Starring Shane RichieOnce upon a time there was a soldier but this was no ordinary soldier. He was made of tin. And as just one of a company of 25 soldiers, he only had one leg…
This weeks story is Cinderella read by actress Ashley Jensen.
The Princess and the Pea read by Samantha Morton.
Little Red Riding Hood Starring Miranda Richardson “Grandma,” shouted Little Red easing the door further ajar, “Grandma, it’s me Little Red”. She bit her lip. Grandma didn’t like her using her nickname, she perferred to call her by her real name that was… well, a voice sounded back at her, muffled and coming from the bedroom. “In here Little Red, come straight in”. “Odd. Very odd. Little Red? She never calls me Little Red?
Alice in Wonderland starring Imelda Staunton Once upon a time there was a pleasant little girl, polite and kind, no beastliness or malice, she said Thank you, she said Please, she thought the moon was made of cheese and she had the unassuming name of Alice.
You know what it's like. Your mother asks you to go to market to sell your cow because you need some extra cash. But before you get to market you meet a friendly-looking man who offers you a fantastic deal: 5 three beans for your cow. Brilliant! You get home but mother's none too happy with the deal. So what are you to do? If only the beans were magic, then all your problems would be solved…
Read by Tamzin Outhwaite On a cold Christmas in London Town the little Match Girl walks the streets trying to sell copies of Match Magazine to make enough money for food and to heat her run-down house. Despite the snow she sees something that puts a big smile on a face. Have some tissues at the ready for this tear-jerking story.
Tinderbox starring Geoffrey Palmer This is the story of a soldier, a witch, and a key. The key unlocks a magical ‘tinder' room. But it's not that simple. There are a number of doors, and behind some of them are big bad barking dogs. Which door should the soldier open? Should he trust the witch? And what is a tinder room, anyway?
It was a seemly ordinary day for the Little Old Woman. She was feeling peckish, so she decided to bake some gingerbread men. She put all the ingredients into a big pot, cut out the gingerbread man shapes, and put them in the oven. Suddenly she heard a knocking… which seemed be coming from INSIDE the oven. The Little Old Woman Opened the doors and out jumped a real gingerbread man…
This tale of medieval upheaval starts at Gloucester and involves Dick Whittington, a boy of just 13, and a nasty chap called Black Death. It tells of how at times events can drive to cut one man adrift and give another man a lift, as Dick penniless and friendless, heads out on the street with his brown cat Keith to London where they say the pavements are lined with diamonds…
Ever since he'd been a small boy, Sinbad had been enchanted by one thing and one thing alone: the sea. He would go down to the sea everyday, absolutely everyday, without fail. Sometimes he would swim in the sea. Sometimes he would simply sit and stare at it. But mostly, Sinbad loved to go down to the harbour and be amongst the ships. So sit back, relax, and let Christopher Eccleston tell you the the story of Sinbad – the adventurous sailor who travels far and wide, getting up to all manner of exploits – some of which you won't believe…
Robert Lindsay tells the tale of the man who boasted to the king that his daughter could turn straw into pure GOLD. His daughter made a wish and a tiny, mischievous man appeared and transformed the straw into GOLD. But, little did she know, this funny little chap would now expect many favours in return… unless she could guess his name.
Our story opens at a school. But this isn’t just any old school, for hidden away amidst snowcapped mountains and glacial gorges, in a place where neither humans nor estate agents dare to tread, this school exists in the snow world with a headmistress intent on working on her brand new invention – a snowglobe. But when the enchanting snowglobe is taken into the ‘real’ world by the headmistress’ arctic monkeys – those naughty little school children – then things get nasty, especially when there’s a Snow Queen in charge.
Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One who wanted to see the world and party, one who wanted to do something arty and the third who was a little more practical and focused on his career. Nevertheless, all three pigs agreed to build themselves a pad after being evicted from the Big Mother house. All is going well until the stereotypical baddie – the Wolf – comes knocking, despite CCTV and ‘Bad Wolf’ repellant…
There was magical land where once upon a time there lived a Golden Goose. It was so beautifully, temptingly golden that people couldn't resist trying to pluck one of its exquisite features. But as soon as they touched the bird they became stuck – there was quickly a long line of people all stuck together. A young man, who many thought wasn't the brightest in the town, was the only person who could help. However, before he could become the hero of this tale, there were many other challenges he had to complete. Starring Harry Enfield.
Ford Galaxy, Classic FM and The Times Online are delighted to bring you a brand new and enchanting series, for all the family to enjoy. Richard E Grant, Alistair McGowan, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen, Harry Enfield and many more will be reading classic children’s stories and bring them to life in their own unique way.