Wednesday, March 18, 2015

10 things you didn’t know about Adrian Mole

Did you know Adrian Mole’s name was nearly Nigel? Jake Brunger, writer of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ - The Musical, reveals 10 lesser known facts about Sue Townsend’s most famous creation

Adrian Mole
Gian Sammarco starred in the Thames TV version of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾. Photograph: FremantleMedia Ltd / Rex Feature/FremantleMedia Ltd / Rex Feature
Have you ever read The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend? Just a bit of background if you haven’t! It was Sue Townsend’s hilarious first novel, published in 1982. The book went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide and be translated into 30 languages. There were seven sequel Adrian Mole novels that followed. The story was set in 1980s Leicester and followed the daily dramas and misadventures of Adrian’s teenage life. If you haven’t read it, you really should (here’s a review by teen site member Happygirl165 on why). But whether you have or haven’t I hope you enjoy these10 strange and lesser known facts:
  1. His name was nearly Nigel. The original 1982 Radio 4 series had the infamous teenager named Nigel Mole, but this was changed for the novel in to avoid confusion with Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle’s schoolboy creation Nigel Molesworth. Among the 32 alternative names Sue considered were Trevor, Robin, Darren and Victor.

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