Mark Huckerby is an Emmy Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, best known
for writing popular TV shows such as:
Danger Mouse
Thunderbirds Are Go
Shaun the Sheep
Peter Rabbit
Thomas and Friends
He works regularly with his writing partner, Nick Ostler, and they have also written the Defender of the Realm series of books and worked on the horror movie, Don't Knock Twice.
I first met Mark (and Nick) when I was the "reserve" for their team of authors for the TV show, Eggheads, along with Robin Stevens, Lisa Thompson and Maz Evans. It was great to get to know them and, although they didn't manage to defeat the Eggheads, we had a really fun time in Glasgow during (and after) the filming.
This week, the Year 6 children at Annesley Primary School helped me to devise a list of tough questions to ask him and Mark answered them yesterday.
So, without further ado, let's begin...
Alexia: What was the first thing you ever wrote?
Mark: That’s a good question. I grew up in America from the age of eight until I was sixteen. When I went to junior high school, our headmaster (they call them “the principal” over there) would talk to us every morning via an intercom. Strange idea, ‘eh? You’d be sitting in your classroom and instead of an assembly, you’d hear him talk about what was happening that day. Anyway, the headmaster knew I liked comedy and one day he asked me to read out his announcement as a surprise to all the children in the school… and I pretended to be French for some reason and wrote a bunch of terrible jokes for it. That’s the first thing I remember really sitting down and writing.
Caelan: Do you prefer writing scripts or novels?
Mark: I love writing books! TV costs a LOT of money to make and you need lots of people’s permission to write an episode of Dangermouse, say. And you always get loads of notes from directors and producers and executives (people who wear suits and ties to work). With books it’s different; it’s just you and your editor (they are the people who check what you’ve written makes sense and you’ve spelled everything correctly). Writing books is a much simpler process.
Mr Eccleston: Is there a different between writing for animation and writing for live action?
Mark: A lot of people ask this and the answer is: No, there isn't! Stories are stories and you don’t really change the way you write. Obviously, in animation, crazy things can happen: you want someone to do such a big fart that they fly to the moon? Sure, that can happen. Live action tends to be a little less crazy.
Joe: Is this your dream job? If so, why?
Mark: Yes Joe, it is. You know why? Because I get paid to daydream. Some of you might get told off for daydreaming in class but daydreaming is how writers get their ideas!
Natasha: Do you find writing easy?
Mark: Writing is quite hard… it’s not always easy to come up with good ideas and then write them well. Or come up with ideas that someone hasn't already had. You have to practise a lot and commit to it. But I love writing!
Riley: Which writers inspire you?
Mark: When I was growing up, I loved Roald Dahl! Danny the Champion of the World was my favourite book.
Kassius: What's your favourite cartoon that you've written?
Mark: Probably Dangermouse! When I was your age, I used to rush home from school to watch the original version of the show and then when they asked me to write for the new one, I was so excited!
Caelan: Have you ever written anything that you've regretted afterwards?
Mark: Ha! No, I don’t think so. Sometimes ideas don’t turn out how you wanted them to, or you wish you’d have done things differently. But that’s life. You live and learn!
Grace: How long did it take to write an episode of Shaun the Sheep?
Molly: How do you write scripts for Shaun the Sheep when the characters don't speak?
Mark: We’d probably spend a few weeks writing Shaun the Sheep, maybe three or four? And as far as the characters not speaking, you’re right Molly. The story is the same though, whether the characters speak or not. They’re just using their expressions to get over what they mean. I’ve attached an actual script for you to look at to see how we did it!
Callum: Your TV shows involve characters that are already famous. But were you allowed to invent your own characters?
Mark: No, that’s another reason we wrote the Defender of the Realm books. It was a chance to write our own characters for a change!
Shaylen: What's the difference between writing a horror film and a children's TV show? Lucas: How did you try to make Don't Knock Twice scary?
Mark: Well Shaylen, obviously some things we write are for children and other things are for adults. But aside from being able to swear (!) in a script meant for adults, the principles of writing remain the same. Stories need a beginning, a middle and an end. In terms of making things scary… here’s something to think about: I think that screaming and laughing are actually very similar noises that we humans make. Have you ever watched something scary (say Doctor Who) with other people and noticed how in the build up to seeing the scary monster people will accidentally laugh to let out a bit of tension? That’s the same as a joke really, you tell a joke and there’s a build up to the punch line of the joke and instead of screaming, you laugh. So you make scares in the same way you make jokes, you build up the tension and it’s either BOO! Or you tell the end of the joke.
Danielle: Would you ever consider writing a script about an ice skater?
Mark: Danielle, I’d never rule anything out!
Harley: What's your favourite movie?
Mark: That’s a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hard question to answer. It changes day to day. In terms of super hero movies I love Iron Man and Deadpool. I loved Star Wars growing up. And if I had to pick a classic movie to watch… I’d go with Jaws. The one about the shark. I love Steven Spielberg movies.
Ellie: What car do you have?
Mark: A green Mini Clubman
Henley: If you could have any super power, what would you have?
Mark: To travel back in time to see famous scenes from history… like I’d love to have seen the Battle of Waterloo. But I’d also have the power of indestructibility so I couldn't be harmed.
Miss Geeson: What's your favourite biscuit?
Mark: Chocolate digestives.
Mr Brown: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
Mark: Hmmm…. 100 duck-sized horses would be pretty tough to fight. So I’d go for the one horse-sized duck… and I’d distract it by throwing a huge piece of bread and then running away.
The Big Quiz: Daniel Henshaw vs Mark Huckerby!!!
Two children's authors. Three tricky questions. Who will come out on top?
Question 1: We first met when we travelled to Glasgow to film the Eggheads TV show. In miles, what is the distance from London to Glasgow (as the crow flies)?
Daniel Henshaw: 220 miles
Mark Huckerby: 390 miles
Correct Answer: 345.6 miles
Who was closest? Mark Huckerby
Question 2: Mark has written scripts for Thomas and Friends. But in what year was Thomas the Tank Engine first aired on British TV?
Daniel Henshaw: 1979
Mark Huckerby: Hmmmm... 1983?
Correct Answer: 1984
Who was closest? Mark Huckerby
Question 3: How many 'tales' books did Beatrix Potter write?
Daniel Henshaw: 100?
Mark Huckerby: I know this! 23
Correct Answer: 23
Who was closest? Mark Huckerby
And the winner is... Mark Huckerby! 3-0!
Many thanks to Mark Huckerby for taking the time to answer our questions.
Mark is the author of script writer and the author of the Defender of the Realm series.
Keep up to date with Mark on his website or on Twitter @HuckyWucky.
Thanks for reading. My name is Daniel Henshaw and I'm the author of four books, including The Great Snail Robbery and my humorous new spook-fest, Glenkilly.
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