And the eight new storytellers revealed

The Dave TV channel has ordered a fourth series of Crackanory - with longer stories than before.

Each of the eight half-hour programmes will be dedicated to just one tale, rather than the two of previous seasons.

The storytellers in the new run, due to air early next year, will be Sheridan Smith, Dara O Briain, Doc Brown, Anna Friel, Mackenzie Crook, Miriam Margolyes, Bob Mortimer and Mel Giedroyc.

Each yarn will be brought to life with leading comedy actors, who have yet to be named, but the writers are Nico Tatarowicz, Tony Way, Toby Davies and Arnold Widdowson.

Widdowson, the series producer for Tiger Aspect, said: ‘Crackanory is possibly the most addictive show to work on – each series provides a blank slate from which we can transport the viewer into any world we want. From a barbershop competition in 1940s New York to bloodthirsty ancient Rome, every episode we stretch ourselves to create increasingly twisted and exciting original stories. 

‘The longer format for this series allows us time to delve into each world even more deeply, creating a truly captivating half hour of storytelling for the audience. What other show gives you cryogenically frozen men, lies that come to life, deranged dictators, and Edwardian magicians? I’m thrilled and incredibly lucky to be working with such imaginative writers and brilliant storytellers.’

UKTV commissioning executive Tanya Qureshi added: ‘We are thrilled to be bringing back the award-winning Crackanory for a fourth time on Dave. It has become one of our landmark brands and the ambitions of the show continue to grow with each new series. We’re hugely excited to see the storytelling format evolve into a single narrative per episode, and to reveal the talented narrators who will be taking a seat in the iconic Crackanory chair.’

The show is sponsored by Amazon’s audiobook service Audible. Subscribers will be able to listen to stories from all four series as well as five exclusive tales  from the Crackanory writing team.

Previous storytellers have included Christopher Lloyd,  Greg Davies, Carrie Fisher, Sarah Millican and  Rik Mayall, in his final television appearance.

Published: 13 Oct 2016