YOU'LL BE LOOKING GOOD.
MONDAY RIGHT HERE ON RIVER CITY
LIVE.
OUR NEXT GUEST IS AN
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN AUTHOR WHO
IS BASED IN LONDON AND DECIDED
TO CROSS THE POND HERE TO
ANNOUNCE HIS NEW BOOK.
NOW OUR PRODUCER ABBEY LOVES HIM
AND WE LET HER TAKE THIS
INTERVIEW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US, DAVID.
IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.
OH, THANK YOU THAT'S KIND.
NOW I HAVE TO ADMIT TO YOU
I'VE BEEN A VERY BIG FAN OF
LITTLE BRITAIN FOR QUITE SOME
TIME NOW.
SO I HAVE TO WONDER WHAT MADE
YOU WANT TO GO FROM WRITING
TELEVISION SHOWS FOR ADULTS TO
WRITING BOOKS FOR KIDS?
ESPECIALLY A BOOK LIKE DEMON
DENTIST.
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED READING
CHILDREN'S BOOK EVEN AS AN
ADULT.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S A GUILTY
PLEASURE AS AN ADULT TO EMERSE
YOURSELF IN A BOOK OR READ A
CLASSIC LIKE ALICE IN WONDERLAND
OR PETER PAN.
AND I WOULD THINK THAT
CHILDREN'S BOOKS ARE THE MOST
IMAGINATIVE OF ALL BECAUSE
CHILDREN BELIEVE IN MAGIC.
AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS SO MUCH
MORE I COULD DO IN A BOOK FOR
KIDS THAN A COMEDY SKETCH.
COMEDY SKETCH IS TWO MINUTES
LONG.
A BOOK YOU CAN TRY AND MAKE
PEOPLE LAUGH, TAKE THEM ON A
JOURNEY AND DEMON DENTIST AS
WELL YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO
(INAUDIBLE) ALONG THE WAY AS
WELL.
DEFINITELY.
YOU MENTIONED DAHL.
WAS HE SOMETHING
THAT -- INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE?
HE IS MY ABSOLUTE HERO.
THE FIRST BOOK I PICKED UP AGE
10 THAT I CHOSE FOR MYSELF TO
READ WAS CHARLIE AND THE
CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
THAT REALLY TURNED ME ON TO
READING AND ULTIMATELY BECAUSE I
LOVE READING, I GUESS I BECAME A
WRITER TOO.
IT'S FANTASTIC TO BE COMPARED TO
HIM.
AND THERE'S THIS -- YOU CAN TRY
TO EMULATE PEOPLE.
THE THING THAT HE DID SO
BRILLIANTLY WAS HE TALKED ABOUT
THE DARKNESS OF THE STORIES.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING I TRY TO DO
IN DEMON DENTIST.
ABSOLUTELY.
NOW THERE ARE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN BRITISH COMEDY AND
AMERICAN COMEDY.
DID YOU HAVE THAT IN MIND COMING
INTO THE U.S. WITH A BOOK LIKE
THIS?
THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS I'VE
BEEN TOURING AROUND AMERICA
READING MY BOOK TO KIDS IN
SCHOOLS.
AND THE THING I FOUND IS THAT
THEY LAUGH AT THE SAME THINGS
THE KIDS IN THE UK WOULD LAUGH
AT AND GASP AT THE SCARY THINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE NEW ONES
WITH HUMOR.
PARTICULARLY WITH SATIRICAL
HUMOR OR REFERENCE POINTS.
BUT ULTIMATELY MOST CHILDREN'S
BOOKS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TRAVEL
AROUND THE WORLD.
HARRY POTTER COULDN'T BE MORE
BRITISH.
WHEN I WAS A KID I USED TO READ
BOOKS BY AMERICAN AUTHORS AND
NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THEM
BEING AMERICAN.
I JUST LIKED THEM AS BOOKS.
DR. SEUSS WAS AN OBSESSION TOO.
SO I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE
SLIGHTLY OVERSTATE THE IDEA THAT
THE THINGS -- THE THINGS WON'T
TRAVEL.
WE LOVE AMERICAN HUMOR IN THE UK
AND CERTAINLY LOTS OF BRITISH
HUMOR IN THE U.S.
ABSOLUTELY.
NOW FINALLY, I KNOW YOU'VE
ADAPTED MANY FILMS -- BOOKS INTO
FILMS FOR TV IN THE UK.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE DEMON
DENTIST MIGHT BE NEXT?
SO FAR I'VE HAD A NUMBER OF
TV ADAPTATIONS FOR MY BOOKS.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT DEMON
DENTIST HAS BEEN AUCTIONED AS A
MOVIE.
SO THE SCRIPT IS BEING WRITTEN
AT THE MOMENT AND WOULD MAKE A
REALLY SUPER NATURAL ELEMENT
MOVIE.
IT WOULD BE AMAZING TO SEE HER
FLYING AROUND THE SKY, GOING
INTO CHILDREN'S BEDROOMS AND
STEALING THE TEETH FROM
UNDERNEATH PILLOWS.
THIS WOULD BE A SPECIAL MOVIE
AND QUITE EXPENSIVE.
BUT I'M VERY EXCITED THAT ONE
DAY WE'RE GOING TO SEE DEMON
DENTIST.
ABSOLUTELY.
THAT SOUNDS VERY EXCITING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
THIS MORNING.
THANKS.
REPORTER: THANKS.
WE HAVE TWO COPIES OF THE BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY.
E-MAIL MYEASTTEX.COM.
BE THE FOURTH AND THE FIFTH