THE STORYTELLER

JOHN HURT - "THE STORYTELLER"
BRIAN HENSON - "STORYTELLER'S DOG"

"The StoryTeller" was a British live-action/puppet television series that originally aired in 1987 and was created and executively produced by Jim Henson. The series retold various European folk tales, particularly ones considered obscure in European culture, created with a combination of actors and puppets. The framing device had an old storyteller (John Hurt) sitting by a fire telling each tale to both the viewers and to his talking dog (a realistic looking puppet of a blonde Pudelpointer performed and voiced by Brian Henson) who acted as the voice of the viewers, and was written in a language and traditional style in keeping with old folk tales. Episodes The Soldier and Death Fearnot The Luck Child A Story Short Hans My Hedgehog The Three Ravens Sapsorrow The Heartless Giant The True Bride John Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors; director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain", likened by The Observer to "nicotine sieved through dirty, moonlit gravel". His voice acting career encompassed films such as "Watership Down" (1978), "The Lord of the Rings" (1978), "The Plague Dogs" (1982), "The Black Cauldron" (1985) and "Dogville" (2003) as well as BBC television series "Merlin" (2008–2012). In 2012, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to cinema". He was knighted in 2015 for his services to drama. He was born on 22 January 1940 and passed away on 25 January 2017. Brian Henson was born on 3 November 1963 in New York City, New York, USA as Brian David Henson. He is a producer and actor, known for "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992), "Labyrinth" (1986) and "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996).

The following are some clips from the show:

The Storyteller - John Hurt from The Professor on Vimeo.