Emma Jane Reeves is a Welsh screenwriter and playwright, best known for her extensive work in children's television series such as the Tracy Beaker franchise. She is currently Chair of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain.
Reeves grew up in Wrexham. She gained a First Class degree in English from Magdalen College, Oxford and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. [1]
Reeves has written extensively for theatre, including shows based on material she would also work on in television, such as Hetty Feather and The Worst Witch, as well as adaptations of Cool Hand Luke and Little Women . In 2005, she moved into television, gaining her first credit on BBC One's Doctors . She became a prolific children's writer following working on The Story of Tracy Beaker , writing for series like Half Moon Investigations , Chuggington and Young Dracula . She would return to the Tracy Beaker franchise several times, writing for Tracy Beaker Returns , spin-off The Dumping Ground and in 2021, My Mum Tracy Beaker . [2] This was followed by The Beaker Girls that same year. [3]
In 2015, she co-created with David Chikwe the CBBC science-fiction series Eve . It starred Poppy Lee Friar [4] that follows the adventures of a gynoid, a female android, named Eve (also known as Project Eternity) living with a family in suburbia, trying to make sense of human life as a teenage girl. [5] It concluded on 14 December 2016 with an hour-long episode, which was later split into two parts when it was repeated in January 2017. Reeves developed and wrote a new adaptation of The Worst Witch , [6] which ran for four series between 2017 and 2020. She would win 'Best British Children's Television' at the British Screenwriters' Awards for her work. [7] In 2019, she helmed a sequel-reboot of The Demon Headmaster for CBBC. [8]
Reeves has written audio plays for the Big Finish Doctor Who ranges, starting with Torchwood: Forgotten Lives in 2015. [9] She also wrote for the spin-offs The Diary of River Song and The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield . Outside of the UK, Reeves co-wrote the Lifetime Television movie The Murder of Princess Diana .
Helen Cresswell was an English television scriptwriter and author of more than 100 children's books, best known for comedy and supernatural fiction. Her most popular book series, Lizzie Dripping and The Bagthorpe Saga, were also the basis for television series.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her large readership. Since her debut novel in 1969, Wilson has written over 100 books.
The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's book first published in 1991, written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt.
Tracy Beaker is the lead character in the Tracy Beaker franchise. After first appearing as the main character in Jacqueline Wilson's 1991 book The Story of Tracy Beaker, she appeared in the children's television drama of the same name, portrayed by Danielle Jane Harmer, and its sequel series Tracy Beaker Returns, as well as numerous spin-offs, Jacqueline Wilson books, a play and a video game. Harmer reprised her role as Tracy in the 2021 television series My Mum Tracy Beaker followed by The Beaker Girls.
The Demon Headmaster is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah.
Danielle Jane Harmer is an English actress, television personality, and former singer. She is best known for her lead role as Tracy Beaker in the CBBC series The Story of Tracy Beaker (2002–2006), Tracy Beaker Returns (2010–2012), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA in 2010, The Tracy Beaker Survival Files (2011–2012), My Mum Tracy Beaker (2021), and The Beaker Girls (2021–2023).
Jill Murphy was a British author and illustrator of children's books. First published by Allison & Busby in 1974, she was best known for the Worst Witch novels and Large Family picture books, with sales amounting to several millions. Her books have also been adapted for stage and television. She has been called "one of the most engaging writers and illustrators for children in the land".
Lisa Jacqueline Coleman is an English actress best known for her television roles as Jude Korcanik in Casualty (1994–1997) and Cam Lawson in The Story of Tracy Beaker (2002–2005). Coleman reprised the role in Tracy Beaker Returns (2010–2012), My Mum Tracy Beaker (2021) and The Beaker Girls (2021–2023).
The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British television programme series adapted from the book of the same name by Jacqueline Wilson. It ran on CBBC for five series, from January 2002 to December 2005 and also contained a feature-length episode, Tracy Beaker: The Movie of Me, broadcast in February 2004, as well as a week of interactive episodes for Children in Need. The theme song was written and produced by Brian Harris and Nigel Lowis and performed by Keisha White.
