Little Crackers
Encyclopedia
Little Crackers is a British television comedy series that was broadcast on Sky1 and Sky1 HD in December 2010. It consists of a series of short films featuring stars of British comedy including Dawn French, Stephen Fry
and Catherine Tate
. According to Sky Television
, the show marks the start of their biggest investment in British comedy during Sky1's twenty-year history.
- recreate stories from their childhood. The films, which last between 10 and 12 minutes each, include Catherine Tate reenacting an occasion when she decided to mimic the controversial singer Gary Glitter
in a school nativity; Stephen Fry as a head teacher doling out corporal punishment to his younger self played by Daniel Roche
; and Dawn French as the Queen Mother
, whom she met at the age of four. David Baddiel
, Julian Barratt
, Bill Bailey
, Jo Brand
, Victoria Wood
, Chris O'Dowd
and Julia Davis
are among the other actors who recreate childhood incidents and memories.
Catherine Tate's
Little Cracker, My First Nativity, was nominated for Best Comedy Programme, at the British Academy Television Awards 2011
. It was beaten by BBC Two's
Harry and Paul.
) and was directed by Ian Rickson
.
Two of the episodes were produced by Silver River. The titles of the two episodes were revealed as "First Kiss" and "Satan's Hoof", starring Julia Davis
and Julian Barratt
respectively. A further three episodes were produced by Tiger Aspect: "Better Than Christmas", "The Queen Mother's Visit" (alternatively known as "Operation Big Hat") and "My First Nativity".
Little Crackers sees Catherine Tate, Julia Davis and Bill Bailey, mark their directorial debuts.
on Sky1 HD on 19 December 2010. Two episodes are broadcast each evening until 23 December, while the final two episodes are broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Meera Syal short is to be the UK's first ever scripted TV comedy broadcast in 3D.
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
and Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
. According to Sky Television
Sky Television
Sky Television may refer to:*British Sky Broadcasting in the United Kingdom**Sky Digital , the television network run by BSkyB...
, the show marks the start of their biggest investment in British comedy during Sky1's twenty-year history.
Summary
In the films, the stars - with the help of rising young actors such as Madeleine Power as the young Catherine TateCatherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
- recreate stories from their childhood. The films, which last between 10 and 12 minutes each, include Catherine Tate reenacting an occasion when she decided to mimic the controversial singer Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
in a school nativity; Stephen Fry as a head teacher doling out corporal punishment to his younger self played by Daniel Roche
Daniel Roche
Daniel Roche is a French social and cultural historian. His primary field of research is the cultural history of France during the later years of the Ancien Régime.-Historiography:...
; and Dawn French as the Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
, whom she met at the age of four. David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
, Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt is an English comedian, musician, music producer and actor. Barratt is best known for playing the character of Howard Moon in the cult comedy The Mighty Boosh, which he also co-writes with comedy partner, Noel Fielding.-The Mighty Boosh:Barratt stars as the character Howard Moon...
, Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
, Jo Brand
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
, Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
, Chris O'Dowd
Chris O'Dowd
Chris O'Dowd is an Irish comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Roy Trenneman in British sitcom The IT Crowd...
and Julia Davis
Julia Davis
Julia Davis is an English comedy writer and performer, best known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy Nighty Night.-Background:...
are among the other actors who recreate childhood incidents and memories.
Catherine Tate's
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
Little Cracker, My First Nativity, was nominated for Best Comedy Programme, at the British Academy Television Awards 2011
British Academy Television Awards 2011
The 2011 British Academy Television Awards were held on 22 May 2011. The nominations were announced on 26 April.Graham Norton hosted the ceremony.-Nominations:*Actor**Jim Broadbent — Any Human Heart...
. It was beaten by BBC Two's
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
Harry and Paul.
Production
The series was commissioned by Sky1 after the success of the short film series, 10 Minute Tales in 2009. The series featured 12 silent short films of around 8 minutes in length and starred popular British actors (including Bill NighyBill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
) and was directed by Ian Rickson
Ian Rickson
Ian Rickson is a British theatre and film director. He was the Artistic Director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006, and currently works freelance....
.
Two of the episodes were produced by Silver River. The titles of the two episodes were revealed as "First Kiss" and "Satan's Hoof", starring Julia Davis
Julia Davis
Julia Davis is an English comedy writer and performer, best known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy Nighty Night.-Background:...
and Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt is an English comedian, musician, music producer and actor. Barratt is best known for playing the character of Howard Moon in the cult comedy The Mighty Boosh, which he also co-writes with comedy partner, Noel Fielding.-The Mighty Boosh:Barratt stars as the character Howard Moon...
respectively. A further three episodes were produced by Tiger Aspect: "Better Than Christmas", "The Queen Mother's Visit" (alternatively known as "Operation Big Hat") and "My First Nativity".
Little Crackers sees Catherine Tate, Julia Davis and Bill Bailey, mark their directorial debuts.
Broadcast
The show began airing on Sky1 and in high definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
on Sky1 HD on 19 December 2010. Two episodes are broadcast each evening until 23 December, while the final two episodes are broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Meera Syal short is to be the UK's first ever scripted TV comedy broadcast in 3D.
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | UK viewers (in millions) |
Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|