Emmy award-winning writer Doug Naylor, best known as the co-creator of the iconic sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, is stepping into the world of children’s fiction with his first middle-grade novel, ‘Sin Bin Island’, published in paperback this September from David Fickling Books.
The book is pitched as a riotous mix of humour, adventure, and magic. It whisks readers into the lives of four unlucky pupils from Cyril Snigg’s Correctional Orphanage for Wayward Boys and Girls, who are banished at the end of the school year to the mysterious Sin Bin Island… a storm-lashed rock surrounded by eel-infested waters.
Legend tells of a secret tunnel beneath the island, used to smuggle magic into England, but for more than 300 years, no one has found it. That’s about to change, as this year’s group of castaways discover that detention can turn very dangerous indeed.
The novel has already won glowing praise. Author Frank Cottrell-Boyce called it:
“Insanely funny and inventive – get yourself a ringside seat for this cartwheeling, high-wire, fire-breathing circus of a book.”
Meanwhile, Craig Charles (Red Dwarf, Coronation Street, The Gadget Show) added:
“Brilliant, totally brilliant. Exciting. Heart-stopping. Hilarious. And touching too. It’s the book I always wanted to read as a kid but could never find.”
Other children’s authors and critics have also weighed in, with Jamie Smart describing Naylor as “a genius writer, and a perfect book!”, Erin Hamilton calling it “a treasure chest of a story,” and P.G. Bell praising it as “a wonderfully funny adventure, filled with bright ideas and bold surprises.”
Naylor himself is no stranger to storytelling. Beyond Red Dwarf, he was one of the head writers at Spitting Image during its peak and co-wrote the satirical chart-topping hit The Chicken Song. He’s also the author of three best-selling Red Dwarf novels, making Sin Bin Island a fascinating next step in his career.
With its blend of orphans, adventure, surreal humour and hints of magic, Sin Bin Island looks set to be a must-read for fans of Frank Cottrell-Boyce, David Baddiel, and M.G. Leonard, as well as anyone who grew up laughing at Naylor’s TV creations.
‘Sin Bin Island’ by Doug Naylor publishes Thursday, 11th September 2025 from David Fickling Books in paperback (RRP £7.99).
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