Crackanory | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Directed by | Richie Pengelley |
Composer(s) | Waen Shepherd |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 4 |
No. of episodes | 26 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Arn Widdowson |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) | Tiger Aspect Productions |
Distributor | Endemol UK |
Release | |
Original network | Dave |
Original release | 13 November 2013 | – present
External links | |
Website |
Crackanory is a storytelling television series aimed at adults, inspired by the popular children's series Jackanory. Each episode features tales narrated by contemporary comedians and actors, containing a mix of live action, original music and animation, all read from the same oversized chair, in a set consistent and reflective of the story. The first series attracted widespread critical acclaim and over half a million viewers to Dave.
A second series was broadcast in 2014, and featured comedian Rik Mayall, who recorded a story just before his death. Channel boss Steve North was quoted as saying that it was a "complete privilege" to work with Mayall.
The third series, commissioned by UKTV was broadcast in December 2015 and was sponsored by the Amazon-owned digital audio service Audible. The guest story readers for the six-part series included Christopher Lloyd, known for his roles in long-running sitcom Taxi and as Doc Brown in the Back To The Future trilogy.
The fourth series also commissioned by UKTV was broadcast in January and February 2017. Each of the eight half-hour programmes was dedicated to just one tale, rather than the two of previous seasons, with eight new storytellers.
Live action actors in the series include Alex Macqueen, Cariad Lloyd, Katherine Jakeways, James Bachman, Martha Howe-Douglas, Nick Mohammed, Vera Filatova, Cassie and Connie Powney
Live action actors in the second series include Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Rosie Cavaliero, Michael Fish, Alice Lowe, Elis James, Victoria Wicks, Lucy Montgomery, Dominic Coleman, Tom Meeten and Sara Pascoe.