HENRY NORMAL in conversation with Ralph Dartford plus poetry treats

Henry Normal is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. In June 2017 he was honoured with a special BAFTA for services to television.

Henry co-wrote and script edited the Mrs Merton Show and Mrs Merton and Malcolm, and co-created and co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family. With Steve Coogan, he co-wrote the BAFTA-winning Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible, three of Steve’s live tours, and the film The Parole Officer.

Setting up Baby Cow Productions Ltd in 1999, Henry Executive Produced all and script edited many of the shows during his tenure as MD. Highlights of the Baby Cow output during this time include the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, Gavin and Stacey, Uncle, Nighty Night, Moone Boy and Alan Partridge.

Since retiring in April 2016, Henry has written and performed eleven BBC Radio 4 shows for his ‘occasional series’ A Normal..., each combining poetry, comedy and stories about his life and family.

Born in Nottingham, Henry now lives in East Sussex with the screenwriter Angela Pell and their son, Johnny. He has been awarded honorary degrees by both Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University and is Patron of Nottingham City Arts and Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature. He has also had a beer and a bus named after him in his home city.

Copies of Henry's books will also be on sale via our partner bookstall with Blackwells, Manchester. There will also be a dedicated book signing with Henry directly after the event.

About the Host:

Ralph Dartford’s first pamphlet, Cigarettes, Beer and Love was published by Ossett Observer Presents in 2013. His next collection, , was published by Valley Press in 2019, and followed in October 2021. In 2024, his 3rd collection for Valley Press, House Anthems’ was published to great acclaim and completed a trilogy of themed work. Ralph is the poetry editor at www.northerngravy.com and is currently studying for a Creative Writing PhD at the University of Huddersfield that focuses on the tensions between ‘performance poetry’ and ‘page poetry’. For an honest living, Ralph is a project manager working within criminal justice for the National Literacy Trust.

Henry Normal image courtesy of Richard Davis

Ralph Dartford image: @Dockeford

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