Crackanory gets a second series
TV channel Dave has announced that it has ordered a second series of Crackanory.
The show, which is billed as putting "a satirical and contemporary twist on storytelling", sees comic actors reading out stories from a chair, with live action and animation complementing the tales.
The first series, which starred the likes of Harry Enfield, Rebecca Front, Jack Dee, Sally Phillips, Kevin Eldon and Sharon Horgan, was broadcast in November last year. The series attracted over half a million viewers to the Wednesday night slot it was broadcast in, a figure that is 82% up on the slot average for the channel.
The new 6-part series will once again contain two stories per episode, created by established comedy writers. The channel explains the stories will be "performed by a host of well-known faces, invited to break down the boundaries of sanity and let their dark, comedic minds run wild".
Channel boss Steve North says: "Crackanory proves story time is not just for the kids. The show provides grown-ups with a rare opportunity to get totally lost in a twisted tale that engages through a unique blend of live action, animation and intimate spoken word. Dave's commitment to providing talent-led content continues with a second series of this bold programme."
Richard Watsham, who commissioned Crackanory, adds: "The show's unique premise and innovative format have received brilliant feedback from industry critics. Crackanory is a winning concept from Tiger Aspect, who secured top-class talent for the first series and I'm confident will capture the imaginations of more fantastic TV faces to read the next 12 twisted tales."
Andy Brereton from producers Tiger Aspect comments: "After the success of the first series we were inundated with people wanting to climb into the Crackanory chair and tell us a story. Thanks to Dave we can now look forward to even more funny, bizarre and ridiculous tales from the best comic minds in the UK."
Series 2 of Crackanory will be shown later this year. The presenters and writers involved will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Crackanory joins a number of other UKTV original comedy commissions. The network has already ordered second and third series of the stand-up show Dave Gorman's Modern Life Is Goodish. Two brand new formats - a chat show starring Alan Davies and a comedic challenge show called 24 Hours To Go Broke - are due to be broadcast in the next quarter.
Below is the trailer that was used to promote the first series of Crackanory: