In a career spanning more than three decades, David Pick produced and directed hundreds of television programmes in the UK, mainly for ITV. From science magazines (The Real World) to religious affairs documentaries (The Human Factor); from a twice-weekly live soap opera (Together) to filmed family comedy (Worzel Gummidge); from documentaries like The Tigers’ Tale, chronicling the excavation of The Channel Tunnel, to Are Mothers Really Necessary?, a seven-part series for Channel 4 on the work of the controversial child-psychiatrist, Dr John Bowlby. It was while filming the Bowlby series that David met children damaged by emotional neglect and psychological abuse, as well as mothers separated from their offspring by prison bars. And it was in New York, in the back seat of an NYPD patrol car searching for runaway teenagers that the idea for Mrs May began to germinate. To hone his writing skills, David studied creative writing at the University of Kent at Canterbury, before enrolling on the MA programme at Canterbury Christ Church University, where he began work on the novel and took a distinction in the degree. David Pick was born in the Isle of Man, lived in Nottingham for many years and went to the University of Bristol, where he took a degree in philosophy and worked as a roulette croupier. He has three grown-up children and now lives in Canterbury with his wife, Jo, and her beautiful Guide Dog, Poppy.