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I have always enjoyed writing funny stories. In fact, I really excelled at it at school. The trouble was, I should have been excelling in maths, geography, and almost every other subject instead! It’s fair to say that I never paid too much attention to what was going on in class, which meant I always ended up with more writing in the back of my exercise books than I did in the front.

I did enjoy English and Music though. I also began to learn to play the trumpet when I was eleven. The added bonus to that was trumpet lessons clashed with PE, and because I couldn’t climb a rope to save my life, it made learning the trumpet even more appealing.

The years of toil finally arrived though, and at the age of 16, I ventured off into the outside world to partake in various jobs. I continued to play trumpet though, writing songs and playing in bands. I also ran a youth marching band in Wolverhampton called Penn & District Royal British Legion Youth Band. While in this role I became aware of another local band called Masefield that was on the brink of folding. This would have been devastating for the local area and especially for the children if this had been allowed to happen so I persuaded them to join us. I’m pleased to say that they continued to play music together for many years with many of them still being friends today.       

In the late 80s I gave up working for other people and started being creative on a full-time basis. I launched a company filming comedy weddings and wrote jingles for BBC radio. I also created a fanfare team that became well sought after throughout the entertainment and corporate world. Credits included Elton John’s 50th birthday party, film premieres which included Jurassic Park, and even dare I say it… Jim’ll Fix It.

In the 90s I ventured off into the world of TV and have appeared in many shows, including Emmerdale, Eastenders, and Doctor Who. I have also appeared in many advertising campaigns.

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In 2011 I launched Madbox Films, which resulted in me writing, directing and producing comedies ‘Alison & Me’ and ‘Extra Special Family’.

Fast forward to 2017 and the launch of my first book ‘Idle Thoughts’. Yes, I have completed a full circle… Except this time, I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder to see if the teacher is creeping up on me! A follow-up to ‘Idle Thoughts’ called ‘Second Thoughts’ followed in 2019.

In 2021 I published my first children’s book called ‘Moll’. A collection of 12 short stories. She lives with a couple of pushovers (they’re called her mum and dad). The cover is illustrated by Wayne Thompson (Beano).

‘The Life and Thoughts of an Idler’ was published in 2023. The collection includes two books in one volume, ‘Idle Thoughts’ and ‘Second Thoughts’, plus a few afterthoughts.

My first children’s novel, ‘Spike Newman and the Azdwith Adventure,’ was published in March 2025.