tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post3486226839157919958..comments2024-03-26T13:44:31.435+00:00Comments on Curious British Telly: Rik Mayall Lights up Jackanory in 1986Ben Rickettshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749284122022718064noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-75850871465916136102020-05-11T14:04:01.016+01:002020-05-11T14:04:01.016+01:00This used to be available to watch on YouTube, but...This used to be available to watch on YouTube, but some of the episodes have been taken down, sadly. My now-husband and I would watch this after work!Elizabeth Molloyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09537980068380938156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-4208768898069572792019-02-21T00:09:50.458+00:002019-02-21T00:09:50.458+00:00I was very split on 'Jackanory' as a whole...I was very split on 'Jackanory' as a whole - it very much depended on the book and who was reading it; sometimes it could be engaging, other times it could be rather flat and dull. <br /><br />By Rik Mayall's performance of 'George's Marvelous Medicine' does stand out as an absolute highlight. As a boy I love Roald Dahl stories anyway (and still do), but beyond that, Mayall bought such an energy and excitement to the story. He did just sit on some dusty old chair reading the book, he was literally leaping all over the place. Dahl's books have a running theme of being from the child's point of view, daring to be naughty and seeing things from their view, and for this, nobody could have been more perfect than Mayall for embodying this and bringing it to life. <br /><br />The first episode popped up on some BBC Four themed evening or other about 12ish years ago. I again was so grabbed by his performance that I recorded the middle-of-the-night repeat of it, longing for the rest of the episodes. Finally, year's later the whole lot appeared on YouTube, and I quickly backed up the lot for-personal-use, even converting them to .mp3 to listen to as an audiobook. <br /><br />Interestingly, there are official celeb-read audiobooks of Dahl's books, but the version of GMM I simply can't get into after Mayall's masterpiece. <br /><br />Mayall's GMM episodes have dated incredibly well, being actually ahead of their time in a way in the manner of which he delivers it all. The story itself does sadly dip about episode 4 where it really loses it's way, but I'd long through of this as a (rare) flaw in Dahl's storytelling even prior to the Jackanory version as is no fault of Mayall's performance. <br /><br />All-in-all, a masterpiece. If they ever try seriously to bring Jackanory back (I think they've tried half-heartedly a couple of times) they should really use this as source material and inspiration. P.J. Gathergoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01733528877175334288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-68172463143040221222019-02-05T20:08:27.402+00:002019-02-05T20:08:27.402+00:00Tom Baker reading the Iron Giant was fantastic too...Tom Baker reading the Iron Giant was fantastic too but Rik Mayall was top of the pileGerard Doylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-43137854274286560372019-01-25T13:25:10.976+00:002019-01-25T13:25:10.976+00:00I'm very much leaning on an open door here but...I'm very much leaning on an open door here but no matter. This is hands down the greatest Jackanory retelling and whoever commissioned Rik knew exactly what they were doing. I speak for myself but I can't imagine anyone who watched this at the time forgot it. Decades on, anyone finding themselves reading George's Marvellous Medicine aloud to their own children is keenly aware of some big shoes to fill. Perhaps only Victoria Wood's retelling of Matilda came close.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02022807203597497097noreply@blogger.com