The wry humour and mystical characters of Terry Jones’ imagination have enthralled several generations of children and as a festive treat are to be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales this Christmas.
Some of Wales’ best-loved voices, including Jones himself, Torchwood actress Eve Myles, The One Show presenter Alex Jones, Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and comedian and actor Griff Rhys Jones, will recreate the magic of the original stories in a series of special shows.
Huw Stephens
The programmes will be on air for five days from Monday 16 December at 3.45pm each day, with the majority of the stories then being broadcast together in a special omnibus edition on Christmas Day at 5pm.
Their broadcast coincides with the opening of National Theatre Wales’ Christmas Show Silly Kings at Cardiff Castle, which is also based on Jones’ Fairy Tales.
I caught up with producer and director of the radio shows, Helen Perry, who told me the tales make an ideal Christmas feature because they offer a moment of simple escape for listeners both young and old.
She said: “National Theatre Wales approached us about their Christmas show and it is so lovely to be able to have complementary programming like this and I hope it enriches the experience for those going to see the play.
“It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate this material because although they are great as stand-alone pieces, they work really well as a collection for everybody to enjoy.
“I hope it offers a pause in the day and a moment for the audience to be whisked away to another world on a magical journey, smile at what the characters are up to and let go of all the stresses of work and preparing for Christmas.
“Christmas is a great time to celebrate Jones’ stories because it encourages everybody to embrace their inner child, enjoy a bit of escapism and be entertained in a friendly and funny way.”
Each of the individual shows will feature two stories read by the celebrities while the omnibus edition will feature nine stories.
Helen admitted selecting which shows to air was tricky as the collection is so vibrant and full of interesting characters.
But she believes the 10 chosen stories accurately reflect the fantastical world of Jones’ imagination, with simple morals told through absurd adventures.
“It’s also a real eclectic mix of readers which was a conscious decision by us. The stories are so wild and wonderful and appeal to all generations and people from all walks of life and we wanted to reflect that with the narration.
“Each reader brings a slice of their own personality to their stories and manages to make them as characterful and animated as possible and it’s great to hear things you wouldn’t expect, like Alex Jones adopting the voice of a monster.
Eve Myles
“I personally really like The Wooden City which is one of the tales read by Eve and one that really comes alive through the reading is Fly by Night which is read by Terry Jones."
“He reads it so beautifully and puts so much of his personality into the characters in such a subtle way and brings such musicality to the telling that it is really wonderful to listen to.”
Terry Jones added: “I’m very pleased that BBC Radio Wales will be broadcasting some of my Fairy Tales as part of their special programmes for Christmas.
“I’m hoping that young listeners - and old ones - all the way from Colwyn Bay to Cardiff Bay will enjoy escaping for a few minutes to a very different world!”
The National Theatre Wales Christmas production, Silly Kings opens in Cardiff Castle on Thursday 19 December. You can find out more at nationaltheatrewales.org/sillykings.