Grim Tales facts for kids

Grim Tales is a British TV show for children. It brings to life the classic fairy tales by the famous Brothers Grimm. The show features Rik Mayall as a storyteller. He tells the stories while wearing his pajamas and a dressing gown! There were 22 episodes in total. They were shown on ITV from 1989 to 1991. You could also get the stories on video and audio tapes, sometimes called Grimm Tales.

About the Show

Rik Mayall tells these magical stories from a comfy armchair. This special chair was designed by David Barrington Holt. It even had cool paws and ostrich legs! The whole set was created by Julian Cripps.

The stories often include fun and sometimes abstract animation. Bob Baldwin directed the show. The music was created by Ged Haney and arranged by Clive Bell. The fairy tales were made into TV scripts by Anne Caulfield and Anthony Horowitz.

Episodes List

The show had two exciting seasons. Each episode brought a different Brothers Grimm fairy tale to life.

Season 1 Episodes

• The Three Feathers (First shown: April 14, 1989)
• The Spirit in the Bottle (First shown: April 21, 1989)
• The Hare and the Hedgehog (First shown: April 28, 1989)
• The Valiant Little Tailor (First shown: May 5, 1989)
• Rapunzel (First shown: May 12, 1989)
• The Fisherman and His Wife (First shown: May 19, 1989)
• The Three Little Men in the Wood (First shown: May 26, 1989)
• Hansel and Gretel (First shown: June 2, 1989)
• Rumpelstiltskin (First shown: June 9, 1989)
  • A miller tells a king his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king locks her up and demands she do it. A tiny green man appears. He offers to spin the straw for her necklace. He succeeds, but the king wants more. The man spins it again for her ring. The king then promises to marry her if she spins a huge pile of straw. The man helps, but this time he asks for her first child. She agrees and becomes queen.
  • When her baby is born, the little man returns for his payment. The queen begs him to let her keep the child. He says she can if she guesses his name in three days. She tries many names. On the third day, a soldier tells her he heard a little man singing about his name: Rumpelstiltskin. The queen guesses correctly. The little man gets so angry he stamps his foot so hard it gets stuck, and he pulls it off!
• The Twelve Huntsmen (First shown: June 16, 1989)
• Sweet Porridge (First shown: June 23, 1989)
• The Three Doctors (First shown: June 30, 1989)
  • Three doctors brag about being the smartest. An innkeeper asks for proof. The doctors cut off their own hand, heart, and eyes. They plan to reattach them with a special ointment the next day. But the innkeeper's cat eats the body parts! They are replaced with a thief's hand, a pig's heart, and the cat's eyes. After leaving, one doctor starts pickpocketing. Another wants to grunt in mud. The third wants to eat mice and meow. They all learn to be more humble!

Season 2 Episodes

• The Bremen Town Musicians (First shown: January 13, 1991)
• The Witch Among Thorns (First shown: January 20, 1991)
• The Griffin (First shown: January 27, 1991)
• The Frog Prince (First shown: February 3, 1991)
• The Boots of Buffalo Leather (First shown: February 10, 1991)
• The Gnome (First shown: February 17, 1991)
• King Thrushbeard (First shown: February 24, 1991)
• The Turnip (First shown: March 3, 1991)
• The Little Peasant (First shown: March 10, 1991)
• The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids (First shown: March 17, 1991)