UK TV review: Quentin Blake’s Clown
One of the essential items on the Christmas TV calendar is family animation, and BBC One has recently stolen the show with its long-running shorts based on Julia Donaldson’s picture books. Channel 4, though, has been stepping up its own animated game, with The Tiger Who Came to Tea and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt both proving delights in their own right. This year, Quentin Blake’s Clown is the star of the show, based on the kids’ author’s book of the same name.
It follows a toy clown who is discarded “like an apple core” and finds himself on a harrowing journey until he eventually alights upon a safe new home. The visuals are faithful to Blake’s inimitable style, and the stratchy emotions captured simply and effectively don’t need words to explain the straightforward plot. While the original text is word-free, though, this short introduces narration from Helena Bonham Carter, whose gorgeous voiceover stops this being too avant-garde an affair. In a year when BBC One’s Zog sequel flies in the shadow of its predecessor, Clown brings a refreshingly different perspective to the screen, while still finding a universal truth in the heartfelt reminder that toys only come to life when children love them.
Quentin Blake’s Clown is available on All 4.