Month: July 2016

Beautiful book covers…

I like Quentin Blake as much as the next Dahl fan, but lately I’ve been admiring some of the non-Blake covers of Dahl’s books. Some of them are older; some of them are from languages other than English. Aren’t they great?

New Wonka figurines from Funko!

Did you know that Funko have introduced even more Wonka figurines? Check it out!

BBC Radio Bristol – Ask the Expert with Laura Rawlings

Yesterday Kris participated in an interview about Roald Dahl with Laura Rawlings on BBC Radio Bristol. You can listen to it here (fast-forward to about 1:26:00 to find the right bit). They talked about Dahl’s life growing up, his experiences in the War, and his lucky break as a writer. They also talked about Wally Saunders, the inspiration for the BFG. Thanks Laura – it was a lot of fun!

BFG’s real life inspiration was Roald Dahl’s friend and snooker partner | Daily Mail Online

Walter Saunders, a 6ft 5in local builder, spoke with a thick rural accent, had a bulbous nose and sported a long, wrinkly face which beamed with warmth – characteristics which Dahl used to create the BFG.

The Daily Mail Online has a lovely article today about Wally Saunders, Roald Dahl’s friend and inspiration for The BFG. I was actually lucky enough to meet Wally myself in 2000 when I visited Gipsy House. He was a charming old fellow, but it did amuse me that I towered over the BFG!

Me and Wally

The Ultimate Map of over 100 Roald Dahl-icious Locations to Visit

Penny Alexander of A Residence has put together a map of over 100 places around the world related to Roald Dahl’s books and films. The post also mentions many activities happening in the UK this year to celebrate the Dahl centenary.

There has never been a better time to theme your travel adventures around the stunning places that inspired Roald Dahl’s books or were used as film locations, from the Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys used as the giant land in The BFG, to The Headland Hotel, Newquay, location for the The Witches, these places are magical, …

Source: The Ultimate Map of over 100 Roald Dahl – icious Locations to Visit – A Residence

Many thanks to Jo from Wayfair for sharing this fantastic blog post with us!

Dahl programs on BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 have been airing lots of programs recently about Roald Dahl in honour of his 100th birthday. If you’re in the UK (or know how to get around a geo-block!), you can even listen online. You can see all the links on the BBC site here. Many thanks to Rachel Preece for her excellent blog write-up!

I’ve also added details about the programs for future reference on the Radio Shows page: