Dave’s late-night answer to bedtime stories revived the BBC’s Jackanory format for an audience that had grown up on it. From 2013-17, each half-hour instalment parked a recognisable comic in an oversized armchair to read two 15-minute yarns packed with black humour, animated inserts and a rotating repertory company that included Alex Macqueen, Cariad Lloyd, Nick Mohammed and Katherine Jakeways. Recurring gags, the fictional plastics firm Tripec and the town of Specsham, knitted the anthology together.
The guest roster felt like a British comedy festival. Series one opened with Jack Dee and Sally Phillips; later runs added Rik Mayall’s posthumous performance, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd, Greg Davies and Doc Brown. Writers’ room regulars Toby Davies, Nico Tatarowicz, Holly Walsh and Kevin Eldon supplied scripts that slipped from sci-fi to Gothic horror to office farce, all delivered with the same straight-to-camera intimacy that made the original children’s programme iconic.
By the fourth run, the channel ditched the double-bill structure for a single 30-minute tale, tightened the visual style and kept the chair. Commissioning editor Arnold Widdowson called the show a “landmark brand” for UKTV; it peaked north of 500,000 viewers on a channel whose average slot haul hovered around 200,000 and walked away with a Broadcast Digital Award. Crackanory proved there was still mileage in sitting still and letting a good voice do the work.
Production Details
U&Dave / 4 Seasons / 26 Episodes / 2013
Main Cast
Moya Brady as Various
Tom Bennett as Various
Neil Bell as Various
Matthew Steer as Various
Sophia Di Martino as Various
David Gant as Various
Alex Macqueen as Various
Cariad Lloyd as Various
Katherine Jakeways as Various
James Bachman as Various
Martha Howe-Douglas as Various
Nick Mohammed as Various
