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Prepare to step into a mystical realm where dragons talk, shadows come to life and the fate of the world lies in the hands of a teenager and her friends, when the new action-packed martial arts fantasy drama series Spirit Warriors airs on C´óÏó´«Ã½ from mid-January.

Inspired by ancient Chinese myths and legends the show follows Bo (Jessica Henwick), her sister Jen (Alicia Lai) and fellow school kids Vicky (Lil' Simz), Trix (Gilles Geary) and Martin (Karl Rogers) who, during a trip to a museum, are transported to a parallel Spirit World.

Once there, they find themselves transformed into Spirit Warriors, each with their own special spirit power. With the help of their mentor Shen, a Chinese dragon, they have to use their new-found skills to navigate the realms of Wood, Water, Earth and Fire and find 12 legendary spirit pieces before the evil warlord Li (Benedict Wong) and his henchman Hwang (Tom Wu) can get their hands on them.

If our heroes succeed they'll save the universe – and Bo's mum. If they fail both the Spirit World and our own will fall under Li's power. There's just one problem: they're 21st-century British kids who don't have much experience of making polite conversation with an ancient dragon!

In this high-action series the new Spirit Warriors face the biggest challenges of their lives as they have to battle Monkey people, come face to face with giant snakes, deal with devious fortune-tellers and even confront their own worst nightmares in the Temple Of The Four Winds.

Mixing live-action martial arts fantasy with CGI characters and the latest digital technology, Spirit Warriors promises to deliver a visual spectacle the whole family can enjoy.

"This show is exciting for several reasons," reveals Jon East, executive producer and director. "It's the first time ´óÏó´«Ã½ Children's drama has explored this type of mythic fantasy action genre. Furthermore, the show breaks new ground with its extensive use of really dazzling HD visual effects."

The C´óÏó´«Ã½ production has been created by up-and-coming writer Jo Ho, is produced by Nick Pitt (Silent Witness, Robin Hood) and executive produced and directed by BAFTA-winning programme maker Jon East (That Summer Day, Summerhill).

After the series airs next year viewers will also be able to go behind-the-scenes and see how some of the incredible special effects were created in a one-off backstage special on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One.

VT