Series cast summary: | |||
John Hurt | ... | The Storyteller 9 episodes, 1987-1988 | |
Brian Henson | ... | Storyteller's Dog / ... 9 episodes, 1987-1988 | |
Frederick Warder | ... | Giant / ... 3 episodes, 1987-1988 | |
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David Greenaway | ... | Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988 |
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Robert Tygner | ... | Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988 |
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Alistair Fullarton | ... | Death / ... 3 episodes, 1988 |
Mak Wilson | ... | Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988 | |
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Diana Payan | ... | Miller's Wife / ... 2 episodes, 1988 |
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Robin Summers | ... | Jailer / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988 |
Michael Kilgarriff | ... | Lion / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988 | |
Peter Marinker | ... | Devil / ... 2 episodes, 1988 | |
A variety of European folk tales are retold in nine new stories. A soldier captures Death in a magic sack. A fearless young man sets out to learn to shudder. A boy with a destiny that frightens a tyrant is sent on an impossible task that will see him wed the Princess, or dead. A storyteller must spin tales to stay alive. A woman bears a hedgehog-child who grows up to live alone in a castle until he does a King a favor and gets the Princess' hand in return. A Princess must keep silent while she works to free her brothers from an evil spell. A Princess runs away from wedding her father and disguises herself as an ugly forest creature. A young boy must overcome a heartless giant. A Princess searches the Earth for her stolen bridegroom. Written by Kathy Li
This is the best television series for children (and adults) ever. John Hurt is a great actor, with many excellent performances over many years, but he was born to play the storyteller. The scripts for almost every episode are superb pieces of craftsmanship, and the productions run the gamut of the emotions, being alternately funny, sad, happy, exciting, and always hauntingly beautiful. It is hard to pick a best episode from so many excellent contenders, but "The Soldier and Death", with its timeless pathos, is unbeatable. It is a series to watch with your children, over and over again.