Nicholas Allan
Nicholas Allan (born 11 December 1956) is a British children's writer and illustrator. He grew up in Brighton, England, and studied at Brighton College (1970–1975), the Slade School of Art, and earned an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia.
His first book, The Hefty Fairy, appeared in 1989, and he has since written many children’s books such as The Magic Lavatory, Demon Teddy, The Queen’s Knickers, Where Willy Went, and Father Christmas Needs a Wee. Hilltop Hospital was adapted into an award-winning TV series. He also wrote The Complete Guide to Gatecrashing and a teenage novel called The First Time.
In 2020, Allan helped establish the Queen’s Knickers Award for illustrated children’s books, funded by the Society of Authors, named after his 1993 book The Queen’s Knickers.
When not touring, Allan spends most of his time in Brighton rather than London.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:28 (CET).