{"id":2360,"date":"2019-06-27T14:11:51","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T13:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shardcore.org\/shardpress\/?p=2360"},"modified":"2025-01-02T14:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T14:33:44","slug":"algonory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shardcore.org\/spx\/2019\/06\/27\/algonory\/","title":{"rendered":"Algonory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jackanory<\/a> ran on BBC television from 1965 until 1996, and was a cornerstone of childhood for anyone raised in the UK between those years. The format was simple: an actor would read a book in fifteen-minute episodes, broadcast daily over the course of a week. Occasionally, still illustrations would be displayed alongside the reading. The programme became hugely popular with children and parents alike, and attracted an enormous range of acting talent<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its early days, the programme encapsulated the core Reithian<\/a> remit to “inform, educate and entertain”, though over the years it gave way to changing attitudes and loosened its style and range of readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Algonory uses Jackanory as inspiration for a series of manufactured episodes from the past, written by the algorithms of 2019. The three episodes are placed in 1968, 1974 and 1985, and aim to capture the evolving style of the programme. In addition, I employed my talented daughters to illustrate two of the stories, creating images inspired by their own interpretations of the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like some sort of hotly anticipated NetFlix miniseries, I have decided to release all three episodes at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Episode One, I chose to set the networks on the works of Enid Blyton<\/a> – in many ways the archetypal English children\u2019s author. Time has not been kind to her racist, sexist views<\/a> but her unmistakable tone of upper-middle-class whimsy seemed perfect for the first episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Algornory (1968) – The Faraway Chair, by Algo Blyton.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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