Henry has had quite the career! Having toured with the band Pulp back in the day and co-written the smash hit The Royle Family, Mrs Merton and many other comedy classics with Steve Coogan – he now takes on his new role in becoming The Atkinson’s first creative patron.
Best known for his writing, poetry and for being a TV and Film producer, he co-wrote with Steve Coogan the BAFTA winning Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible and all three of Steve’s live tours and the film The Parole Officer.
Apart from his love of the arts and culture, Henry shares The Atkinson’s passion for creating opportunities and access to the arts for children and adults with Autism or special educational needs. Having written and performed two BBC Radio 4 shows A Normal Family and A Normal Life combining comedy, poetry and stories about bringing up Johnny his autistic son.
His new project is writing a book on Autism for Two Roads publishers also called A Normal Family drawing on his family experience.
Henry will be attending as patron for the first time on Saturday 30 September to celebrate the opening of the new café A Great Little Place (run by Autism Initiatives) in its new home within The Atkinson and to officially open the new Museum corridor that brings the story of the coast and all its creatures to life.
This will all take place at the special Coastal Family Fun Day linking in with Sefton’s Year of the Coast with free drop in family activities, tasters from the new café and performances of Night Pirates, the best-selling book by Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright. More information on this event to follow in due course.
“I was very honoured to be asked to be patron of The Atkinson, as both as a venue and an organisation it brings creativity into the heart of the community and reaches out to embrace the diversity of its surroundings.
I am particularly interested in encouraging the engagement of people who wouldn’t naturally consider themselves cultural, as I believe the arts and literature enriches all our lives. I look forward to working with Emma and her team, which I’m sure, will be more fun than work.” Henry Normal
Emma Anderson, Director .The Atkinson said;
“We are delighted to have Henry as our Patron, he will be an incredible ambassador for The Atkinson and what it continues to try and achieve.
We especially see a real synergy with his ongoing work with autism that comes from having his own autistic son, Johnny. We want to create programmes that improve the accessibility of the arts for safe, shared experiences for children and their families with autism and other learning difficulties.”
Henry began Baby Cow Productions Ltd in 1999, he was Executive Producer of all, and script edited many of the shows of its seventeen and a half year output during his tenure as Managing Director.
Highlights of the Baby Cow output during this time included Philomena, I believe in Miracles, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, Uncle , Marion and Geof, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Hunderby, Camping and Alan Partridge.
He was the founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival and now performs his own poetry at venues and festivals around the UK. His most recent poetry books are ‘Staring Directly at the Eclipse’ and ‘Travelling Second Class Through Hope’.
Henry has this June been honoured with a special BAFTA for services to Television.
For more information on The Atkinson or the event on Saturday 30 September –please visit theatkinson.co.uk