Ben Davis unveils his intergalactic series, Postman Planet!
About Author
Postman Planet is the best postman in the universe - but he's only nine years old! Here's author Ben Davis to tell us more.
Ben Davis's books include the Lenny Lemmon series, The Private Blog of Joe Cowley and The Soup Movement. Before he became an author, Ben wrote jokes and sketches for radio shows. He lives in Tamworth with his family, works as a postal delivery worker, and in his spare time enjoys rock climbing, white-water rafting and pretending to have adventurous hobbies.
Interview
January 2026
Ben Davis introduces Postman Planet, the best postman in the universe! (Walker Books)
Postman Planet is the best postman in the Universe, delivering parcels and messages to the wildest and most dangerous places, but he has a secret . . . he's only nine years old . . .
Here's Ben Davis - author and real life postie - to tell us the truth about Postman Planet, his new out-of-this-world, hilarious series for readers aged six years plus.
Q&A with Ben Davis, sharing postal adventures, intergalactic journeys - and unicorns!
"Postman Planet was inspired by the wild daydreams I have when I'm at work. The area I deliver to is nice, but not very exciting.
That's when I dreamt up the strange worlds that appear in Postman Planet.
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself - and how your day job helped inspire your new series, Postman Planet?!
Yes! I've been a postman for fifteen years now, and I have found that some of my best ideas have come while walking the streets at work. Actually, the idea for my very first book came while posting a letter! Postman Planet was inspired by the wild daydreams I have when I'm at work. The area I deliver to is nice, but not very exciting. That's when I dreamt up the strange worlds that appear in Postman Planet.
2. What happens in Postman Planet's very first adventure? What do Yasmin Sheikh's illustrations bring to the story?
In the first book, Postman Planet is horrified on two levels: first he's told he Is getting an assistant, and second, he finds out that he has to make a delivery to the Planet of Fluffy Unicorns, the nastiest, most disgusting planet in the galaxy.
Yasmin Sheikh's illustrations are absolutely fantastic. There are so many unusual characters in the book: Space Vikings, nasty unicorns, a man-eating pig in a top hat called Fancy Kenneth, and she brings them to life brilliantly.
3. Who is Postman Planet - and how did a nine-year-old boy get a job as a postie? What were his parents thinking?!
Postman Planet's parents are intergalactic explorers who leave him home alone a lot with their butler, Fred. Postman Planet became fed up with living in their shadow and wanted adventures of his own. That's why he slapped on a fake moustache, pretended to have been voted Best Postman on Earth and got the job as Intergalactic Postman.
4. What are the ups and downs of being a postman in space?
Ups: Cool spaceships, varied delivery locations. Downs: A lot more angry aliens and pigs that want to eat you.
5. Dogs and postmen don't generally get on well, so why do you give Postman Planet a dog as a sidekick?
That's exactly why a dog is his sidekick! Postman Planet is a very solitary character who doesn't think he needs help from anyone. Maybe when he is helped by a postman's sworn enemy, he changes his mind? Or maybe he doesn't.
6. Can you describe the planet where Postman Planet lives, Orderon, and what makes it so - special?
Orderon is the most boring planet in the galaxy. The streets are grey, the buildings are grey, the skies are grey, the people are grey. But it is very important because it is where all the important jobs are done, which includes the Intergalactic Post Office.
7. Also, what do you have against unicorns?
One of them was very rude to me once. Then again, it could have been a horse in a party hat. Either way, not a fan.
8. Who is your favourite villain in Postman Planet?
I'm a big fan of Kleg, the chief Space Viking. He is very rough and loves stealing and other dastardly things, but also enjoys performing his villain song.
9. As well as a great adventure, Postman Planet is very funny. What made you laugh the most when you wrote Postman Planet's first adventure?
When writing Postman Planet, I felt like I was throwing all of my rules out of the window. I as the author talk directly to the reader, end chapters early and throw in all kinds of weird jokes. I think the thing that made me laugh the most though was Fancy Kenneth. Just the idea of a pig called Kenneth really tickled my funny bone for some reason!
10. If children enjoy this story, do you have others they might also want to read?
Yes, I certainly do! Aside from the Lenny Lemmon series, also by me, I'd recommend Betty Steady and the Toad Witch by Nicky Smith-Dale and Dave Pigeon by Swapna Haddow.
Postman Planet: The hilarious, high-energy new young fiction series for kids!: Volume 1
