413 The Night The Animals Talked

First  viewed  :  Uncertain

We're  almost  done  with  the  seventies  but  first  I  need  to  include  a  couple  of  programmes  which  I  can't  date  with  any  precision.

The  Night  The  Animals  Talked   was  a  Christmas  perennial  on  ITV  in  the  seventies. It  was  based  on  a  Norwegian  Christmas  legend  although  Animal  Farm   was  another  influence.  The  half  hour  animation  sees  the  stable  animals  of  Bethlehem  suddenly  acquiring  the  gift  of  speech  on  the  night  of  December  25th  . At  first  they  use  it  to  argue  about  status  and  hierarchy  but  learn  humility  through  witnessing  the  birth  of  Jesus  in  their  stable, their  new  gift  slipping  away  shortly  afterwards.  It  was  absolutely  charming  and  became  a  regular  feature  of  our  Christmas  viewing  for  a  few  years  though  as  I  said  I  can't  put  a  start  or  end  date  to  that.