Grim Tales

*Grim Tales*
Grim Tales
Developed by	Rikki Finegold; Bob Baldwin
Written by	Anne Caulfield; Anthony Horowitz
Directed by	Bob Baldwin
Starring	Rik Mayall
Composers	Ged Haney; Clive Bell
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	22
Production
Producers	Sharon Burns; Bob Baldwin
Running time	11 minutes
Production companies	Initial Film & Television; Central Independent Television (series 1)
Original release
Network	ITV (CITV) (series 1); Channel 4 (series 2)
Release	14 April 1989 –; 17 March 1991

Grim Tales is a British children's television program based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, featuring Rik Mayall as a storyteller dressed in pyjamas and a dressing gown.^[1] The twenty-two episodes were broadcast on ITV (series 1) and Channel 4 (series 2) from 1989 to 1991. There was also a release on video and audio cassette, with the slightly different title Grimm Tales.^[2]^[3]

Synopsis

Mayall tells the tales in his own inimitable way from his armchair, designed by David Barrington Holt, complete with paws and ostrich legs. The set was designed by building designer Julian Cripps. The stories are usually interspersed with animation, often abstract animation, and are directed by Bob Baldwin, with music by composed by Ged Haney and arranged by Clive Bell.

The stories were adapted by Anne Caulfield and Anthony Horowitz.

Episodes

Series 1 (1989)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"The Three Feathers"	14 April 1989 (1989-04-14)
Animation by Emma Calder and Jed Haney of Pearly Oyster Productions.
2	2	"The Spirit in the Bottle"	21 April 1989 (1989-04-21)
Animation by Jonathan Hodgson of Felix Films Ltd.
3	3	"The Hare and the Hedgehog"	28 April 1989 (1989-04-28)
Animation by Mike Bennion and Keith Rogerson of Blink Productions Ltd.
4	4	"The Valiant Little Tailor"	5 May 1989 (1989-05-05)
Animation by Jonathan Webber and Tim Sanpher of Felix Films Ltd.
5	5	"Rapunzel"	12 May 1989 (1989-05-12)
Animation by Gill Bradley.
6	6	"The Fisherman and His Wife"	19 May 1989 (1989-05-19)
Animation by 3 Peach Animation.
7	7	"The Three Little Men in the Wood"	26 May 1989 (1989-05-26)
8	8	"Hansel and Gretel"	2 June 1989 (1989-06-02)
Animation by Mole Hill and Julian Roberts.
9	9	"Rumpelstiltskin"	9 June 1989 (1989-06-09)
A miller boasts to a King that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The King promptly locks the daughter in a room full of straw, demanding she spin it all into gold or she will lose her head. She bursts into tears, then a little green man appears saying he can spin it into gold in exchange for her necklace. He succeeds, but the King simply locks her in a bigger room, demanding the same. The little man appears again and spins the straw in exchange for the girl's ring. The King then repeats the deal with a still larger room, though this time if she succeeds he will make her his wife. The little man reappears but the daughter has nothing left to give him. He then says he will spin the straw in exchange for her next child, the daughter agrees, the straw is spun and she becomes Queen. Unfortunately, she has a daughter and the little green man appears demanding payment, she begs him not to, he compromises saying she can keep the baby if she guesses his name in three days. She tries dozens of wrong names-much to the little man's amusement. On the third day a soldier tells her she's seen a little green man dancing and singing a silly song about his name-Rumpelstiltskin. She gets the name right, the little man is so furious he stamps his foot so hard he cannot get it off and pulls it off. She names the baby Phewww! Rik Mayall added a personal touch to this story by mentioning the names of his children in the list of the daughters guesses. Puppetry by Faulty Optic Theatre of Animation.
10	10	"The Twelve Huntsmen"	16 June 1989 (1989-06-16)
Animation by Mike Smith and Susan Young of Felix Films Ltd.
11	11	"Sweet Porridge"	23 June 1989 (1989-06-23)
Animation by David Lodger of Snapper.
12	12	"The Three Doctors"	30 June 1989 (1989-06-30)
Three boastful Doctors stay at an inn, the innkeeper demands proof that they really are the cleverest Doctors in the world. They promptly cut off their own hand (doctor 1), heart (doctor 2) and eyes (doctor 3), keeping them in a fridge, planning to use a special ointment (given to them by a witch) to reattach them the next day. Unfortunately, the innkeeper's cat eats the organs. They are replaced by a thief's hand, pig's heart and the cat's eyes. After leaving the inn, one doctor finds himself pickpocketing, another wants to grunt and roll in mud, the third wants to eat mice and miaow. They all learn a bit of humility. Animation by 3 Peach Animation.

