A NORTH-EAST media firm has secured a lucrative deal with the production company making the latest Wallace and Gromit adventure.

Media Ideas, based in Barnard Castle, County Durham, will distribute ten short films by animated Oscar-winner Nick Park, entitled Cracking Contraptions, around the world.

Wallace and Gromit have enjoyed seven years of worldwide fame in a series of funny animated stories, which began in 1995 with A Grand Day Out.

Subsequent films, such as The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave, received critical acclaim and have raked in millions of pounds in revenue.

The duo also helped to bring their one-time favourite dairy product - Wensleydale cheese - to the public's attention, although in their latest adventures they have switched to Dutch Edam.

The Wallace and Gromit craze is expected to be re-ignited with the release of their latest offering.

Media Ideas director Geoff Dixon, said: "We have distributed Wallace and Gromit material for several years and they are getting more and more popular.

"We supply to every country, bar Japan and America, so it is a very busy time for us, but it is great that a Barnard Castle firm can continue to distribute such a huge release.

"The characters are hugely popular and their appeal seems to be universal, which is pretty remarkable for an animated film series."

* The first film of the new series - Soccamatic - is available at www.bbc.co.uk/wallaceandgromit * The entire series is expected to be released at Christmas. For further details, log on to www.wallaceandgromit.com