WHEN I was a lad I used to come home from school and Jackanory would be on the TV.
It was a reassuring friend to come home to. As TV programmes go it had to have been one of the simplest in the world to produce.
Essentially you had a storyteller sat in a chair, sometimes the type of chair would vary, and if you were really lucky it was accompanied by the odd illustration appearing on screen.
For some reason I particularly remember stories about Littlenose being read by a man with the world's bushiest beard wearing an Arran sweater in an incomprehensible Scottish accent.
Just by chance I happened to catch a bit of the new' Jackanory.
My how things have changed! Replacing the Brian Blessed lookalike was Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley no less.
And where was the humble set?
Forget a cosy rocking chair, it was more like watching a computer game come to life with animated characters and real-life action.
The actors - Jackanory with actors, who would have thought it? - mouthed the words as Sir Kingsley as he will be forever know to devotees of The Sopranos acted as narrator.
Don't get me wrong, I think the fact that Jackanory still exists is wonderful and anything which brings classic tales to a young audience is brilliant.
But with all it's hi-tech production and big names, I couldn't help feel a touch nostalgic for the old Jackanory.
Sometimes a good story simply told can be just as effective.
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