From The Gruffalo to Tabby McTat: Julia Donaldson’s TV adaptations ... from best to worst

Thu, 25 Dec 2025

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s heartwarming kids’ tales have become a cosy festive fixture on the BBC. Ahead of this year’s offering of The Scarecrows’ Wedding, we ask: which is the all-time Christmas cracker?

They’re now as much a part of the Christmas Day schedules as the monarch’s boring speech and a bafflingly popular Mrs Brown’s Boys special. Animated adaptations of the picture books by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler have become a feelgood seasonal institution.

It’s a cosy tradition that began with The Gruffalo in 2009 and has since become a festive fixture, taking pride of place on BBC One on Christmas afternoon. The voice casts are always impressively A-list, with Rob Brydon the only constant. This year’s kid-calmer is The Scarecrows’ Wedding, making it 13 entries in the canon and counting. But which is the all-time Christmas cracker? We’ve ranked them all from worst to best …