The original thought of Firetop Mountain

About seven years ago, when I worked at E4.com, I commissioned a very talented writer called Paul Rose (you may know him as Mr Biffo) to create a comic version of those old Choose Your Own Adventure books for our site. The conceit? That instead of being set in a "Fighting Fantasy" world, they were occupied with the most mundane, everyday things... like working in an office.

He came up with two or three stories, which still exist online somewhere in the depths of Channel 4's web site. The first one was entitled "The Brown Noser Of Firetop Contracts PLC" (a clear homage to Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's original - now available to buy in a 25th anniversary edition) about a senior accounts director trying to make his way in a mundane business.

What I should've done was tell Paul to go and write an actual book. 'Cos look what's just hit the shops? "The Regional Accounts Director Of Firetop Mountain, a skillful comic account of the drudgery of modern life, and on the other a thrilling adventure populated by creatures of myth and legend", written by Stephen Morrison and Alex Jenkins, it says here.

As they say, there's no such thing as an original idea. I do wish these two every success with their book (gawd knows the web site was never that popular), and hope that they might get in touch with Paul if they turn the book into a series. In any case, I know what I'll be getting the rellies for Christmas.