As I sat on the sofa with Dad, eating sweets, my eyes drifted to the walls. ‘Why do you have so many pictures of the devil?’ I asked. ‘I think it’s cool,’ Dad shrugged. It was 2007 and even at six, I

Mel just can’t do enough for her eldest…

From Skins to Adolescence, Jack Thorne is a master of telling gritty teenage stories. Now he’s tackling the big one – Lord of the Flies

9 FEBRUARY

‘Is this your random fact of the day?’ I laughed, his excitement making me smile. ‘I’ve been reading about the hottest chilli pepper in the world,’ he grinned, then proceeded to tell me all about it.

I lived in Walsall when I was growing up and I still go back to see my dad, who’s in his 90s. It was a bustling place, there was a thriving market life. Every Saturday, me and my mates would walk thro