Sky Commissions ‘Jack & The Beanstalk: After Ever’ After & ‘Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After’ from David Walliams
After the success of ‘Cinderella: After Ever After’ last year, Sky has commissioned two new “what happened next” fairytale series from David Walliams the broadcaster has announced.
Sky Original ‘Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After’ will air this coming Christmas on Sky One and streaming service NOW TV and production is due to start next month. All fairy tales end with “happily ever after” but what happens after ever after? What happened after Jack defeated the giant? The 60-minute Christmas special begins where the fable ends, with a story of two very unlikely friends. We all thought Jack had put an end to the Giant but guess what? The Giant is concussed but very much alive and stuck on earth with no way back to his house in the sky. Jack must think on his feet and outsmart the angry villagers to get the giant home. Along the way, both characters discover their inner self-belief and overcome their fears to help one another.
The Christmas special stars David Walliams, Sheridan Smith and Blake Harrison and is produced by King Bert Productions. It’s created and written by The Dawson Brothers and David Walliams, who takes on the role of the Giant in this reimagining of the classic tale. Alongside Walliams, Sheridan Smith (‘Cilla’, ‘Cleaning Up’, ‘The Royle Family’) stars as The Woman with No Name, the self-proclaimed greatest giant-killer in the village and Blake Harrison (‘The Inbetweeners’, ‘Trust Me’) as Dodgy Dave, a shifty market stall trader who sold Jack the magic beans. Further cast includes Jocelyn Jee Esien who plays Pat, Ashley McGuire as Mayoress and Daniel Rigby as the Baker.
“I often wondered what happened to Jack after ever after, so I decided to write a sequel because I can’t stop writing books!” commented Walliams. “This is a star-studded festive treat – a comedy sequel to one of the best-loved English fairy tales. I am delighted to be playing the Giant, alongside some of the biggest names in British TV.”
This latest comedy sees Walliams return to Sky One for a fourth consecutive Christmas following ‘Cinderella: After Ever After’ (2019), ‘The Queen and I’ (2018) and the international Emmy award-winning ‘Ratburger’ (2017). These will be followed with a third ‘After Ever After’ special written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil called ‘Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After’. David Walliams will head up the cast once again with further announcements to follow.
“To be recreating these two-classic tales with a twist, building on the love and enthusiasm for Cinderella: After Ever After is something we’re incredibly excited about,” adds Jo Sargent, Executive Producer and MD of King Bert Productions. “David has a unique way of bringing these stories to life in the most wickedly funny way supported by our stellar cast in Sheridan Smith, Blake Harrison, Jocelyn Jee Ession, Ashley McGuire and Daniel Rigby. I believe all generations of the family will love these new tales.”
‘Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After’ will premiere Christmas 2020 on Sky One.
