TV presenter Lorraine Kelly confesses to being 
a real-life Minnie the Minx.

EVERYONE loves The Beano — and everyone loves Lorraine Kelly too! Well, nearly everyone. Beano editor Alan Digby witnessed a more menacing side to the GMTV star’s persona. In fact, he was unceremoniously splatted by her when they recently met up! 
Fortunately, Lorraine was quick to point out that it was her latest celebrity mate, Dennis, who’d put her up to mischief — and it’s all in aid of a cause that’s very close to her heart. 

The duo joined mischievous forces to launch the first ever Gnashional Menace Day, an event where friends and families are encouraged to play fun pranks on each other to raise funds for CLIC Sargent, the charity caring for children with cancer. 

“I love the idea of a Gnashional Menace Day,” says Lorraine. “As soon as I heard about it I was keen to get involved. It’s a brilliant, fun way to raise money for an excellent charity — I think CLIC Sargent do such amazing work helping children with cancer and their families too. It’s a great cause to support and playing jokes on each other to raise money has got to be one of the best ideas ever!”

Lorraine has strong credentials to rally support, as she was once inspired by another famous Beano prankster.

“Everyone reads The Beano as a kid — it’s a part of growing up. I probably read it for longer than most though, because I’ve a brother who’s six years younger than me and he still got it every week after I’d moved on to ‘girl’ comics, like Bunty and Judy. I still read his copy for years and we used to always fight over the free gifts. 

“My favourite character was Minnie the Minx. She was so cool and a girl who definitely had all the fun! I suppose I was a bit of a prankster too. I’d do the old knock on the door then run away thing with my friends.

“Practical jokes were a massive thing in our family when I was growing up. My mum was always catching me out. One day, she sent me round to the local wee shop in Glasgow to buy a tin of Elbow Grease and I fell for it hook, line and sinker! I think the shopkeeper felt quite sorry for me actually. Even worse, another time Mum tricked me into asking whether they’d any tartan paint!

“I think the prank that really stands out was the time my mum shook me awake and told me to hurry and get dressed because the house was flooding. We’d actually been flooded before so you can imagine how quickly I rushed to the wardrobe, before realising I’d been ‘had’. That’s one way to get a sleepy-headed teenager up and ready for school!”

Lorraine admits that she’ll need to get in some practice before Menace Day arrives on August 2. Over the years, her pranking skills have become dulled by too much time on the GMTV sofa!

“Nowadays, I’m the worst prankster ever, as my daughter and husband will confirm. The problem is I can’t keep a straight face when I try to wind them up. I just start to giggle every time so I can’t get away with anything! I think I need a few tips from Dennis.”

Lorraine’s also happy to reassure anyone worried that they’ll need to lock themselves away from unruly pranksters on August 2.

“This is a great idea which takes us back to more innocent times. Gnashional Menace Day is good family fun — a giggle. It’s encouraging kids to play fun pranks on each other and is so different from the happy slapping type of mischief you hear about nowadays.

“The cruellest thing I did as a child was pretend I’d hit a nail through my finger. It was a fake nail from a joke shop in Glasgow. I was never away from the place and spent all my pocket money on tricks and pranks. I had them all — the snappy chewing gum, the fly in the ice cube, fake spiders . . . everything. The National Menace Day Kit that The Beano’s giving away is great because it has these too. If I could make these practical jokes work then anyone can be a Menace for the day and raise lots of cash to help children who need it most.”

Minnie and Mum will be proud.

Wallace & Gromit’s Oscar-winning creator Nick Park 
has signed up to edit his favourite comic . . .

IMAGINE dinner at the Academy Awards with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Sounds good? The only problem is that you can hardly enjoy a morsel of the haute cuisine, as your super famous fellow diners bombard you with compliments and questions about your achievements. 

It’s enough to make most men big-headed. Not Nick Park. Despite four Academy Awards, the creator of Wallace & Gromit remains thoroughly unfazed by the trappings of success.

“The first three times I attended the Oscars I felt overawed — and completely out of place,” he tells us. “I was sitting along from people like Dustin Hoffman and Sophia Loren, thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’ 

“By the time the Curse of the Were-rabbit came around I was a bit more comfortable because it was a full-length feature film. I felt like people knew the movie I was getting the award for. I also started to see through the hype and glitz of the event. I realised that a lot of the other people there were quite nervous too. 

“I still have to pinch myself though, when I think about the people I met there. Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez all congratulated me and were very kind about the movie. Reese Witherspoon presented me with my Oscar and said how much her kids had enjoyed the film. 

“I wouldn’t swap places with any of those stars though,” admits Nick. “It’s my characters who are famous, not me, and that’s the way I like it.” 

Born in Preston, Lancashire in 1958, Nicholas Wulstan Park produced his first animated film aged just 13 in his parents’ attic. 

“I knew I wanted to become an artist by the age of 10,” remembers Nick. “My dream job was to work on The Beano but, at that stage, I thought art was a hobby rather than something you could do for a living.

“By the time I was 12, I’d become really interested in film making. Although I was a dreamer, I realised I needed to try my best. I was very lucky that my parents encouraged me so much.” 

His natural talent was never in doubt, but Nick’s habit of daydreaming at school had left him short of the grades needed to study animation at The National Film and Television School.

“That’s when I started to attend night school, to get the grades I’d missed out on,” Nick says. “Each time I passed an exam and got nearer to my goal I felt surprised. Lots of great things have happened to me since then and a lot of my dreams have been fulfilled.”

One such dream was the opportunity to edit his favourite comic. “It’s such an honour for me to be guest editor for The Beano’s 70th birthday issue. It’s shown me just how much thought goes into every detail of the comic. I’m an ideas person and I like the fact that there are no limits to the imagination in The Beano. 

“There are lots of distractions for kids nowadays. What’s funny is that when I was little my Beano was my main thing. I read it from cover to cover . . . then I read it again. In fact, I read them far more than twice because I kept them. 

“If I was off school sick, I’d spend the whole day reading back issues. I really invested my time and imagination in creating my own place in The Beano world. I loved the familiarity. It was comforting.

“It’s a cosy type of world — it’s difficult to pin down exactly why. Even though crazy stuff happens it still seems safe — it’s a place you can trust. It’s the same world that Wallace & Gromit live in.

“I’m glad my favourite characters are still in The Beano. Dennis and Gnasher are great. I still think I’d prefer Gromit as a pet though. It’s difficult to choose because they’re both brilliant but Gnasher would probably drag me into too much trouble!”

The Beano 70th birthday issue goes on sale from July 30. The Gnashional Menace Day Kit contains four fun practical jokes, a sponsorship form and loads of top secret tips and tricks to help participants raise funds by FUN-raising! 
For more details on Gnashional Menace Day check out www.beanotown.com 
For information on CLIC Sargent go to www.clicsargent.org.uk