Sweet Dreams
Mark Wilson

Hi Don,

I've just been watching the first few episodes of Faireez and I'm  already under their spell - enchanted and entertained by those four
little kids who, over the past five years, have undergone more regenerations than Doctor Who.

What a long and sometimes frustrating journey it has been. But finally -  we've reached Faireezia! And you and Gill have both been such fantastic  travelling companions.

One of my fondest memories of our times together took place in a tiny  recording studio in London....

In 2002 we were pre-Faireez. Instead we only had one little heroine, and  a wooden sidekick [or sidestick] called Walt.  Oh yes - who can forget Walt The Magic Wand and his dreamboat - Dreamfairy.

You, Gill, Anna, Andy, Becky and I were poised on the brink of pop  celebrity - recording the title sequence for our embryonic series. Of  course, we had no animation to speak of. But your energy and inventive  mind had already produced loads of brilliant doodles, dozens of scripts  (and oodles of drafts) and we were also determined to cobble together a  title song to take to Mipcom. Talk about cart before the horse. Or maybe  we just wanted a bit of a laugh and a lark about (and a good excuse for  a boozy dinner afterwards)?

Whatever - it was a magical evening. And the part I remember most, Don,  is you giggling at my impression of Walt. My camp delivery of "Hey ho!"  seemed to tickle you so much, especially when I had to struggle through  take, after take, after take. (It wasn't easy trying to sound wooden and  12 inches long with you sniggering in the control room!)

Of course, Walt is now resting in your bottom drawer. But Dreamfairy  lingered longer. First she ditched the wand, abandoned all her dreams,  and multiplied into dozens of Faireez. Then they swapped species to  become Pixeez. And finally, those silly creatures downsized and reverted  back to the four lovely Faireez we now see flying across our screens in  52 glorious episodes. Blimey. What a saga! But what a fantastic  experience to share with you and Gill.

Don - you were always such an inspiration. Bursting with energy.  Brimming with ideas. Generous and gentle with your notes. But also razor  sharp when it came to chopping a few 'Treezles' down to size.

To be honest - I don't really give a damn about the ratings or the  revenue or the international sales or the free dolls. For me - the fact
that Faireez is in production is a testament to your vision...to your  dedication and hard work...to your design skills and to your
scripts....and to the precious times we three spent together dreaming  about an enchanted land far away, with magical creatures and cute little  kids with wings and wands and lots and lots of laughter...

Lots of love Don,

from

Mark (aka Walt)