Charlie Brooks on the latest Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson

Virgin Radio

9 Nov 2021, 10:25

The racehorse trainer, farmer, newspaper columnist and former jockey joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about the second book in his Holly Hopkinson series.

The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson: A Little Bit of a Big Disaster, is out now. In it, Holly’s mum has lost her job, meaning Holly must once again save her family from financial ruin. Luckily she is armed with her Magic Pocket Watch! And a famous Hollywood director needs a horse and a location. Charlie told Chris: “I really hope this is a family book, not a children’s book. When I write it, I think, ‘This is what parents should read with their children. They should laugh about this together.’ I don’t really think of it as a children’s book, because some of my friends, believe it or not, read it!”

When Chris asked whether Charlie’s own daughter sees any of herself in the main character, the author replied: “Well, I hope so, because obviously she is my inspiration.”

The second in the The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson series follows This Is Going To Be a Fiasco. Charlie said: “Volume one was ready before the pandemic, but obviously it couldn’t be published then, because it would have just sat in a book shop and been rather lonely, so two’s come out pretty quick, and three will be out in Spring.

“They need to be, because my poor little book sits on the bookshelves in WH Smith, swamped by David Walliams, and Jeff Kinney, and Tom Gates, and I think, ‘How is this going to get any traction?’ It needs some friends to hold its hand!” 

Charlie is donating profits from sales of his books to charity. He explained: “I gave half the proceeds to Farms for City Children, which is a brilliant Michael Morpurgo charity, which gets kids out of the city, onto farms, for a week with their teachers, learning about good food and how to produce food." 

Charlie has a real horse called Beanstalk who features in the story. The name was inspired by a children's charity of the same name, where Charlie also donates profits from the book. “Beanstalk, who the little pony is named after, is a children’s literacy charity, and it’s fantastic. It gets readers into schools to help kids who aren’t very good at reading, like I wasn’t. I’m really happy to support those,” he said.

The stories come in audiobook versions as well, with a celebrity narrator. “Claudia Winkleman is brilliant at reading the audiobook,” Charlie enthused. “She’s recorded both books, and she is so funny. I would love her to be mum in the TV series.” 

Whilst chatting with Chris, who is currently self-isolating having tested positive for Covid-19, Charlie spoke about dealing with Long Covid. “I’m 19 months into Long Covid, he explained” “It’s real. I mean, I’m not too bad, I just get very fatigued, but I feel desperately sorry for people who are really, really bad with it.”

Charlie continued: “What’s odd is, I didn’t have Covid that badly. I mean, I was in bed for, I don’t know, ten days, but I didn’t have to go to hospital or anything, and yet 19 months later I’m still floundering around in the post-viral situation.”

The Super-Secret Diary Of Holly Hopkinson: A Little Bit of a Big Disaster is out now.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.