David Baddiel Will Appear at Storyhouse's Wayword Festival This Autumn

Bestselling author, comedian, actor and screenwriter David Baddiel is set to join the line-up at this month’s WayWord Festival for Kids.

The annual festival for children - which aims to excite, inspire and to celebrate the power of words – returns to Chester Storyhouse from Saturday, 26 October to Monday, 4 November.

Baddiel will appear on the main stage on Saturday, 2 November to celebrate 10 years since the release of his debut children’s book The Parent Agency.

A brilliantly funny and gripping wish-fulfilment story, The Parent Agency is the tale of 11-year-old Barry Bennett who hates his name. In fact, it’s top of the list of things he blames his parents Susan and Geoff for – along with “being boring, never buying him cool stuff, being tired all the time and being too strict.”

Barry makes a wish for a better mum and dad and is whisked away to Youngdon in the United Kid-dom, an alternative universe where kids get to pick out their perfect parents with the assistance of the eponymous agency.

For Barry this seems like a wish come true, but he soon comes to realise that choosing a new mum or dad isn’t quite as simple as it sounds.

The Parent Agency, which has illustrations by Jim Field, was originally inspired by a question posed by Baddiel’s son Ezra. It won the accolade for best book for nine to 13-year-olds in the inaugural Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (known as the Lollies) and since then its author has written 10 other novels for young people including The Person Controller, Birthday Boy, AniMalcolm, Head Kid and (The Boy Who Got) Accidently Famous.

Baddiel will mark the bestselling The Parent Agency’s 10th anniversary at the fun-filled Storyhouse event, including answering questions from young readers.

And fans of the book are set to get an extra chance to enjoy Barry’s adventures with The Parent Agency – the Musical receiving its world premiere at Storyhouse in February next year ahead of a UK tour.

The live musical adaptation is written by Baddiel himself while songs come from Ivor Novello Award winning composer and frontman of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells (Everyone’s Talking About Jamie). 

Meanwhile the annual WayWord Festival runs over the autumn half term holiday and will see events take over the main stage, Garret Theatre and Bar, Kitchen and teh Den Storytelling Room. This year’s theme is centred on animals and conservation along with poetry, music and learning new skills.

The 2024 line-up includes former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, children’s doctor and TV favourite Ranj Singh, Clara Vuillamy (The Dog Squad), The Tooth Fairy illustrator Lydia Monks, YolanDa’s Band Jam, Dear Zoo Live!, and The Tempest (for kids).

Added to all this, throughout the week there will be arts and crafts, reading challenges, books to loan and lots more in the Storyhouse Library.

Suzie Henderson, Storyhouse’s Creative Director, says: “I’m delighted to be able to announce David Baddiel as part of this year’s WayWord Festival. His playful and thoughtful children’s books have sold over a million copies between them, but it all started with The Parent Agency - an epic adventure which has gripped the imagination of so many young people since it was first published 10 years ago.

Wayword Festival underlines our aim to be playful, creative and surprising, to fire imaginations and to instil a lifelong love of books and reading among Chester’s children.”

       

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