It seems quite fitting that, after yesterday’s discussion on the recording of the final edition of Top of the Pops, seeing a TV institution ride off into the digital sunset, that we are now preparing to open the book on a returning telly classic, Jackanory.
This is a very welcome piece of news. Despite the fact the Potter child has got more kids reading, I’m still of the quite Draconian opinion that kids don’t read half as much as they should do, and anything that exposes the little blighters to a bit of literature can only be a good thing. I’ll get off my Victorian soapbox at the end of this piece…
And the indentity of the first reader is also very welcome. Heavyweight thesp Sir Ben Kingsley is set to read the magical tale The Magician of Samarkand, which will appeal to the legions of Harry Potter acolytes, which on reflection, seems a bit of a safe choice to start off with. Following Kingsley, John Sessions will lend his talents to a reading of Muddle Earth, a skit on the world of Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings,which seems an utterly baffling choice following the wizardy themed nature of the prevoious tale. Why not just do The Hobbit and have done with it? If the producers of Jackanory aren’t careful, the little ones will think that magic is all there is in the world of reading.
Still, I’d rather have a world with a new spin on Jackanory than without it, and I’m looking forward to seeing the execution of new techniques to aid the narrative and keep the audience switched on. I also want somebody fabulous to come along and read that staple of many a memorable classic Jackanory - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. TV Today’s recommendation? Matt Lucas…
Surely they can never top Rik Mayall's George's Marvellous Medicine?
Which I believe was the highest-rated Jackanory ever... Somebody might correct me on that one! I have a real fondness for Elaine Stritch reading Charlie... and they should have Bernard Cribbins back to keep his position as the actor with the highest number of appearances. His Bilbo Baggins was just brilliant.