Crackanory sits comfortably on Dave

Crackanory, the show that puts a satirical and contemporary twist on storytelling, will return to UKTV's popular entertainment channel Dave for a second series, the broadcaster revealed today.

The commission's first series drew widespread critical acclaim and strong viewing figures, attracting over half a million viewers (+82% on slot average) to Dave, the UK's most watched non-PSB channel.

Produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, the new series (6 x 40') will again contain two stories per episode, each depicted with a mixture of narrated live action and animation. The tales, written by some of comedy's most imaginative writers, are performed by a host of well-known faces, invited to break down the boundaries of sanity and let their dark, comedic minds run wild.

Series two, scheduled to air later this year, was commissioned by UKTV Senior Commissioning Editor, Richard Watsham and ordered by General Manager for Dave, Steve North.

North commented

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.

Watsham said

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.

The first series saw popular TV personalities including Harry Enfield, Jack Dee, Jessica Hynes, Charlie Higson and Sarah Solemani make themselves comfortable in Dave's oversized Crackanory chair. Viewers were treated to twisted morality tales such as Bitter Tweet about a man who is besieged for flippantly sending pop superstar Joaquin Blieber an abusive tweet, and The Teacup Has Landed about a nondescript office worker who accidently threatens the global hot drink industry when people discover he makes the best cup of tea in the world.

The stories featured were penned by hugely-talented comedy writers including Jeremy Dyson, Nico Tatarowicz, Holly Walsh, Jason Cook and Kevin Eldon. Talent and writers for series two will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The second series is being executive produced by UKTV Commissioning Editor, Hilary Rosen and Tiger Aspect Productions' Ben Cavey and Andy Brereton. The series is produced by Tiger Aspect's Arnold Widdowson.

Brereton added

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.

This announcement follows the recent news that Dave has commissioned a further two series of the hugely popular Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Goodish, which achieved an average audience of 532K (up 40% on slot average). Dave, which attracts over 27 million viewers per month, has also commissioned a brand new comedy chat show hosted by Alan Davies (TX Q2 2014) and 24 Hours to Go Broke (TX Q2 2014). The channel continues to enjoy excellent growth year-on-year, with adult share for 2013 up 20%, making it its most successful 12 months to date.

What the press said about series one: Crackanory is a simple idea executed with skill and off-the-wall-imagination .. The stories which are completely mesmerising, are illustrated with actors and animations. David Chater, The Times

There have been endless spoofs over the years of the children's television classic Jackanory with unsuitable stories read for knowing adults - but here's a series that takes the concept full on. Gerard Gilbert, The Independent

A rare chance to enjoy some warmingly lo-fi television The Guardian

Sally Phillips' Superbly delivered narration The Mail on Sunday

Sure to leave you wanting more . Mike Bradley, The Observer (selected as TV Choice of the Day)

A genuinely witty and clever show Helen Stewart/John Dugdale, Sunday Times Culture magazine

ENDS

For more information please contact: Lara Feinstein, Corporate Communications Coordinator

Gemma Pinkney, Publicist

About Dave Sky channel 111, Virgin TV channel 128, Freeview 12

Satirical and edgy, Dave is the home of witty banter. Featuring the best in contemporary entertainment including Suits, QI, Red Dwarf X, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You. Dave also showcases popular original series, such as Dave's One Night Stand, Dara O'Briain's School of Hard Sums, Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask and Jo Brand's Big Splash, all laden with the biggest names in British comedy.

www.joindave.co.uk / @join_dave

About UKTV UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers per month.

UKTV s ten imaginative channel brands - Watch, Dave, Gold, Alibi, Eden, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home and Good Food - include the most watched non-PSB channel, the most watched channel in the Factual genre and the most watched channels in the Lifestyle genre (Pay and Free). The company's most recent financial results showed a record-breaking year-end revenue of ?262m, and operating profit at ?71m.

UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC and Channel 4 content, and embracing technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, TalkTalk, YouView, plus direct On Demand digital services. The network distributes its highly valued programmes to 200 territories around the world and supplies Sky with more hours of HD

LINK:	http://corporate.uktv.co.uk/news/article/crackanory-series-two/...
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