My first encounter with Nicola Davies was on telly after school in the 1980’s when she was presenting the Really Wild Show, a TV show for kids all about animals. My second encounter with her was at a family gathering when I discovered - with a double take - that Nicola and my wife are related.

Today Nicola is a writer. She’s written over 60 books, many of them award winning, and most of them for children and young adults. In our conversation Nicola describes ‘the joy of seeing and the fizz of understanding’. She talks about why - despite studying for a PHD in Zoology - she could never have been a scientist. And she speaks with a devastating eloquence about the importance of creativity in these troubled times. She’s a great writer, a brilliant mind, and a wonderful human being.

You can find Nicola on Twitter here.