Mitchell Symons: Winner of the Blue Peter Book Awards 2011 (Best Book with Facts)

Mitchell Symons was born in 1957 in London and educated at Mill Hill School and the LSE, where he studied law. Since leaving BBC TV, where he was a researcher and then a director, he has worked as a writer, broadcaster and journalist. He was a principal writer of early editions of the board game Trivial Pursuit and has devised many television formats.

Currently he writes an award-winning weekly column for the Sunday Express. He has written over 40 books - including five for children with another eight in various stages of preparation and is also a Booked Up author.

Congratulations on winning the Blue Peter Book Awards 2011: Best Book with Facts!

Thank you!

Are you a fan of Blue Peter? Did you watch it as a kid?

I was a big fan of BP. I used to watch it whenever it was on. Valerie Singleton was the presenter I liked most. I remember collecting milk bottle tops and used stamps for charity appeals. Do they still run those, I wonder?

Do you think humour is a good way to get kids into books?

Humour is a really good way to get children interested in reading. Make ‘em laugh and you’re more than halfway to getting them hooked. Someone once said 'humour is common sense dancing'. How true.

You've written seven children's books all about facts and you even used to write the Trivial Pursuit questions! Have you always been obsessed with facts and knowledge?

I have always been fascinated by facts. The more pointless and meaningless the better. Trivia was invented for me!

Where do you get your questions from?

I get my questions from family, friends and readers but also from my own curiosity which – incredibly – continues to grow!

You use experts and libraries to research your answers and the Internet to check facts. Have you heard about the new knowledge engine WolframAlpha?

I hadn’t hear of WolframAlpha so I went away and checked it out. It looks interesting and I suspect I’ll use it in the future.

What was your favourite book with facts when you were growing up and now?

Growing up, I loved Wisden (the cricket bible) and the Guinness Book of Records. Nowadays, I read a huge amount – all sorts of things. Can’t say what my favourite book is ... probably the one I’m currently reading!  The Taste of War: World War Two and The Battle for Food by Lizzie Collingham. Absolutely fascinating.