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“Writing Children’s Books Taught me Some Surprising Things about Myself,” says Comedian Harry Hill

Comedian and author Harry Hill’s latest series of children’s books has taught him some surprising things about himself…

Harry Hill
by Harry Hill
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We didn’t have much spare cash when I was young – I’m one of five siblings, and we lived in an end of terrace house on a sprawling, 60s housing estate… so there wasn’t a lot of space, either.

This meant that when it came to reading, the library was a big thing. I was allowed four tickets, and sometimes I’d borrow my mum’s, too (she didn’t have much time for picking up books, for obvious reasons).

I liked the whodunnits – the Hardy Boys, and Ellery Queen, who I thought was a bit more exotic than Christie – but I didn’t just read fiction. I remember a book about horror films, for example, with big photographs; I loved that one.

The library was important, then – ah, but this was the 70s, and so the main source of books was, of course, jumble sales. Now it’s all boot fairs and eBay; in those days, there was always a jumble sale, with paperbacks piled high on trestle tables.

You could buy all the James Bond books, including Thunderball, which had an actual hole in the cover – and this was heaven for me, because I’d been into Ian Fleming’s spy stories ever since finding a dog-eared copy of Doctor No in the holiday home we stayed at every year in Pevensey, near Eastbourne.

That’s the thing about reading. All you need is to find a book you love, and you’re off – but it’s not always that easy, as I’m sure teachers realise.

My older two daughters are dyslexic, and the younger of them was always really resistant to reading, although she enjoys it a bit more now.

We tried everything: comics, magazines, all kinds of books, but nothing caught her. Her big sister, on the other hand, is more naturally inquisitive, so she’d seek out things to read.

Meanwhile our youngest, who’s 14, loves buying books… but doesn’t read at all, as far as I can see.

At school, maths was a bit of a black spot for me, but I was always pretty good at English, and creative writing; my stories would often be the ones read out to the whole class.

I got a taste for poetry, and wrote my own verses and limericks (I loved Spike Milligan). And I liked history, too, which is basically just English, but about the past.

I was also into science – albeit in a very superficial way; I enjoyed playing with matches, and my massive chemistry set was really just a front for my juvenile pyromania.

Even so, my enthusiasm led me to study medicine, and become a doctor, and it wasn’t really until I gave that up, that I realised just how much fun writing is.

As well as writing all my scripts, and my act (although that evolves through performance as well), I’ve created picture books, joke books and a book for adults.

My most recent series of novels, though, about a boy who wants to become a standup comedian, has probably been the easiest for me to produce.

Telling Max’s story has definitely been at least partly about communicating my own enthusiasm and passion for what I do, and I’ve found it quite emotional to go back and understand more about why I got into this business in the first place.

I’ve just finished book three, but about halfway through book two, I had a revelation, in that I realised that what I liked from the start about standup was being in control.

As a child you are always at the mercy of adults; but making people laugh suddenly put me in charge, and that was a good feeling. It still is.

I’ve been doing a children’s show to promote the Matt Millz books, and one thing I’ve learnt is that kids enjoy the performance much more if they’re involved.

They’ll laugh at me doing silly jokes and falling over – but as soon as you draw them into the action, the whole thing changes.

I remember that at school, too; I was a member of the Puffin Club, and I used to sit in front of visiting authors, absolutely desperate to tell them my thoughts and become part of the conversation.

I realise that young people aren’t all the same, but I suspect it’s worth bearing in mind that often, encouraging someone to perform, rather than simply read or write, can be a good way of making them think, and remember.

Harry Hill presents Matt Millz Stands Up! as part of the free Programme for Schools at Hay Festival 2019, Thursday 23 May. Book your school’s place at hayfestival.org/schools or call 01497 822 629.

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