David Walliams to make two more After Ever After specials
- Sky has ordered two more episode of After Ever After, the David Walliams fairy tale comedy drama format
- Jack & The Beanstalk: After Ever After will be on at Christmas, co-starring Sheridan Smith and Blake Harrison
- Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After, again starring Walliams, is expected to follow in 2021
David Walliams will star in two more episodes of After Ever After, the Sky One comedy drama format that follows the characters from common fairy tales after the story ends.
It has been revealed today that the next episode will be titled Jack & The Beanstalk: After Ever After, with Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After to follow.
Sheridan Smith and Blake Harrison will co-star in the Jack & The Beanstalk episode, which is to be shown this December.
The first After Ever After special, shown on Christmas Eve 2019, focused around the tale of Cinderella, and co-starred Sian Gibson. It looked at what happened after Prince Charming and Cinderella got married.
Jack & The Beanstalk: After Ever After will air this Christmas on Sky One, with Walliams taking on the role of the Giant. Sheridan Smith will star as The Woman With No Name, the self-proclaimed greatest giant-killer in the village, and Blake Harrison will play Dodgy Dave, a shifty market stall trader who sold Jack the magic beans.
Further cast includes Jocelyn Jee Esien who plays Pat, Ashley McGuire as Mayoress and Daniel Rigby as the Baker.
Sky says: "All fairy tales end with 'happily ever after' but what happens after ever after? What happened after Jack defeated the giant? The 60-minute Christmas special begins where the fable ends, with a story of two very unlikely friends. We all thought Jack had put an end to the Giant but guess what? The Giant is concussed but very much alive and stuck on earth with no way back to his house in the sky. Jack must think on his feet and outsmart the angry villagers to get the giant home. Along the way, both characters discover their inner self belief and overcome their fears to help one another."
David Walliams says: "I often wondered what happened to Jack after ever after, so I decided to write a sequel because I can't stop writing books! This is a star-studded festive treat - a comedy sequel to one of the best loved English fairy tales. I am delighted to be playing the Giant, alongside some of the biggest names in British TV."
Sheridan Smith says: "This is a brilliantly funny piece and I'm so excited to be working with David again. My part 'The Woman with No Name', is a really fun part and like every baddie, she gets her comeuppance in the end! After the year we've had it's the perfect story for Christmas that the whole family can enjoy together."
Jon Mountague from Sky adds: "Christmas is a time for love and cheer. And beanstalks. Once again David Walliams has bought a fairy tale cast to deliver a genuinely unique twist on an absolute classic. Fe Fi Fo Fum - I smell a wonderful treat for all the family this Christmas on Sky One."
The episodes are being made by King Bert Productions, which is co-owned by the comedian and makes all his TV specials. Walliams has co-written the next special with regular collaborators The Dawson Brothers, whilst Kevin Cecil has co-written Hansel & Gretel.
Executive producer Jo Sargent says: "To be recreating these two-classic tales with a twist, building on the love and enthusiasm for Cinderella: After Ever After is something we're incredibly excited about. David has a unique way of bringing these stories to life in the most wickedly funny way supported by our stellar cast in Sheridan Smith, Blake Harrison, Jocelyn Jee Esien, Ashley McGuire and Daniel Rigby. I believe all generations of the family will love these new tales."
Jack & The Beanstalk: After Ever After will be shown on Sky One and NOW TV this Christmas, with Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After expected to follow in 2021.