Children's author Mitchell Symons has won the Blue Peter Best Book with Facts award. Mr Symons, a former director at the BBC, was chosen for his book Why Eating Bogeys Is Good For You, which is full of quirky facts and amusing fantasies. They include: Why do we have tonsils? Is there any cream in cream crackers? And: Why is the sea blue? Mr Symons has written more than 40 books, including How to Avoid a Wombat's Bum and Why Does Ear Wax Taste So Gross? The next in the series, Why You Need A Passport When You're Going To Puke, comes out next month.

He tells People: "I am thrilled to win this award as it's judged by the readers themselves. It's the first award I've ever won and so I have absolutely no skill-set for dealing with it beyond shouting 'hooray' very loudly indeed."

Since leaving the BBC, Mr Symons, who lives on the south coast, has worked as a writer, broadcaster and journalist. He is a JC contributor and writes a weekly column for the Sunday Express. He was a principal writer of early editions of the board game Trivial Pursuit. Does he get a Blue Peter badge? "I've absolutely no idea."