Tiddler: Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler on their latest Christmas TV story

For Christmas 2024, a little fish called Tiddler is getting his time in the limelight. He may be small and grey, but he has a big imagination, and his story is one of how tall tales have a time and a place, and that the power of good storytelling should never be underestimated.

“The books and films of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have been, without a doubt, the greatest cornerstone of my daughter’s and my life together…” says Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, 50, who narrates the animated special.

“There’s always something where the main character doesn’t realise quite how special they are, and it’s a joyous thing to teach a child from an early age that you are delicious, just the way you are.”

When she wrote Tiddler, Donaldson says that she wanted “very much” to emphasise “the power of the imagination”, as well as “celebrating storytelling”.

The little fish is always late for school, and comes up with elaborate stories of squids and mermaids and treasure chests to explain his tardiness. While his best friend, Johnny Dory, loves the tales, his classmates soon tire of his ‘silly stories’.

One day, however, Tiddler ends up in a real-life adventure when he’s accidentally caught up in a fisherman’s net, and must follow a word-of-mouth trail of his own creation, letting his stories, passed from fish to fish, guide his way home again.

“I think, actually, it’s the best moment in my whole writing career when I thought of that idea of a story trail…” says Donaldson, 76.

“That came in a flash, that he would find his way home by following his own stories through the ocean. I was really proud of that idea, because it’s kind of the opposite of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

“In The Boy Who Cried Wolf you’re taught: ‘Don’t tell a story’, and it’s the downfall of the boy because no one believes him. But, in this, the moral is do tell a story, make things up – (though) I won’t say ‘lie’!”

There are two very special young voice actors involved– Reuben Kirby as Tiddler and Theo Fraser as Johnny Dory – while Welsh actor and comedian Rob Brydon, of Gavin and Stacey fame, voices several characters such as Fisherman, Whale, Starfish and Anchovy. He says “it’s always a joy” to be involved with these films.

“From playing a huge humpback whale to a tiny anchovy, I love having an opportunity to play a range of characters, and give voice to some of the best children’s stories,” says Brydon, 59. “Getting to see the voices come together with the detailed animation and gorgeous score is always a really special Christmas moment for me.”