Eric Lyttle grew up in the Cheshire town of Sale. At six months old, he had a life-saving operation at Manchester Royal Infirmary - perhaps an omen, as hospitals would later become a major part of his life.

As a teenager, Eric spent many happy years in the big Odeon Cinema in Sale.

He was enthralled by the Big Screen and started making his own films, or filmstrips, using the only tools available to him - a 35mm Sportsman stills camera and a tape recorder, helped by friends from his local church who doubled as his audience.

In 1965 Eric, aged 22, was the youngest person ever to join the Lancashire Ambulance Service (as it was called at that time), opening the way for younger people to join the Ambulance Service. He worked for the Service and its successors until back problems forced him to retire in 1992.

In 1968, Eric married Sheila, and they had four children. Eric enjoyed reading them bedtime stories, but, frustrated when the stories failed to hold the children's interest, decided to try writing his own children's books. The imagination that had lain dormant since those Odeon years suddenly burst back to life.

Eric started by writing a full-length children's novel, but could not get it published, so he turned to shorter stories. Drawing on his years in the Ambulance Service, he came up with the idea of a talking ambulance.

 Tommy Two Tones was born!