Jane McGowan catches up with celebrated children’s author Liz Pichon, as her iconic creation Tom Gates prepares to make his theatre debut...
Ask anyone with a child aged between nine and 12 to name a book character, and most of them would immediately say Tom Gates. Well, maybe Harry Potter might take pole position but Tom would certainly give him a run for his money.
Created by writer and illustrator Liz Pichon, the tales about Tom, the hapless tween who seems to lurch from one catastrophic scheme to another, have been translated into more than 40 languages, and have sold more than eight million copies worldwide.
This month Tom and Liz embark on a brand new adventure as the theatre show, Tom Gates – Live on Stage! arrives at Richmond Theatre as part of a nationwide tour on March 20. Penned by Liz, the production has been brought to life by the Birmingham Stage Company – the award-winning team behind the phenomenally successful adaptations of Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories series and David Walliams’ Awful Aunty and Gangsta Granny.
“It’s really, really exciting,” says Liz. “You don’t have to be familiar with the books as this is a totally new, standalone story. But a lot of the characters and familiar plot elements are all present too, so fans of the books won’t be disappointed.”
First published in 2011, the books combine the musings and doodlings of Tom – a character who Liz admits is based largely on herself.
“Yes, I am very like Tom,” laughs the 53-year-old, mother of three. “I was always a very enthusiastic child but sadly very easily distracted. When I look back on my childhood, I remember doing a lot of doodling and spending a lot of time obsessing about snacks and how long until school dinner time. Basically not really concentrating on what I should have been thinking about.
“I wanted to create a book that my 10-year-old self would enjoy. Growing up I loved TV shows such as Tiswas and Banana Splitz, they were a bit crazy and no one really seemed to know what was going on. I loved reading comics and I wanted to include all sorts of things in the book like illustrations, references to music, snippets from Tom’s life, random lists of favourite things and so on. For me, I think all these things really add to the story and to Tom’s character.”
Liz had wanted to be an illustrator from an early age, and after training as a graphic designer she got her big break creating album covers and merchandising for music company Jive Records.
“I have designed T Shirts for Ruby Turner, Billy Ocean and even Sam Fox,” she says. “It was a great job and I met some amazing people but I secretly always wanted to illustrate and write my own books. Spike Milligan was a big hero of mine and as a child I loved his book Silly Verse for Kids, and that was my secret ambition to create something like that.”
And while the books have proved insanely popular with children, Liz is well aware that some literary purists may take a different view.
“There is sometimes a sense that if a book has pictures it is somehow slightly less worthy – it’s not a proper book. But my books have between 19,000 and 20,000 words in them and the visuals are just another tool to pull you into the plot.
“I spoke to a teacher recently who told me how popular the books are and that they are always the first to be borrowed from the library. But then she went on to say that it takes the teachers ages to ‘wean the children off them’. When I asked why they do that, she said, “Oh we have to encourage them to read proper books, ones with text”. My heart just sank. The sure way to suck the joy out of reading is to tell a child that their choice, the book they are enjoying is not really worth it.”
Luckily, the feedback from Tom’s fans (along with the sales) mean Liz is more than aware of how important her work is to youngsters and his new stage incarnation, will surely cement this.
“I have written the script and drawn some of the sets and Neal Foster and the [BSC] team have done a fantastic job. There is lots of music and songs and the kids will recognise some of the lyrics from the books. We’ve got animation and there’s a lot of interaction between the cast and audience too. I think kids will really love it. Hopefully just like the books hook children into a love of reading, so the stage show will lead to a love of theatre. I would be more than happy with that.”
Tom Gates – Live on Stage is at Richmond Theatre from March 20-24. For more details, visit: atgtickets.com
