Having splashed out on acquiring seasons three and four of Lost, Sky One also committed a hefty amount of cash (£6m to be more precise) to this lavish Terry Pratchett adaptation. Pratchett has sold no less than 46m of his Discworld novels, one of which provides the inspiration for Hogfather. The chances are that you either love the comedy/fantasy world of the books or it leaves you cold.
This particular story is a seasonal tale in which a Grim Reaper-like Death figure must take on the present-delivering duties of the Hogfather, the Discworld equivalent to Santa Claus…
The nation’s favourite – Sir David Jason – appears as Death’s servant, while Ian Richardson provides the voice behind the skull. The cast also includes veteran actors Joss Ackland, David Warner and Nigel Planer alongside the likes of Hustle’s Marc Warren. Vadim Jean (of Leon the Pig Farmer) directs.
This TV version may not win over many new fans – and according to reports from a sneak preview – it might have a tough time pleasing the converts too. This mini-series, spread out over two nights, could be rather too slow for many viewers and the reason that so little of Pratchett’s work has reached the screen could be that it just doesn’t translate from the page very well.
Still, visually at least, Hogfather should look a treat in HD, with opulent sets and costume designs and mostly impressive visual effects. If you don’t catch it this weekend, there’s another chance over the Christmas long weekend.
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