Terry Deary - Author

"Deary (is) the most influential historian in Britain today." So says the Daily Telegraph newspaper on 10 May 07

Terry Deary is the author of 200 books in the UK with 620 more foreign editions (as of May 09)  mainly for children and teenagers. His books are sold in 40 languages from Russia to Brazil, Scandinavia to China.

He was born in Sunderland, England, in 1946 and now lives in County Durham, in the North-east of England. Terry is a former actor, theatre-director and museum manager.

In 33 years as an author his writing has included fiction for juniors and teenagers, and popular non-fiction series (Horrible Histories, being the best-selling with over 20 million worldwide.) He also writes TV, theatre, radio audio and new media scripts.

In 2009 CBBC Television launched a major 13-part television series of his Horrible Histories as well as a computer game adaptation for Nintendo Wii, DS and PC.

In 1996 he was the best selling British children’s author with 5 of his books in the top ten best-sellers of the year and No.1 in the charts again in April 2009 . In 1999 “The Daily Telegraph” recorded that he outsold Enid Blyton by four to one and annual libraries’ and surveys made him the most-borrowed author of children’s non-fiction in Britain – with an astonishing 17 titles in the top 20 in 2001. In November 1999 Books for Keeps magazine readers voted him “The Outstanding Children’s Non-Fiction Author Of The 20th Century”. In 2000 a Schoolsnet survey made him the most borrowed British author in school libraries while a Guardian survey of March 05 made him Britain’s fifth most popular living children’s author.

In the Blue Peter Book Awards 2001 and 2002 Terry won “Best Book of Knowledge of All Time” for his Horrible Histories Rotten Romans and Terrible Tudors.

Terry returned to writing for the theatre with Mad Millennium at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre in Summer 1999. In November 2002 he returned to his roots and acted in a professional theatre production of his own musical Christmas show, Crackers Christmas at Barrow’s ‘Forum 28’ Theatre. A major series of theatre plays, Horrible Histories, have been created in collaboration with Birmingham Stage Company touring throughout 2006 - 09.

BBC Worldwide made a series of ten 1-hour audio Horrible Histories Audio CDs based on his books and narrated by Terry. They were launched in October 2002 and became immediate best-sellers. In the summer of 2005 12 million of Terry’s CDs were released as a promotion in partnership with Kellogg’s cereals and these were followed with massively successful CDs for “Daily Telegraph” promotions in 2006 and 2007. The Horrible Histories books also feature as a best-selling international part-work magazines, The Horrible Histories Collection.

Terry also creates major Horrible Histories exhibitions for museums around Britain, breaking attendance records at every venue. In 2009 Imperial War Museum, London, will host a “Frightful First World War” exhibition to run for 18 months. He is hoping to create a Horrible Histories visitor attraction in his native north-east. He is also working with major museums and tourist attractions to create exciting interactive experiences for family visits. In 2007 his exhibition at the Royal Armouries Leeds increased their visitor figures by 150% and in 2008 he created a new WW1 exhibition for the Imperial War Museum, Manchester and IWM London in 2009.

“The Fire Thief” is Terry’s most successful fiction series for the US and UK market, launched in January 2006. In the hardback edition alone it sold 100,000 in its first year and put Terry into the top 20 fiction charts. He is working on a film adaptation. His next major series Master Crook’s Crime Academy launched in 2009.

Terry has acted and presented many television series, including an entertaining children’s series exploring the lives of Henry VIII’s wives, (broadcast BBC Education in November 05) followed by his own 6-part documentary series for family viewing called “Terry Deary's Twisted Tales” (ITV northern regions June 06) which he wrote and presented. Terry wrote and presented the BBC Newcastle regional contribution to the “Building Britain” series in March 07, looking at the city of Durham. Terry wrote and recorded a twelve-part Terrible Tales of Wales radio programmes for BBC Wales in 2005/06.

His charity work includes being patron of SHAID (Single Homeless Action Initiative in Derwentside), Grace House Children’s Hospice appeal  and works with Beamish Museum where he raises money for disadvantaged children in the region. Terry was awarded a degree as Doctor of Education at Sunderland University in 2000 and is an ambassador for his home city of Sunderland.

Quote: “I do not like reading very much and my Mum is pleased that I have found some books I like so much that I read them without being asked!”           10 year old boy