Jim Henson's The Storyteller

"When people told themselves their past with stories, explained their present with stories, foretold the future with stories, the best place by the fire was kept for the storyteller." The Storyteller, shown in 1988, starred John Hurt as the Storyteller and with the help of Jim Henson's Workshop of muppets, actors, voices and costumes as well as visual effects, brought a new dimension to television. Nine stories were shown in this series, which was followed a few years later by Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths. This series was to feature some of Britain's finest actors of the time and some who would propel themselves into the international limelight within the next few years. Sean Bean, Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joely Richardson, Bob Peck, Alison Doody, Gabrielle Anwar, Jonathan Pryce and Miranda Richardson all appeared during the show's short run. The real stars of each episode, however, are The Storyteller and his dog, voi