British Childrens
TV institution shown on the
BBC from the mid-60's to the mid-90's.
Jackanory was based upon the novel, (geddit!?), premise that reading was a form of entertainment. The prgramme was ten minutes long and shown each week day around about the time kids were having their tea. Each week, a different TV celebrity would be featured, normally in a set decorated to look like a comfortable drawing room, and they would read a childrens book over the course of the week. Sometimes, the reading was interspersed with illustrations, ostensibly in support of the story line, but more likely to allow the reader to scratch their nose or whatever.
Latterly, the word "Jackanory" seems to have passed into the dictionary of Cockney rhyming slang:
"Jackanory - tall story"
Admittedly, I've only ever heard "Jackanory" used in this context by Mockney pop groups and various members of the cast of Eastenders.