Nicholas Allan (born 11 December 1956) is a British children's writer and illustrator.

Biography

Nicholas Allan was born and brought up in

Brighton, England Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Ag ...

, attending

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...

from 1970 to 1975. He studied at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

and completed an MA in creative writing at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

. He published his first book ''The Hefty Fairy'' in 1989, and has since published numerous books for children, including ''The Magic Lavatory'', ''Demon Teddy'', ''The Queen's Knickers'', ''

Where Willy Went ''Where Willy Went'' is a British children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different way ...

'' and ''Father Christmas Needs a Wee''. ''

Hilltop Hospital ''Hilltop Hospital'' (French: ''Hôpital Hilltop'') is a claymation television series made in 1999, directed by Pascal Le Nôtre. It is adapted from a series of books by Nicholas Allan of the same name. The theme tune and incidental music for th ...

'' has been adapted into an award-winning television series. His other books include ''The Complete Guide to Gatecrashing'' and a teenage novel ''The First Time''. Allan has funded the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...

Queen's Knickers Award The Queen's Knickers Award is a British award for a children's illustrated book. It was founded in 2020 and is awarded annually by the Society of Authors for "an outstanding children's original illustrated book for ages 0-7". It is funded by child ...

, an annual award for an illustrated children's book. The award was founded in 2020 and is named after his 1993 book ''The Queen's Knickers''. When not touring, Allan spends most of his time in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, not

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

References

External links

Author biography at A. M. Heath agencyAuthor information at Class Act AgencyAuthor biography at Random House Books
* English children's writers People educated at Brighton College Alumni of the University of East Anglia Living people 1956 births {{UK-child-writer-stub