From One Mum’s Mission to a BAFTA Nomination: The Rise of Ready Eddie GO!
My son Tyler was diagnosed autistic at the age of three. Like many others (who I hadn't crossed paths with yet,) we were passed around different professionals, until eventually, we met a lovely multi-disciplinary team who saw everything that I did and finally we felt seen. I wanted to write a little book for other families to share the sweet moments he taught me and how much society needed to learn, but I became too busy navigating life differently.
My inspiration for writing, I believe, has always been there. My mum used to write some incredible stories and read them to me at bedtime. My Dad however, struggled himself at school to have his needs understood. He used to find getting his ideas and words on paper a challenge and I enjoyed helping him as a child. Yet, his practical strengths, sense of humour and determination were amazing, therefore both parents gave me different tools in being able to parent and advocate for my boys.
When Tyler was nine he wanted to explore his diagnosis a little bit more, in a visual way, as it’s a lot to digest when applying a diagnosis to yourself. I didn't know if this day or the understanding would come and I really wanted to get it right for him. I searched the bookshops and I couldn’t find anything for us to read together. I asked the assistant if they had any children's books to explore autism with an autistic character to relate to. She said, ‘sorry, we don’t stock that sort of book.’ I felt sad for my son and every other child or adult having to hear those words. At a later date I asked again and was directed to the self help section. Wow, we really did have a long way to go. So I went home and decided to write my own book for Tyler, called ‘My Awesome Autism.’ I created a character called Eddie, who has the same beautiful dark eyes as Tyler, lovely blonde hair, showcasing his strengths too! Eddie is named after Tyler's Great Grandfather who passed away shortly after he was born. Tyler’s reaction to the book was truly beautiful and I will never forget that! "Wow, he's like me!" and "So I don't have to understand all this stuff anymore." The title was to remind him of his strengths and just how amazing he is, before the world told him otherwise. I wanted to talk about the challenges too, reassuring him that I would do my absolute best to sit in those with him, because that's reality. I did feel a huge responsibility to deliver the message with empowerment and reassurance to remind him on those challenging days, of his strengths and how loved he always is.
Tyler’s honest feedback was the only feedback I needed at the time. When the book was published, I actually donated a bundle at my own cost to this bookshop, to hand out to parents for free. They called me and asked me to collect them. I arrived to see the box still behind the till with 'return to author' in thick black marker pen! All that effort and life changing experience and they didn't want to fill that gap. Not many people know that part of the story, maybe because it deeply pinched knowing that someone wasn't happy to share a book about autism, in a place people go to for supportive resources. Feeling disappointed, I carried that heavy box through the town, knowing that I wasn't quite finished and as Dad always said, "you just have to find another way.”
At the time, I also worked in a special school with children with severe, complex needs and challenging behaviours. Before having my own children, I had previously worked with adults with learning disabilities in the community too. Working in SEN is the most rewarding job, other than being a mum of course. After supporting students to transition to their next part of their journey, lockdown came. The boys needed me home, Tyler was due to start his high school journey in the second phase, but couldn't visit due to social distancing and Toby found reception class very confusing, he was just so happy to be home and I had my bouncy boy back! Whoever thought doing school work at home would compute for an autistic child by the way, is uneducated, we stopped that one fast.
Beautiful things were born at that time though, connection, time in nature, a lot of cake, ideas and we wrote Eddie's book of idioms together. Along came more books and a solid determination to help others. It was great fun creating the Eddie series! Tyler laughed at my stick people a few times and corrected my delivery. Both boys were so proud of Eddie and his adventures.
Representation and Autism Awareness:
All children deserve to see themselves on paper and screen and relate to different characters. By basing Eddie’s personality and sensory differences on my son's real life experiences, so many children and families feel connected to our experiences. How lovely is that. I think back to the online parent group days, when Tyler was a toddler and no one posted in the autism section, it was a lonely place to be.
