Fairy Tales (TV series)

"Fairy Tales" is a British television drama anthology series produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC Northern Ireland and broadcast on BBC One. Traditional fairy tales are adapted into modern settings, after the model of "ShakespeaRe-Told" and "The Canterbury Tales". The first episode was broadcast on 10 January 2008, with others following at weekly intervals.

Episodes

1. Rapunzel

Based on the fairytale "Rapunzel", Billy Jane Brooke (Charity Wakefield) is a successful tennis player whose nickname is "Rapunzel" because of her long hair. Billy Jane has an overprotective mother-manager (Geraldine James) who surrounds Billy Jane with female bodyguards and prevents her from interacting with men.

Russian tennis player Jimmy Stojkovic (Lee Ingleby), who is very bad at the game, is convinced by his father to compete under the guise of a woman, taking the name Marita Stojkovic, so that he has better chances of winning. Billy Jane befriends Jimmy and inspires him to start playing well. Eventually the two begin a "lesbian" relationship, right under the nose Billy Jame's mother.

This episode is directed by Catherine Morshead and written by Ed Roe. [(7 July 2007) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/07_july/09/rapunzel.shtml Lee Ingleby, Charity Wakefield and Shaun Williamson let down their hair in BBC One's Rapunzel] , BBC] Ratings were relatively poor, with only 3.1 million viewers and a 13% audience share. [cite news |first=Tara |last=Conlan |title=Echo Beach resonates with viewers |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/11/tvratings.television |work=The Guardian |date=11 January 2008 |accessdate=2008-01-18 ]

2. Cinderella

Based on the fairytale "Cinderella", Cindy Mellor (Maxine Peake) is a cleaner who works at the anthropology wing of a busy university. She has a passion for anthropology, and wants to become the research assistant of Hans Michael Prince (James Nesbitt), a successful celebrity anthropologist. However, the head of the anthropology department, Charlotte Brooks (Harriet Walter), wants one of her own students, either Fenola (Lucy Punch) or Phoebe (Lucinda Raikes) to get the job.

Cindy meets Prince, who doesn't take it well when she challenges his theories. She still wants to try for the job, and under the advice of fellow cleaner Alice (Mona Hammond), Cindy dresses up in one of Fenola's dresses and attends Prince's lecture, hoping to change his mind.

The episode is directed by Peter Lydon, and written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto. The music is a combination of source tracks and original compositions by Sheridan Tongue.

=3. The Empress's New Clothes=

Starring Denise van Outen, Liz White, Rosie Cavaliero, Vincent Franklin, Kenny Doughty. Glamorous soap star Michaela (Denise van Outen) is a slave to fashion and designer labels but it has its pitfalls...

=4. Billy Goat=

Starring Holly Grainger, Bernard Hill, Mathew Horne, Anthony McKenna, Paul Nicholls, Sarah Smart.The boys in the band Billy Goat have dreams of pastures new but how will their troll manager react? This episode is written by Jeremy Dyson. [cite news | first=Jeremy | last=Dyson |authorlink=Jeremy Dyson |title=Once upon a time there was a boy band... |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/15/television |work=The Guardian |date=15 January 2008 |accessdate=2008-01-18 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/drama/fairytales/ "Fairy Tales"] at bbc.co.uk
*imdb title|id=1173206|title=Fairy Tales