Viking storytellers bring the wonderful tales of Noggin to the stage in The Sagas of Noggin the Nog at Theatre Royal, Winchester on Wednesday and Thursday.

In the Lands of the North where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the Men of the Northlands sit around their great log fires and they tell a tale…of Noggin the Nog!

Accompanied by the brave and mighty ThorNogson and the great green bird Graculus, the audience go North on a journey of adventure and discovery to battle the fearsome Ice Dragon and the dastardly deeds of Noggin’s wicked uncle, Nogbad the Bad!

The Sagas of Noggin the Nog – directed by John Wright, using puppetry consultant Roman Stefanski and puppets by Caroline Bowman and Ruth Herbert – is based on the classic stories by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin and became one of the most iconic television series in the late 50s.

The inspiration for the characters came from a set of Norse chess figures from the Isle of Lewis that Peter Firmin saw in the British Museum.

He decided to call them Nogs.

In this delightful adaptation for stage the stories are playfully retold using puppets, original music, film and a cast of incredibly silly Vikings.

Peter Firmin comments with childlike enthusiasm about the show: “When we saw it, we were delighted because it’s a bit silly.

“I think the show appeals to all ages really, to people who remember the series and children who’ve never seen it.”