Crackanory


Crackanory is a storytelling television series aimed at adults, inspired by the children's series Jackanory. It is broadcast on the UKTV channel Dave. Each episode features a tale narrated by a contemporary comedian or actor, using a mix of live action, original music and animation, all read from the same oversized chair in a set designed to reflect the story. The first series attracted critical acclaim and drew more than half a million viewers to Dave.
Recurring elements include the fictional company Tripec Plastics, the town of Specsham, and the character "Fat Nicola from accounts".

First series

Episode 1

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

Second series

A second series was broadcast in 2014 and featured comedian Rik Mayall, who had recorded a story prior to his death. Channel boss Steve North called it a "complete privilege" to work with Mayall.

Episode 1

Live action actors in the second series include Simon Farnaby, Rosie Cavaliero, Michael Fish, Alice Lowe, Elis James, Victoria Wicks, Lucy Montgomery, Dominic Coleman, Tom Meeten and Sara Pascoe.

Third series

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 include Christopher Lloyd, known for his roles in long-running sitcom Taxi and as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy.

Episode 1

Live action actors in the third series include Janine Duvitski, Amy Hoggart, Ray Panthaki, Kerry Howard, Marcia Warren, Kerry Godliman and Steve Oram.

Fourth series

The fourth series, also commissioned by UKTV, was broadcast in January and February 2017. Each half-hour episode contained one story rather than two.

Episode 1

Live action actors in the fourth series include Moya Brady, Tom Bennett, Neil Bell, Matthew Steer, Sophia Di Martino and David Gant.