I have been volunteering as the matchday video editor at Nuneaton Town for a few years now, even though I live over 140 miles away and have never been to a game yet!

How is that relevant I hear you ask?

Well one person who has been prominent during that time is Jim Whitmore, a fan of the club who has always commented on the highlights and also regularly buys my magazine 'Parks to Pitches'. In more recent times his furry son has taken the headlines and become very much the unofficial mascot of the club. I am talking about the one and only Mr Clough! 

Mr Clough, a Lurcher, has amassed quite the following online and that popularity has very recently turned him into the star of his very own book series!

I sat down with Jim who writes under the name 'Freddie Semaj' his middle name and then first name backwards, to discuss what he has made of Mr Clough rising fame and also the process and reasoning behind writing this series of books. 

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Name – Jim Whitmore
Age – 61
Favourite team – Nuneaton Town & Nottingham Forest
Occupation – Compliance and Development Manager
Thing I love about football – The Community at local level
My football pet hate – VAR

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Jim, let's start with the obvious question. Mr Clough is your real-life dog, so when did you first realise that this particular dog had the makings of a storybook character?

I think Mr Clough had the makings of a storybook character long before I actually realised it myself. He’s always had a big personality — he’s cheeky, curious and somehow manages to make people smile wherever he goes. The real turning point was seeing the reaction people had to him, particularly around the football club. He wasn’t just my dog anymore; people knew him, looked out for him and genuinely enjoyed seeing what he was getting up to. That’s when I started thinking, “There’s a character here.” I could imagine children following his adventures and wondering what sort of mischief he might get into next. The lovely thing is that the character in the books is still very much the real Mr Clough. I’ve just given him a magical scarf, opened a mysterious door and allowed his adventures to become a little bigger than they are in real life!

What is it about the real Mr Clough that inspired you? Is it his personality, the things he gets up to, the way he looks at you as though he's got an opinion on everything…?

It’s definitely a mixture of all those things! Mr Clough has a huge personality, and anyone who spends any time with him soon discovers that he seems to have an opinion on absolutely everything. It’s his expressions that really gets me. Sometimes he’ll just sit there looking at you, and you can almost imagine exactly what he’s thinking. He can be cheeky, very stubborn, inquisitive and incredibly funny, often without actually doing very much at all. That gave me so much to work with when creating the books. I didn’t really have to invent a completely new character; I just took Mr Clough’s real personality and exaggerated it a little. Give a dog like that a magical scarf and a mysterious door to walk through, and you’ve got endless possibilities for adventures.

How much of the real Mr Clough makes it into the stories? Are there particular habits, quirks or funny little things he does that readers will recognise?

Quite a lot, actually! Obviously the magical scarf and disappearing through mysterious doors are a little bit of artistic licence, but the personality behind the adventures is very much the real Mr Clough. He’s naturally curious and cheeky, and he has a wonderful habit of getting himself involved in things. He can also give you one of those looks where you’re absolutely convinced he knows exactly what you’re saying — and probably disagrees with you! I try to bring those little characteristics into the stories. His curiosity gets him into situations, his cheekiness creates some of the humour, and underneath it all he has a really gentle, friendly nature. He’s always ready to make a new friend, which is an important part of the books. People who know Mr Clough personally will definitely recognise bits of him. I sometimes think the hardest part isn’t coming up with things for the fictional Mr Clough to do — it’s deciding which of the things the real Mr Clough does are actually believable enough to put in a children’s book!

Was there a particular moment, incident or adventure with Mr Clough that made you think, “There's a story in this”?

There wasn’t really one single incident; it was more a collection of little moments that gradually made me realise there was a story waiting to be written. Taking Mr Clough to the football and seeing how people reacted to him was a big part of it. He became a bit of a character in his own right. People would come over to see him, make a fuss of him and ask what he’d been getting up to. He seemed to have this ability to make people smile without even trying. I started looking at things through his eyes and thinking, “What if Mr Clough could tell us what he gets up to when we’re not looking?” That’s really where my imagination took over. Football gave me the starting point, Mr Clough gave me the character, and then the magical scarf and mysterious door gave me a way of taking him anywhere. Once I had those ingredients, I realised I wasn’t thinking about just one story anymore — I was thinking about a whole series of adventures.

When you began writing about him, did you already have a clear idea of what the stories would become, or did the character and the adventures develop naturally as you went along?