Parents and teachers began to ask me for books for siblings, christmas time, frustration, starting school, the list went on. I began to realise that the Eddie series grew bigger than I had expected. My job used to help fund the art and publishing, so I began to look into other ways in helping families like ours. I wondered, could Eddie go to screen too, another great visual aid that you can rewatch, pause and take your time with, whilst helping children feel seen and valued by the world and teaching the world all about our children. I then met an incredible animation company who loved my mission and we joined hands to make it happen. I will be forever grateful to Hocus Pocus Animation studio for helping me and making it both our mission.
We are always so taken back to hear such heartwarming messages from parents, carers and professionals, hearing how Eddie has helped them too. That was our exact intention along with assembling a team of neurodivergent writers and animators to work on something they knew most about. Along came Ready Eddie GO! to Sky Kids! There are 52 x 7 minute episodes, underpinned by Tylers' and our autistic writers' experiences too. Eddie is walked through new situations and scenarios with the support of his narrator, Jodie Whittaker, his family and friends. Each new experience shows viewers what to expect, for example when visiting the hairdressers, going to the dentist and attending birthday parties. The show is fun and can help support all children! Our head writer Joseph Morpurgo is also a comedian, so he makes the show bundles of fun and inclusive for all!
If you have seen the show, imagine how Eddie would cope if From One Mum’s Mission to a BAFTA Nomination: The Rise of Ready Eddie GO!From One Mum’s Mission to a BAFTA Nomination: The Rise of Ready Eddie GO!the support from his narrator and visual explanations. This is what so many children experience today and this is why I have so many messages saying, 'we all need a Jodie.' The team consists of autistic writers, animators and voice artists working on the show. Every individual brings their own unique perspective whilst thriving in their job role working on a subject each person knows better from experience. I have learned so much from them and have shared strategies together. Their voices shine through and I am so grateful to everyone involved and their personal experiences.
Ready Eddie GO! was nominated for a BAFTA in 2025 in the children's scripted category! What an amazing moment for everyone involved but most importantly, every child we make the show for! It was a real pinch me moment, also that feeling of 'see I'm not just that fussy parent I've been viewed as when advocating for my children.' Parents know their children best, we listen, we research, become all different kinds of occupations and strive to do best for others too.
About the Book Series and TV Show: One example is the hair washing episode:
Our paediatrician advised me to count down from 10 when rinsing Tyler’s hair, so that he knew when the rinsing would end. A little adjustment that made a huge difference with lots of repetition to us and now many children. My goodness, we receive so much beautiful feedback! Eddie is out there inspiring so many globally now. We hear stories from parents, saying their little ones have noticed ‘Eddie is like me’ or their children are coping with hair washing because of Eddie or they are going for their first haircuts for example! It's all so heartwarming and with thanks to James Murphy and his team at Hocus Pocus Animation Studio! One parent cried and wished the show was out sooner, so he went in search of his own diagnosis after watching Ready Eddie GO! with his children. I knew how he felt as I went in search of my own as we were making the show and unpicking our lives each week.
Authenticity and representation matter deeply, because stories shape how people see themselves and how we can understand one another. For many years, special educational needs were rarely included within mainstream narratives, completely misunderstood or represented through stereotypes. Today there is a growing recognition that every voice deserves to be heard and their experiences are represented honestly. Our personal journey as a family has shown just how powerful authentic representation is and the need to share those experiences, helping others feel seen, valued and less alone. SEN in publishing and TV has the power to influence attitudes, creating change. When authentic stories are shared they challenge any outdated assumptions and open doors for many. I want to hear everyone’s stories, not just ours. It is about visibility, opportunity, sharing knowledge and connection for readers who have been overlooked for too long. Every story and individual has value. By creating space for them, we are affirming "I matter" and "my experiences matter.” No two people experience the world in the same way, therefore readers are exposed to diverse perspectives and encouraged to focus on the individuals and their experience. For children and young people with special educational needs, published experiences and authentic characters provide relatable characters, accessible text, visual support for engagement and processing, supporting emotional wellbeing and emotional literacy. This can strengthen support in schools and society.
Nikki Saunders, author of the Ready Eddie Go Books and creator of Ready Eddie GO!