Cas Lester on life after leaving ‘the best job in British TV’

I had possibly the best job in British television. I was head of drama development for CBBC and made shows like Jackanory, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Big Kids and Kerching!. It was a honey-peach of a job; challenging, demanding and tremendous fun.

But I walked away from it. Why? Because CBBC moved to Manchester — and I didn’t.

I couldn’t. I had four children all very happily settled in primary and secondary schools in Oxfordshire.

We have friends and lives rooted here, and it’s where I want the children to grow up. It’s a wonderfully vibrant city and the countryside is beautiful.

So I walked away from a fabulous job. It was a huge step and an even bigger gamble.

But it was a great decision. Partly because it gave the chance to re-invent myself as a children’s writer but mostly because it’s meant I could spend a lot more time with my four children.

I’ve been able to go to all those sports days, and special assemblies and school plays. I’m there for them when they come home from school — even sometimes managing to welcome them with the warm smell of home-baked cakes.

I’m here to take them to swimming, rugby, karate and drama, and to play games and help with homework and, highlight of my evenings, to put them to bed and read to them.

But when I stopped making children’s programmes I really missed making up stories.

I’d spent many years developing and making children’s dramas. I worked on literally hundreds of scripts and read just as many brilliant children’s books. I’d also worked with some of the best children’s writers for both television and novels.

It was a marvellous apprenticeship in telling stories to children.

So, I guess it was natural to want to write children’s books. I gave myself a year and was very lucky to get an agent pretty quickly and through her, my first deal.

My debut children’s book Harvey Drew and the Bin Men from Outer Space came out earlier this year and the second in the series, Harvey Drew and the Bling Bots, has just been published.

I’m currently writing the third book, Harvey Drew and the Junk Skunks.

It’s a funny thing, but compared to writing for children’s television, writing books for children is fabulously liberating.

It’s not that children’s television drama is over controlled — but it is subject to considerable constraints to creativity.

There’s the budget, the shooting schedule, the impact of child actor hours, the budget, the length of programme, the number of episodes, the demands of international co-producers and investors, oh, and did I mention the budget?

But you know what I’m finding the greatest fun as a writer? School visits!

Doing talks and workshops with school children is hilarious. The children are full of fun and ideas and it’s a great way of keeping in touch with young readers. And I always insist on having a school dinner.

So, now I have the two best jobs in the world — I’m a mum and a writer.