I had the basic idea of Mr Clough being at the heart of the stories, but I certainly didn’t have everything mapped out from the beginning. A lot of it developed naturally as I started writing. Once I gave him the magical scarf and introduced the mysterious door, it suddenly opened up a whole world of possibilities. The door could take him anywhere, and that meant every book could be a completely different adventure while still having Mr Clough and his personality connecting them all. Quite often I’ll start with an idea of where I want him to go, but then the story takes on a life of its own. I’ll think of something funny that could happen to him, a character he could meet or some mischief he could get himself into, and the adventure grows from there. That’s probably one of the things I enjoy most about writing them. I’m never entirely sure what’s waiting for Mr Clough on the other side of that mysterious door — and hopefully that’s exactly how the children reading the books feel too.

 You've now got brand-new Mr Clough stories coming out. What prompted you to start writing these new adventures, and what made now feel like the right time?

I think the biggest reason was seeing how people, and particularly children, responded to Mr Clough and his stories. Once you see children engaging with a character you’ve created, laughing at the funny moments and wanting to know what happens next, it gives you a real desire to keep that character’s adventures going. I also realised that the idea behind Mr Clough and his magical scarf had so much more potential. The mysterious door means there really is no limit to where he can go, who he can meet or what trouble he can get himself into. It felt like the right time because I had so many new ideas going around in my head, and I didn’t want Mr Clough’s adventures to stand still. I wanted to develop the stories, introduce new characters and places, and give children something new to discover each time. The exciting thing for me is that it feels as though we’re still only at the beginning. There are plenty more mysterious doors for Mr Clough to walk through — and knowing him, he’ll probably stick his nose through first and worry about where it leads afterwards!

Without giving too much away, what sort of adventures are waiting for readers this time? Have you put Mr Clough through his paces?

I can’t give too much away, but the magical scarf and mysterious door are going to take him into some very different worlds, and things don’t always go quite according to plan. There are new characters to meet, a few problems that only Mr Clough could somehow find himself involved in, and plenty of those moments where his curiosity gets the better of him. He’ll have to be brave at times, although his cheeky side is never very far away. One thing that remains important is that underneath all the fun and silliness, there’s always a bit of heart to the stories. Mr Clough might find himself on a magical adventure, but friendship, helping others and finding his way home are still very much at the centre of it. And yes, I’ve made life a little difficult for him! There will be moments when readers might wonder whether he’s actually going to make it back through that mysterious door before the final whistle. But this is Mr Clough we’re talking about — so even when things go completely wrong, he’ll usually find a way of making them even more chaotic before he puts them right!

What's the writing process like when your main character is sitting there in the same room, quite possibly watching you write about him? Does the real Mr Clough ever influence what happens next?

It’s quite funny really, because Mr Clough is often sitting nearby while I’m writing, looking at me as though he’s checking that I’m getting his character right! Occasionally I’ll look over at him and get one of those expressions that seems to say, “I would never do that!” — although, knowing Mr Clough, he probably would. He definitely influences the stories. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a look he gives me, the way he reacts to something or one of the funny little things he does. I’ll suddenly think, “That’s going in a book.” I also find myself wondering how the real Mr Clough would react if he were actually in the situation I’m writing about. Would he be brave? Would he investigate? Would he run away? Or, more likely, would he spot something interesting, completely forget what he was supposed to be doing and get himself into even more trouble? That’s part of the fun of writing the stories. I might be the one writingout the story board, but I’m not entirely convinced I’m the only author in the room. Mr Clough just hasn’t worked out how to collect his royalties in treats yet !

Has writing the stories changed the way you see your own dog? Or have you perhaps discovered that the character of Mr Clough was there all along?

I think the character of Mr Clough was probably there all along — writing the books has just made me notice it even more. Before the stories, I obviously knew all his little habits and expressions, but now I find myself watching him and seeing everything through a storyteller’s eyes. He’ll do something completely ordinary and I’ll suddenly think, “That’s exactly what the Mr Clough in the books would do.” In some ways, the line between the real Mr Clough and the storybook Mr Clough has become quite blurred. The magical scarf, mysterious doors and adventures are imaginary, of course, but the curiosity, cheekiness and personality behind them are very real. So I don’t think writing the stories has changed Mr Clough at all — it’s probably changed the way I see him. I’ve realised that the character I was trying to create had actually been sitting beside me all along. I just needed to give him a magical scarf and let him loose!

