To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mr Benn series, the original narrator of the television series, Ray Brooks, will be reading bedtime stories to children for Brighton Festival Radio.
The actor, who has also starred in a number of television prog rammes including EastEnders, Big Deal and Two Thousand Acres of Sky, has recorded a number of well-known Mr Benn stories including Big Top Benn, Gladiator and Mr Benn - Red Knight.
They will be aired on the festival radio station on weekdays from 7pm to 8pm.
Station Manager Jo Youle said she used this year’s guest director Aung San Suu Kyi as the inspiration for the show.
She met up with Mr Brooks, who is originally from Brighton, for a number of weeks to re-record stories such as SpaceMan and Diver.
She said: “I thought a lot about what Aung San Suu Kyi would be feeling while under house arrest, how her mind would have wandered to places she had been to before, like Brighton, and places she still wanted to visit but could not.
“Having these magical tales of Mr Benn, which I grew up with as a child on Kids Bedtime Radio Hour, brought onto the airwaves this year felt right.
“Everyone has, at one time, wanted to escape their lives and the simplistic idea that David McKee brings to life in his books – that we can do this by magically popping another outfit on – always gave me food for thought growing up.”
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