Series 2 (1991)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"The Bremen Town Musicians"	13 January 1991 (1991-01-13)
2	2	"The Witch Among Thorns"	20 January 1991 (1991-01-20)
Animation by Jayne Bevitt and Hannah Strange of Felix Films Ltd.
3	3	"The Griffin"	27 January 1991 (1991-01-27)
4	4	"The Frog Prince"	3 February 1991 (1991-02-03)
5	5	"The Boots of Buffalo Leather"	10 February 1991 (1991-02-10)
6	6	"The Gnome"	17 February 1991 (1991-02-17)
Animation by Tobias Fouracre.
7	7	"King Thrushbeard"	24 February 1991 (1991-02-24)
Animation by Philip Hunt of 3 Peach Animation.
8	8	"The Turnip"	3 March 1991 (1991-03-03)
Animation by Mike Walker.
9	9	"The Little Peasant"	10 March 1991 (1991-03-10)
Animation by Wrench & Franks with Frank Passingham.
10	10	"The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids"	17 March 1991 (1991-03-17)

References

^ "Tributes paid to comedian and actor Rik Mayall". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^ "Go on Rik, Swear at Us!". TV Guide. 14 April 1989.
^ Mzimba, Liza (September 1991). "A Mania for All Seasons!". Lime Lizard.

External links

Grim Tales at IMDb
"BFI Filmography for Anne Caulfield". Archived from the original on 24 March 2008.
"BFI Filmography for Anthony Horowitz". Archived from the original on 24 March 2008.
IMDb.com : Bob Baldwin

[1] "Tributes paid to comedian and actor Rik Mayall". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[2] "Go on Rik, Swear at Us!". TV Guide. 14 April 1989.

[3] Mzimba, Liza (September 1991). "A Mania for All Seasons!". Lime Lizard.

[1]

v t e The Brothers Grimm
Jacob Grimm · Wilhelm Grimm
Works	Grimms' Fairy Tales Deutsche Sagen Deutsche Mythologie Deutsches Wörterbuch
Notable tales	"Bearskin" "The Brave Little Tailor" "Brother and Sister" "Cat and Mouse in Partnership" "Cinderella" "The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs" "Doctor Know-all" "The Dog and the Sparrow" "The Elves and the Shoemaker" "The Fisherman and His Wife" "The Four Skillful Brothers" "The Frog Prince" "The Gnome" "Godfather Death" "The Golden Bird" "The Golden Goose" "The Goose Girl" "The Goose-Girl at the Well" "The Grave Mound" "Hans My Hedgehog" "Hansel and Gretel" "The Hut in the Forest" "The Jew Among Thorns" "Jorinde and Joringel" "The Juniper Tree" "The King of the Golden Mountain" "King Thrushbeard" "Little Red Riding Hood" "Mary's Child" "Mother Holle" "Old Hildebrand" "Old Sultan" "Pied Piper of Hamelin" "The Queen Bee" "Rapunzel" "The Riddle" "The Robber Bridegroom" "Rumpelstiltskin" "The Seven Ravens" "The Singing, Springing Lark" "The Six Servants" "The Six Swans" "Sleeping Beauty" "Snow White" "Snow-White and Rose-Red" "The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was" "The Three Little Men in the Wood" "The Three Spinners" "Thumbling" "Town Musicians of Bremen" "Trusty John" "The Turnip" "The Twelve Brothers" "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" "The Water of Life" "The White Snake" "The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats" "The Wonderful Musician"
Other	Grimm's law Göttingen Seven Grim Tales The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Once Upon a Brothers Grimm Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics Simsala Grimm The Brothers Grimm Grimm Tales The Sisters Grimm Fairy tale American McGee's Grimm German Fairy Tale Route Grimm Once Upon a Time The 10th Kingdom The Grimm Variations
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