SWIDGERS: Funny, quirky, adventurous - just like Steve himself!

As a writer and performer, Steve Nallon has been part of the world of British comedy for over forty years. Steve began his performing life with his own comedy act on the Northern Working Men's Club Circuit in Yorkshire back in the 1970s. Great if they liked you, but some audiences were tricky and you had to learn how to survive. Clubland could be tough.

Next came a very contrasting world: The University of Birmingham and a degree in Drama and English. And every summer that meant performing in numerous plays and shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And what a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows that could be.

Within a few months of graduating Steve became a founding member of the television series SPITTING IMAGE and for over a decade voiced many of the programme's most iconic characters, including Margaret Thatcher, Alan Bennett, Roy Hattersley and The Queen Mum. It was a joy of a programme to work on, with a brilliant cast and a wonderful team of artists.

Throughout the 90s Steve worked extensively in children's television, creating a whole host of comedy characters in puppet shows such as THE SPOOKS OF BOTTLE BAY, CATS' EYES and THE HOUSE OF GRISTLE. After the millennium, Steve concentrated more on acting, notably in panto and comedy plays such as JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (Dame Trott), CISSIE AND ADA (Roy Barraclough and 'Cisse') and IN THE LIFE (Sir John Gielgud). Today his work ranges from theatre, film and television, to video games, voice overs and audio books.

As a playwright and comedy writer, Steve has gained a considerable body of credits to his name, including plays and series for BBC radio, three one-man theatre shows, plus the satirical book I, MARGARET, which he co-wrote with the novelist Tom Holt. Over the years, Steve has contributed to numerous periodicals such as THE NEW STATESMAN and MUSICAL STAGES, and is a much sought after speaker on the lecture circuit for his insightful and amusing talks.

Life really has been an adventure, with fun and joy along the way! And now comes SWIDGERS… and so life's adventure takes a new and thrilling turn…

Images From a Working Life

Some personal thoughts from author Steve Nallon on why he wrote this story.

"They say once you've lived a story, the better able you are to tell one. Yes, THE SWIDGERS Book Series is a nail-biting rollercoaster fantasy adventure, yet also draws deeply on my own emotional and personal history."

"When I was nine my mother came home from work and dropped dead. My father soon went doolally and was taken away by men in white coats. As a result my upbringing was handed over to various great aunts and grandmas. There I was, an adolescent in The Age of Bowie, being raised by women born in an era before the Titanic sank. It was the sort of childhood Roald Dahl used to make up. Except I was living it for real."

"THE SWIDGERS Book Series tells the story of a lost boy. That was me. But at its emotional heart is his friendship with the hilarious Granny, who, in truth, is a wonderful melding together of all my bewildering female relatives. She's funny, endearing, indomitable, weird and loving. Everything I remember."

"And isn't it stories where life and fiction meet that people love to read because in them there is a special truth? This book tells the story of my special truth. And that's why I decided to write it."