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T just would not be Christmas without an adaptation of a Julia Donaldson book, and this year brings us the delights of Zog.

The story is about a clumsy dragon who needs a bit of help at Dragon School and finds it in the shape of a young lady who doesn’t fancy settling down with a man because she wants to be a doctor.

Zog is a keen pupil and tries hard to learn to fly, roar and breathe fire. But every year the gold star eludes him thanks to his mishaps. A kind young girl with medical ambitions finds him and patches up his bumps and bruises. Then in Year Four all the young dragons are instructed to capture a princess.

Again, Zog falls short. When he meets the kindly girl again, she reveals she is, in fact, a princess. Desperate to escape the confines of her strict palace upbringing, she allows

Zog to ‘capture’ her. He finally wins the coveted golden star.

In Year Five the dragons learn to fight, at which moment a bumbling knight, Sir Gadabout the Great, arrives, claiming he is going to rescue Princess Pearl. Zog and Gadabout square up for a fight over who gets the princess.

At that moment, Pearl tells them off for fighting, and reveals she doesn’t want to be a princess, she wants instead to be a doctor.

Realising his chance to change his destiny as well, Gadabout asks if she’ll train him up too. Pearl even works out how to include Zog as their special flying ambulance.

Outnumbered star Hugh Skinner, who voices Zog, says: “I’m a huge fan of Julia Donaldson and Axel Schleffer’s books and Zog is a hell of a guy, so I really couldn’t believe my luck when I got asked to voice this accident-prone, orange dragon. The book has a fantastic message about not being afraid to be different, so I was thrilled to be a part of it.”

It’s an all star cast, Dragons again? Kit Harington narrated by Sir Lenny Henry and also featuring the vocal talents of Tracey Ullman as Madame Dragon, Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington as Sir Gadabout and Patsy Ferran as Princess Pearl.

Sir Lenny says of the story:

“There’s a cast of brilliant actors and the story is silly, and outrageous, and surreal, and I like all of those things!”

Tracey adds: “What

I like about this project is that it has a real generosity. Christmas schedules on the BBC are so special in the UK. The tradition of ‘appointment TV’ and the family coming together is lovely.”

■ Zog, BBC1, Christmas Day, 4.50pm