Series 3 storytellers named

Back To The Future legend Christopher Lloyd is to take part in the next series of Crackanory.

Filming starts on the Dave channel show today, with the first names of the storytellers released. As well as the Doc Brown star, Sarah Millican, Tamsin Greig, Greg Davies and Simon Bird will be taking to the show's lived-in chair.

And writers of yarns to be featured in the third series include Nico Tatarowicz, Holly Walsh, Toby Davies and Kevin Eldon.

Six 40-minute episodes have been commissioned from producers Tiger Aspect, with two stories in each, mixing narration, live action and animation.

UKTV's commissioning editor Hilary Rosen said: 'Crackanory's unique style of storytelling has captured the imagination of both viewers and industry critics alike. Stellar talent from here and across the pond are clamouring to sit in the iconic Crackanory chair and read one of the 12 Twisted Tales that will feature in the new series. I can't wait to unveil the full line up.'

The broadcaster has also announced a tie-in with Audible that will allow subscribers to hear episodes from all three episodes. It marks a further move into comedy for the audiobook specialists, which recently announced its first commission of audio sitcoms.

Last year's Crackanory series won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award and featured Rik Mayall's last television appearance, reciting The Weatherman, a tale by Tony Way about a weatherman who realises he can control the climate by making up forecasts. The series peaked at 442,000 viewers, up 50 per cent on Dave's slot average.

Published: 27 Jul 2015