Roald Dahl

Roald Dahlwas a spy, ace fighter pilot, chocolate historian and medical inventor. He was also the author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," "The BFG" and many more brilliant stories. He remains the world's number one storyteller. Born in Cardiff of Norwegian descent, Dahl joined the RAF at the age of 23 and began writing, initially for adults, after being injured in a plane crash during World War II.

Sitting in a hut at the bottom of his garden, surrounded by odd bits and pieces such as a suitcase (used as a footrest), his own hipbone (which he'd had replaced) and a heavy ball of metal foil (made from years' worth of chocolate wrappers), he went on to write some of the world's best-loved children's stories. His first children's story, "James and the Giant Peach," was published in 1961 and was a hit, and every subsequent book was a best-seller as well.

Today, his stories are available in 58 languages and, by a conservative estimate, have sold more than 200 million books. Many of these stories have also been adapted for stage and screen, including the 1971 film classic "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," Wes Anderson's acclaimed "Fantastic Mr Fox" and the multi-award winning "Matilda the Musical" from the RSC with music by Tim Minchin.

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