Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall among stars to take part in live storytelling sessions led by South Shields actor

Thousands of children and families have been tuning into Stephen Sullivan’s live story time each day.

The South Shields actor and Ziggy's bar owner started his Storytime with Stevey sessions after the schools closed and the country went into lockdown due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Every weekday at 6pm he reads a much-loved children’s story live on his Facebook page - while wearing what have become his trademark silly hats and disguises.

The sessions have become popular with families as far away as New Zealand, with 17,000 people tuning in for favourites such as Roald Dahl’s The Witches.

“With all my performing jobs being cancelled, this was a way for me to carry on doing what I love,” said Stephen.

“I’ve found it's really important to keep routine during the lockdown and the sessions allow for that because it happens at 6pm every night before the kids settle down for bed.

“The idea was to entertain the little ones and give the adults half an hour to have a break and a cup of tea – but it’s turned out to become a family thing, with people sending in photos of them all wearing hats.”

Now Stephen has launched a competition to encourage children - and adults - to stretch their creative writing skills by sending their own story about a magic hat.

The winners will have heir story read out live on his page by special guest storytellers, including Jade Thirlwall, The Ibiza Weekender’s David Potts, Nicholas Brendon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race stars Nina West and Divina de Campo.

The Customs House’s own panto legend Davy Hopper and Ray Spencer will also be reading out their favourites.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 22. Stories can be emailed to [email protected] or handwritten submissions should be clearly photographed and page-numbered and sent in via the Facebook page Storytime with Stevey.

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