was pitched outside the family home in the latest episode.

The closing credits of the episode were also the first in its history to not feature music - causing parents to fear it might be ending.

The next episode of the show, titled 'The Sign' is set to have an extended run time of 28 minutes, four times longer than the usual seven minutes, causing rumours it might be the show reaching its finale. 

But now Bluey producer Sam Moor has quashed the rumours after she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning to confirm that Bluey would be returning. 

When asked if the show was ending, she told the BBC's Nick Robinson: 'It is the question on everybody's lips. No it is not the end for Bluey. I'm sure we have many more surprises in store for you.

'We have more in store and we are thinking what would be next.'

Ms Moor's reassurance that Bluey will be returning will calm the fears of parents after they took to social media to express their concerns over the past few days while the rumours swirled. 

She said the extra-long episode would allow for the writer and creator of the show Joe Brumm to create a much longer story with many layers.

It is thought the moving house plot in 'The Sign' episode will allow the show to explore another facet of childhood.

Brumm has previously said that the house is 'sort of a fifth Heeler character', with it being such a mainstay a real life replica was listed on Airbnb in 2022.

In the show the rambling home is situated in trendy Paddington, in Brisbane, and features a wraparound veranda and 15 to 20 rooms.

The Sign will air simultaneously on Australia's ABC and on Disney+ in another first in Bluey's storied history.

When asked about the upcoming new extra-long episode, Ms Moor said: 'The team worked really hard to get that one out, everybody put all their love and effort into it so yeah 28 minutes this Sunday The Sign.' 

Bluey executive producer Daley Pearson spoke to Australia's Sunrise on Friday morning and also confirmed the show would be continuing.

He said: 'For the last bit of time it's just been this half-hour episode we've been working on, but we will be making more Bluey.

'It's been a concentration on this half-hour ep. We'll see where it goes. I think when we have taken risks, that's when it's been the most exciting and I think that's when the audience has liked it the most as well,' he continued.

'So whatever it will be, it will be something that we're not quite sure if we can do. But we hope we can.'

The producer further revealed that it would be a 'dream' to make a full-length film of the cartoon.

He added that Sunday's 28-minute special titled 'The Sign' will be a test to see how audiences respond to a longer episode.

Bluey debuted in Australia in 2018 and was later picked up by Disney. In 2023 Bluey was the second most watched show after legal drama Suits, and beating the likes of NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Friends and Gilmore Girls.

This is despite those shows having a far longer runtime of episodes and more well established fan communities. 

There are only three seasons of Bluey, with around 50 episodes in each of them - lasting seven minutes per episode.

Episodes typically involve  seven-year-old Bluey and her sister, Bingo, five, with Bandit, their exuberant father, and Chilli, their more level-headed mom playing games.

Brumm has said his inspiration is always watching his children navigate the world, listening as their imagination soars. He marvelled that they hardly ever need props and that what emerges is usually a 'shared bizarreness.'

He said: 'When they’re playing these games, they’re usually trying to recreate the adult world, but they don’t know enough about it to get 100 per cent right. And so what ends up for the parents is a really funny environment'.

Ms Moor also explained why she felt Bluey had been such a success. She said: 'It is a co-viewing show, it is something mums, dads, grandparents and kids can sit down and watch together. You can enjoy it on different levels but also for the same reasons.

'It is very relatable, we have had emails from people saying it is like you have a camera in my living room. And it is Australian which is very exotic.'

Rolling Stone even included Bluey in its list of the 100 best sitcoms of all time.

But ABC and BBC Studios have yet to say anything about greenlighting a fourth series of the hit show.

The show is controlled and produced by a small firm in Brisbane, Australia, called Ludo Studio. But a deal was done early on in the show which gave BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC group, the rights to distribute Bluey everywhere except Australia.

It has been an extremely lucrative deal for the BBC and it has caused it to boast an annual revenue of £2 billion for the first time, thanks in part to the sale of Bluey consumer products.