Manchester Met’s Creative Writing Lecturer has had his novels commissioned for a 10-part BBC Children’s television series.
That may be somewhat playing down who Manchester Met’s Creative Writing Lecturer is, as Alex Wheatle, also happens to be a best-selling novelist and the subject of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe.
The BBC is adapting his Crongton series, which chronicle a group of young people living in a thriving multicultural community on a fictional urban housing estate.
Their lives and journeys were inspired by Wheatley’s own experiences as a youth worker.
“I’m thrilled and proud that the BBC has taken on my books, and I’m excited about the opportunities the series will create for fresh talent and young actors of colour,” he said.
“The novels weave in material from my time working with young people in a South London housing estate, as well as mixing in experiences from my own teenage years. I can’t wait to watch the story on screen.”
The series which is aimed at an audience aged 10-12, will combine irreverent humour and animated fantasy sequences.
The screenplay has been done by writer and comedian Archie Maddocks, who Wheatle worked alongside as creative consultant.
“Reading Alex Wheatle’s books, I was struck by how much the characters and their world reflect my own upbringing,” said Maddocks.
“They were just like me and my friends; I could have known them all. Crongton is a project that has been close to my heart for a very long time and, like many, many fans of the novels, I can’t wait to finally see the transformation of Alex’s amazing world from the page to the screen.”
Wheatle is no stranger to broadcasting, his own extraordinary journey from care, to Brixton in the 80s, prison and then becoming a successful novelist was told in Steve McQueen’s BBC series, Small Axe.
Wheatle joined Manchester Met’s Manchester Writing School as a Lecturer in Creative Writing in 2018, teaching writing for children and young adults.
