Five Fables

This episode tells the story of a country mouse invited by her sister to taste the delights of the town but finds, to her cost, it is not all it is made out to be. Followed by a behind-the-scenes documentary about how Billy Connolly and Seamus Heaney worked together to bring the rich language to screen.

In this episode, a group of foolhardy mice stumble upon a sleeping lion and start jumping all over him. He wakes up and grabs the terrified leader, who negotiates for her dear life - with surprising consequences. Followed by a behind-the-scenes documentary about how Billy Connolly and Seamus Heaney worked together to bring the rich language to screen.

In this episode, a wily fox teams up with a strong but stupid wolf, in order to steal from a man driving a cartload of fish. Will they succeed, and will the wolf be outwitted by the fox? Followed by a behind-the-scenes documentary about Seamus Heaney and how he drew on his own life experiences whilst translating the fables from Robert Henryson's medieval Scots verse.

In this tale, a swallow watches a farmer sow flax seed and pleads with her fellow birds to gobble it up before they fall into a trap. Followed by a behind-the-scenes documentary about the complex way the music was interwoven with the animation and narration by international composer Barry Douglas.

In a fit of bad temper, a farmer shouts at his misfiring oxen: 'the wolf shall have the lot of you!'. The fox, overhearing nearby, decides to take the farmer at his word, with unexpected consequences.