Learning to Read with Uncle Hannibal

Many television series and films have spawned versions aimed at audiences younger than those originally targetted. For example, there are Star Wars cartoon books aimed at pre-school children, the Muppets spawned Muppet Babies, and the UK government was adapted as Tellytubbies for the very young.

Nobody, however, has explored the transgenerational appeal of The Silence of the Lambs and its sequels.

Yet.

MaxVision (a wholly-owned subsidiary of MaxComm Entertainment) is therefore in negotiations to produce an afternoon children's television programme, and an accompanying series of books, featuring "Uncle" Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal himself needs almost no adaptation to appeal to preschoolers. Indeed, he is pretty much a perfect role model for children. He is polite, well-educated, yet able to converse with all people with equal ease. He is always neat and clean, does not swear, smoke or do drugs, and keeps his teeth well-brushed. He is always ready to explore new foods - surely something to be encouraged in all children - and does not satisfy himself with a quick burger. He is also patient and has a way with young children, as anyone will know who has seen the closing scene of "Hannibal".

Clarice Starling will appeal to the young girls in the audience (and perhaps the slightly older boys), and is again a perfect example for young children. She has elevated herself from humble beginnings, cares for animals, and seeks to uphold the law using her wit and intelligence.

Mason Verger is not quite so straightforward, but nor is he such a problem. Young children have a natural and innocent curiosity about facial disfigurement, and Mason will teach them about the problems of disability and about how to react appropriately to people of atypical appearance. The story of how his dog bit him because he was bad and took drugs is, of course, an ideal parable for the little ones.

In each episode of the series to be launched later this year, Uncle Hannibal tries to hide in a new country, whilst Clarice and Mason both try to find him using a series of alphabetical clues. In the first episode, Hannibal is disguising himself as a worker in an Abbatoir in Algeria, and the clues include an Airline ticket receipt and an Axe. Next week he is in a Bordello in Brussells, and so forth. By epidode six, he is in France buying Fava beans, and the clues are a Ferry ticket and a Foot.

Each episode also introduces a new educational game (each with its own song, commissioned specially for the series), such as "Squeak Piggy Squeak", "Which Internal Organ?", "Whose Limb is it Anyway?" and "Quietest Lamb". Several of the episodes also feature short, simple cookery lessons in which Uncle Hannibal teaches the children how to prepare basic but wholesome dishes.

In each episode, either Clarice or Mason may be the first to find Uncle Hannibal. If it's Clarice, she takes Hannibal back to his bedroom and he has to wear the Naughty Mask for running away. If it's Mason, he and Hannibal must try to trick eachother to see who is the final winner and who loses a body part.

Watch out for the free replica Death's Head Hawk Moths in Macdonalds Happy Meals!