Sit down. Get comfy. It’s Kraken Rum storytime. You did not read that incorrectly. The maker of spirits has launched a weekly series on YouTube featuring celebrities reading nautical stories. The title? Wait for it. It’s Krakenory. In the latest episode, Iwan Rheon of Game of Thrones Ramsay Bolton fame, sits down to read you a tale of maritime excitement. Specifically, a selection from Jules Vernes’ classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
This reading is the third such performance in the series. Previous installments star The Libertines’ Carl Barât and Mark Strong. Barât also read from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (and played a little music), while Strong shared a selection of poems, including Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “The Kraken.” Watch the very fitting for the Kraken Rum YouTube channel performance below.
I like that at least as far as Rheon and Strong go, Kraken is working with actors who are known for villainous roles. They intimidate us just by appearing on screen, and their voices are such that you can’t help but sit on the edge of your seat and wonder what will come next. Who knew they were so well suited to theatrically read ominous maritime prose?
A BBC children’s TV series, Jackanory, inspired Kraken. In that show, which launched in 1965, actors sat down in a cozy armchair to read children’s novels or folk tales to their rapt audience. Jackanory aired for 30 years with over 3,000 episodes. Wow. So: Jackanory, Krakenory. I don’t know that we can expect Krakenory to last for 30 years—my instincts say no. But, I’m guessing they’ll keep releasing episodes through however long this period of physical distancing lasts.
Featured Image: HBO
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.