Taskmaster's Alex Horne pens his first children's book, The Last Pebble
About Author
Taskmaster presenter Alex Horne introduces his first book for children, The Last Pebble, a story about a boy, his grandad, and a mystery from the past.
Alex Horne is a writer, musician and comedian, best-known as the creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV series Taskmaster, which has run for 17 seasons on British television. He's also the host and bandleader of a comedic band, The Horne Section.
While Alex is most recognized for his television work, he has also written two books for adults, Birdwatchingwatching and Wordwatching, about his relationship with his father and his love of words.
Interview
July 2025
Alex Horne explores outsiders, family and a mystery in The Last Pebble
ReadingZone spoke with Alex Horne, presenter of Taskmaster, about his first children's book, The Last Pebble, a story about a boy, his grandpa, and a strange stone that turns their lives inside out.
Through their adventures, the story also explores celebrating difference, family bonds and making new friends.
We find out how a day beachcombing at Bognor helped inspire the story and about Alex's writing, including drawing on settings you know to build your world; representing diverse children in stories; and finding adventures in nature.
Read a Chapter from The Last Pebble
ReadingZone Q&A with Alex Horne, introducing The Last Pebble
"I'd love it if a reader was inspired to put their phone down and go for a walk, not necessarily on a beach, but somewhere
they can explore, look for things, and find an adventure."
1. You have quite a busy day-job as presenter of Taskmaster, so what brought you into writing for children? Do you read children's books - and how did you find the hours to write yours?
Good questions. I am fairly busy, but then I think most people are. The plan was never to write a book for children but then I was on a walk in Bognor and my brain started thinking about the pebbles and how they all got there and what stories they'd tell if they could talk and I couldn't stop it thinking about that, so I had to write the ideas down and it took seven years to turn them all into a book.
I do love kids books, as much as adult books and still occasionally revisit ones from my childhood: Michael Morpurgo's Why The Whales Came is absolutely my favourite, but I reread Roald Dahl's short stories pretty regularly too.
In terms of how I found the time to write my book, it was just a case of squeezing it into any gaps in the day; in a car park, on a train, with a sandwich, when I was meant to be relaxing on a family holiday. It was sometimes tough but never a chore because I love the characters, I love the beach and thankfully, I now love the book.
2. The Last Pebble is your first book for children. What is it about?
The Last Pebble is about making friends and family relationships; it's about two kids having an adventure together and spending a summer on a beach; it's about stones and school and stories and art. Mainly it's about a boy called Trader who finds a special stone that turns his world upside down.
3. Can you tell us how the mystery at the heart of the novel evolved?
Unusually for me, there was a specific moment when inspiration struck and which I can actually remember. Before Covid (which all time is measured in now), my wife and I were on a walk on a beach near Bognor. Our kids were with my parents. We were actually relaxed. Then my brain started thinking about all the pebbles beneath our feet, how they got there, how long it had taken and what stories they could tell if they could talk. I said some of that out loud and my wife said I should write a book about that. So I did. Eventually.
The mystery at the heart of the book came a lot later. At first it was much shorter story about a specific stone, without the family drama that surrounded it. And that tale came from my head rather than personal experience, although I did once donate some Roman pottery to a local museum with some controversy, but that features in another book I wrote a while back called Birdwatchingwatching.
4. Do you know Bognor, the book's setting, well then? Is that what persuaded you to set The Last Pebble there?
I grew up not far from Bognor Regis, but further inland, in a town called Midhurst. We visited Bognor, but would more often go to Chichester or occasionally the sandy beaches of West Wittering. So I chose Bognor because I know the area, I love the resonance of the name and it has the pebbles. I'm also a big fan of seaside towns that aren't as glamorous as they once were but still maintain their dignity.
The actual locations in the book are not drawn from real life, but I did do research. So if there is a cafe that sounds similar to the one featured, I hope they're ok with the glowing review I give them!
5. Can you tell us about your main characters, Trader and Charlotte, and why they become such good friends? Do they remind you of any of your own childhood friends?
I suppose Trader is a little like I was as a boy. Luckily, I did always have a little group of friends but I did always feel a little outside of any of the normal groups. I didn't particularly have a friend who was a girl when I was his age. I had two brothers and lots of mates who also had brothers so maybe I wish I did have a Charlotte in my life back then. People who have interests always interest me, so her passion for drawing and his enthusiasm for collecting things is what I like best about them.
6. As you say, Trader and Charlotte are distinctive characters - one likes collecting stones, the other draws buses. Do you feel it's important to include a diverse range of characters in children's books, including children who might think and behave differently from others?
I absolutely do. A lot of the books my kids read are about kids who play football and that's great because they love football too, but not everyone does. I think more people feel like outsiders than the people who are thought of as insiders, so really the outsiders are the insiders, so yes, let's have as many varied characters in stories as possible.
I make a TV show called Taskmaster as my day job, and the best series, in my opinion, are the ones with the most diverse set of brains in the cast. Life is more fun with a host of different perspectives.
7. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Trader and his grandpa. Why did you want to focus on a grandfather's role in the boy's life, and the bond between them?
As a dad of reasonably young children, I am between Trader and his grandpa now. I can see my kids interacting with their grandparents and my parents interacting with their grandchildren. It's a lovely space for a relationship. The older people aren't responsible for the younger people and the younger people have no reason to rebel against the older people. I very much hope that if I become a grandad I'll give them as much of my time as they want.
8. Through Trader and his grandfather's passion for beach combing, the reader learns a lot about geology and stones. Did you need to research this for the novel or were you already an enthusiast, like your characters?
I couldn't call myself an expert but I always spend time foraging on a beach, no matter where in the world I am. I love finding shells, stones, sticks, bits and bobs. For me that's the best bit of a beach. I do also like making sandcastles, still, but it's the scavenging that gets me going.
I'm not sure exactly what appeals, but the idea of things washing onto land, from some other place, always seems quite magical. Messages in bottles have been a part of my life since I was a kids, and stone stacking is a recent phenomenon I'm absolutely on board with, but general beach combing is the core pleasure.
9. Apart from a great mystery to solve, what would you like your readers to take from The Last Pebble? What kinds of discussions do you think the story can help encourage?
I'd like young readers to think about the other people around them for an extra second. Maybe the person you don't like in your class is also struggling with something. Maybe someone in your family has a problem you can help with. But also, I'd love it if a reader was inspired to put their phone down and go for a walk, not necessarily on a beach, but somewhere they can explore, look for things, and find an adventure.
10. Are you planning or writing more books for children? What kinds of things do you enjoy doing to relax when you're away from the cameras and your laptop?
During the writing , especially towards the end, I swore I wouldn't do it again. It's been a painstaking and lengthy process. But now that the book is out and I completely love it, there is definitely a part of me that'd like another. I want to know what Trader and Charlotte got up to next and I do have some ideas on that front.
If I'm not filming or doing my normal work things I tend to be walking the dog or watching my kids play various sports so I do have time for my mind to go wandering. If I can just eke out a little bit more time somewhere in the coming years, I may well get back to scribbling, too.
The Last Pebble: A heartwarming middle grade mystery about a boy, his grandad and a pebble
