Northern Ireland is to get its very own version of Sesame Street, the classic children's show featuring favourite Muppet characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and spiky-haired twosome Bert and Ernie.

Twenty episodes of the new show will be broadcast by the BBC from February next year, and, it is promised, two new distinctively Northern Irish characters will be making their debut. According to SixteenSouth, the Belfast- based production company behind the new show, Sesame Street Northern Ireland will aim "to teach generation zero - the first generation born in Northern Ireland outside of the Troubles - life values such as respect for each other and the environment".

Academics from Queen's University Belfast are also involved in the development of the show, which will be produced in co-operation with the Sesame Workshop, the US organisation behind the original series. Although the show is aimed at the 3-6 age group, it will tackle difficult cultural issues distinctive to the North. "We don't want to shy away from those topics," said Ian McDonald, head of development at SixteenSouth, "but we don't want to iconise them either. So we may show hurling or the Orange Order, but we won't make a fuss about it. The idea is to look at life in Northern Ireland and internationally through a child's eyes." The show also aims to teach urban-dwelling youngsters about rural life and will include footage of activities such as turf- cutting.

Localised versions of Sesame Street have already appeared elsewhere - the South African adaptation features Kami, a HIV- positive character, included to encourage acceptance of people with the virus, while in the Egyptian version, a young girl Muppet aspires to be an astronaut or a doctor and is intended as a female role model.

Sráid Sesame, a dubbed Irish language version of the show to be broadcast on TG4 in the autumn, will show Big Bird and the Cookie Monster conversing "as Gaeilge" for the first time.