Programme Outline
Jacqueline’s home
In this first programme we are invited into Jacqueline’s home. She gives a quick, guided tour and we see for ourselves her huge collection of books in every room …and her toys; the most well known of which is Radish, a tiny rabbit that is Jacqueline’s mascot. She holds it in her left hand as she writes and takes it with her when she visits schools. At the top of the stairs she has a large cardboard cutout of Freddie Mercury, once the lead singer from the band Queen, whom she has enjoyed listening to since the 1970s.
Despite having a study, Jacqueline settles down to write wherever she feels most comfortable and often likes to listen to music to put her in the mood, (though not Queen, because she likes to sing along to them!). She tries to write a little each day to keep in touch and to stop herself worrying about it. She uses hardbound books in which she records ideas and writes stories in longhand, before typing them up on the computer.
Jacqueline’s childhood
As Jacqueline leafs through her photograph album she tells us about her childhood; where she lived and where she went to school. She recalls her early success working for the publishers of magazines and comics, DC Thompson, who named the teenage magazine Jackie after her! She takes us to visit the block of flats in which she spent most of her childhood and her primary and secondary schools. She reveals herself to have been a child who enjoyed her own company and created imaginary worlds from an early age. Her extraordinary talent is countered by an apparently ordinary lifestyle. This ‘ordinariness’ will help dispel any myths that children may have about what kind of person a writer is. Even a prolific writer, such as Jacqueline Wilson, is just as happy writing on a bus as in her study!
Jacqueline’s success
Jacqueline acknowledges and embraces her success as a writer, but she still finds it hard to believe, especially when she sees her books prominently displayed in a bookshop. Her feelings of pride and amazement are echoed by the voice of Freddie Mercury: ‘Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?’ The songs of Queen punctuate this programme – carefully chosen lyrics are used to echo the excitement and pleasures in Jacqueline’s life. Her daily routine involves swimming as well as writing, and her idea of relaxation is line dancing!
