Sky has released the first trailer for Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse, its festive comedy drama inspired by a true story about two of Britain's most iconic children's authors.

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Set in the 1920s, the feature-length special follows a six-year-old Roald Dahl on an adventure to meet his hero, Beatrix Potter, played by Harry Tayler (The Trip to Greece) and Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley) respectively.

The family film is billed as "a magical story of what can happen when you are brave enough to follow your dreams" and features a star-studded cast of top British talent.

The first trailer includes appearances from Jessica Hynes (There She Goes) as Roald’s mother Sofie, Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey) as Beatrix’s husband William Heelis, Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials) as publisher Anne Landy, and Strictly's Bill Bailey as a Bona Fide Gent.

Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey) and Nick Mohammed (Intelligence) are also among the familiar faces in the brand new teaser, which you can watch below.

If this trailer is any indication, Roald & Beatrix is to be a more whimsical take on the real events, complete with talking dolls, giggling foxes and subtle references to Dahl's later works.

Of course, the prolific author would grow up to become one of the biggest names in children's fiction with many of his stories getting major film adaptations, including The Witches starring Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer.

Potter was a major inspiration to Dahl, who spent his childhood years reading about the likes of Tom Kitten and Peter Rabbit, the latter of which has also made the leap to the big screen in recent years, voiced by James Corden.

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Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse airs on Sky One and NOW TV on Christmas Eve at 8:15pm. While you're waiting, check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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