Andy Griffiths is a children’s and comedy writer. He is the author of the Just! series and the Treehouse series. YOU & ME and Peanut Butter Beast, the second book in his newest series, is published in August 2025.

If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would it be?

Time travel back to yesterday thereby creating an infinite loop that means I’ll stay the same age forever and cheat death.

What’s your idea of hell?

Hell. (Especially as depicted by Gustave Doré in his illustrations for The Divine Comedy.)

What do you consider the most specious virtue?

Moderation. ‘The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom’ – William Blake.

What’s your favourite film?

King Kong (1928). (The second half of YOU & ME and the Peanut Butter Beast borrows heavily from the second half of the movie.)

And your favourite book?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (The first half of YOU & ME and the Peanut Butter Beast borrows heavily from the first chapter.)

Name the three people with whom you would most like to dine?

King Kong, Fay Wray, and Pee Wee Herman. (Although it would most likely be a short meal due to King Kong’s propensity to go ape in the presence of Fay Wray.)

Which word do you most dislike, and which one would you like to see back in public usage?

The word I most dislike is ‘unconscious’ because it’s freakin’ impossible to spell without having at least three bungled attempts before having to look it up. And I’d like to see ‘grouse’ brought back into public usage because, well, it’s freakin’ grouse. (And ‘freakin’ too.)

Who is your favourite author?

Me, of course, duh. Closely followed by Lech Blaine – Australian Gospel is a masterpiece!

And your favourite literary hero or heroine?

Holden Caulfield. Although, his voice leaps off the page in such a vivid and compelling way I’m not completely certain he’s fictional.

Which qualities do you most admire in a writer?

Brevity. Wit. And brevity. Lots and lots of brevity. And wit. But mostly brevity. Lots and lots and lots of it.

Which book influenced you most in your youth?

Coles Funny Picture Book (1879) by E.W. Cole. Inexhaustible, child-centred nonsense.

Name an early literary idol or influence whom you no longer admire – or vice versa.

My childhood collection of riddle books from the late 1960s. I revered them at the time but on returning to them as an adult to raid for material for the Treehouse joke books, I was shocked by the casual racism, sexism, and general inappropriateness of at least fifty per cent of the material.

Do you have a favourite podcast?

No, if it’s a choice between a podcast and listening to music, music wins every time. (Apart from ABR’s one of course.)

What, if anything, impedes your writing?

Alcohol (sadly). And writers’ festivals.

What qualities do you look for in critics?

A sense of humour and a healthy connection to their inner child.

How do you find working with editors?

Reader, I married her!

What do you think of writers’ festivals?

Too much talking. I hardly ever get any writing done.

Are artists valued in our society?

Yes, but in many cases not for the right reasons.

What are you working on now?

Another book featuring YOU, the reader, and ME, the writer, going on yet another one of our unpredictable and wildly silly adventures.