Richmal Crompton was born in Lancashire in 1890. The first story about William Brown appeared in Home magazine in 1919, and the first collection of William stories was published in book form three years later. In all, thirty-eight Just William books were published, the last, William the Lawless, in 1970 after Richmal Crompton's death.
Martin Jarvis's distinguished career includes the title role on Broadway in By Jeeves, appearing in the Oscar-winning Titanic, starring roles in many international television series (from Murder She Wrote to Inspector Morse) and in London's West End and National Theatre.
His bestselling audio recordings have won many awards in America and Britain. He received the OBE in 2000.