 Dogs have an extraordinary ability to become part of the family and create stories of their own. Is that everyday relationship with Mr Clough something you wanted to capture in the books?

Absolutely. Anyone who has a dog will understand that they’re never simply a pet — they become part of the family, with their own personality, routines and funny little ways. That’s certainly true of Mr Clough. He’s part of everyday life, and over the years you build up so many memories without necessarily realising it. There are the funny moments, the mischievous ones and those occasions when they seem to understand exactly how you’re feeling. I wanted some of that warmth to come through in the books. Obviously I’ve added magical scarves, mysterious doors and some rather unusual adventures, but underneath all of that is the relationship people have with their dogs. I think that’s one reason children can connect with Mr Clough. He might be having these fantastic adventures, but at heart he’s still a much-loved family dog who happens to be incredibly curious about the world around him.

Who do you picture reading these stories? Are they primarily for children, or are you hoping that parents, grandparents and dog lovers will enjoy discovering Mr Clough alongside them?

The books are primarily written for young children, but I’ve always wanted them to be stories that adults enjoy reading with them as well. Some of my favourite memories of children’s books are not simply about the stories themselves, but about somebody sitting down and reading them with you. If a Mr Clough book can create a few of those moments between children, parents and grandparents, that would mean a great deal to me. I also try to include humour that everyone can enjoy. Children might laugh at the silly things Mr Clough gets up to, while the adults reading the story will hopefully find themselves smiling too. And you certainly don’t have to be a child to be a Mr Clough fan. If you love dogs, football, a bit of mischief or simply disappearing into a magical adventure for a few minutes, then you’re more than welcome to come along!

What's been the most rewarding reaction you've had from someone who's read one of the Mr Clough stories? Has there been a moment when you've thought, “That's exactly why I wrote this”?

For me, the most rewarding thing is seeing children genuinely enjoying the stories. The last game against Matlock Town was special for me. The loss wasn’t what we needed but a fan whobhad purchased three books showed me a picture of a young child reading the book and pointed at the dinosaurs filled my heart with warmth. When you see them smiling at Mr Clough, laughing at something he’s done or wanting to know what happens next, that’s incredibly special. There’s also something wonderful about a child recognising Mr Clough from the books and then meeting the real dog. Suddenly the character they’ve been reading about is standing in front of them, usually waiting for a fuss! Those are the moments when I think, “Yes, that’s why I’m doing this.” You can spend hours writing, changing rhymes, developing ideas and wondering whether something is funny enough, but a child’s reaction is completely genuine.

 If someone has never met Mr Clough, either in person or through the stories, what would you say to persuade them to join him on his next adventure?

I’d probably say: come and meet a very ordinary dog with a rather extraordinary scarf! Mr Clough is curious, cheeky, occasionally brave and very good at getting himself into situations that he probably should have avoided in the first place. But he also has a big heart, and wherever the mysterious door takes him, you can be fairly certain he’ll make some new friends along the way. You never quite know what’s going to be waiting on the other side of that door — and neither does Mr Clough. So bring your imagination, expect a few laughs and keep one eye on the clock, because once that final whistle starts getting closer, Mr Clough needs to find his way home. The mysterious door is open. You might as well follow him through!

 And finally, Jim, you're writing stories about a dog who is actually part of your life. Where do you see the Mr Clough adventures going next? Does the real Mr Clough still have plenty of stories left to tell?

Oh, I think Mr Clough has plenty of adventures left in him! That’s one of the wonderful things about creating the magical scarf and the mysterious door — I’ve given myself a way of taking him almost anywhere. There are still so many worlds he could discover, characters he could meet and, knowing Mr Clough, situations he could accidentally get himself into. As long as I can keep finding adventures that are funny, imaginative and have a little bit of heart behind them, I’d love to keep telling his stories. And the real Mr Clough continues to provide inspiration. Every funny expression, every bit of mischief and every unexpected thing he does has the potential to spark another idea. I’d love to see the world of Mr Clough continue to grow and for children to grow up remembering him as a character they enjoyed reading about. So yes, there are definitely more stories to tell. The scarf still has plenty of magic left in it — and I don’t think that mysterious door is going to stay closed for very long.