Montanna Shakira Thompson is an English actress. She is known for her role as Justine Littlewood in the CBBC children's series The Story of Tracy Beaker (2002–2006). Thompson has reprised her role as Justine in Tracy Beaker Returns (2012), My Mum Tracy Beaker (2021) and The Beaker Girls (2021–2023).
Eve is a British children's science fiction series starring Poppy Lee Friar that follows the adventures of a gynoid, a female android, named Eve living with a family in suburbia, trying to make sense of human life as a teenage girl. Written by children's writer Emma Reeves, Eve was co-created with David Chikwe, creative director of Blacklisted Films.
The Worst Witch is a fantasy drama children's television series. Based on novel series of the same name published in 1974 by Jill Murphy, the series follows Mildred Hubble and her friends Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade and rivals Ethel Hallow, Drusilla Paddock and Felicity Foxglove's adventures and education at Cackle's Academy under caring headmistress Miss Cackle and strict deputy headmistress Miss Hardbroom. It is the fifth adaptation of The Worst Witch series after the 1986 television film, the 1998 television series, the 2001 television spin-off and the 2005 television spin-off.
The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's drama media franchise that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people and their care workers in care. The franchise began with the publication of The Story of Tracy Beaker on 14 February 1991. Since then, the franchise has had six further books, three television series and their spin-offs, a television movie, a Children In Need special, a musical and two magazine collections. The Story of Tracy Beaker merchandise has also been released.
The Demon Headmaster is a British television series based on the children's books by Gillian Cross of the same title. Made by BBC Studios and Sinking Ship Entertainment for CBBC, the drama was first broadcast on 14 October 2019, and is the second adaptation of the books, following the 1996 series. Nicholas Gleaves plays the titular character, a mysterious head teacher with strange powers and dreams of world domination.
My Mum Tracy Beaker is a British children's television miniseries that premiered on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on 12 February 2021. The show was aired the week after The Dumping Ground's eighth series concluded. The series follows on from the events of its predecessors, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Tracy Beaker Returns and The Dumping Ground. My Mum Tracy Beaker saw Dani Harmer reprise her role as Tracy Beaker and included original cast members Lisa Coleman, Ruth Gemmell and Montanna Thompson, as well as new cast members Emma Maggie Davies and Jordan Duvigneau.
Danielle Henry is a British actress and yoga teacher, known for portraying the role of Mandy Marquez in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She has also appeared as Latisha Daggert in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, as well as Mary Oliver in the CBBC series My Mum Tracy Beaker.
The ninth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 11 June 2021 on CBBC and concluded on 25 March 2022. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty, thirty-minute episodes. It is the 18th series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise. This series is shorter than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic and substantial delays in filming. This marked the last regular appearance of Annabelle Davis as Sasha Bellman prior to her new acting role in Hollyoaks as Lacey Lloyd.
The Beaker Girls is a British children's television series that premiered on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on 13 December 2021. The series follows on from the events of its predecessors, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Tracy Beaker Returns, The Dumping Ground and My Mum Tracy Beaker. It sees Dani Harmer reprise her role as Tracy Beaker and Emma Maggie Davies return as her daughter Jess. Lisa Coleman and Montanna Thompson also returned, as well as several cast members from My Mum Tracy Beaker. In August 2022, Dani Harmer posted on her Instagram that filming for the second series had finished. The BBC confirmed that Series 2 would be the final series of the My Mum Tracy Beaker/Beaker Girls trilogy, at least for now. It began airing on 13 January 2023 and concluded on 31 March.
Nisha K Nayar is a British actress. After coming to prominence in the 1993 film Bhaji on the Beach, she had starring roles as Debra Kumar in the film Out of Hours in 1998 and as Elaine "the Pain" Boyak in the CBBC series The Story of Tracy Beaker from 2002 to 2005. She also appeared as Joyce Hammond in the ITV crime drama Rose and Maloney between 2004 and 2005 and starred as Fran Keeley in the Channel 4 drama Before We Die in 2021.