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Mr Bloom's Nursery started off as a piece of street theatre that I had written. It was an interactive walkabout performance piece that engaged with families at festival events. I played a gardener who had dug up his baby vegetables and taken them out for the day in an old Victorian pram. The show toured nationally & internationally and it was during this time that I had ideas for how the show might translate into a television programme for children.

So, I approached the Ö÷²¥´óÐã. I took the walkabout show into the office, gave a tiny performance and presented my ideas of how it could be adapted for Television. Luckily they were interested in developing it and so began a fantastic seven-month adventure. Although I'd written and produced shows for stage, this was the first time that I had been involved in the development and writing of a TV script. Some things were familiar but others were very different but I thrived on this. I'm always looking for the chance to work within different mediums so having this opportunity was priceless experience, as well as a real learning curve.

It involved lots of trips between Manchester and London, lots of sample scripts written and rewritten, discussions on eating characters / not eating characters, but one thing that stood out during this time was the dedication to the show format. This was incredibly important as this was the blue print by which all subsequent episodes would adhere to. Every time it seemed you could say, 'there that's it, we've got it', something would crop up and the format would have to change. But far from this being a negative it taught me about patience and the amount of work that goes into making sure that the finished article is honed to perfection.

When it came to writing the scripts it was both extremely enjoyable and remarkably tough. On one hand it was just like writing a script for stage other than a change in layout but on the other hand it was a completely different exercise of the imagination.

Having come from the stage where in some respects you're quite restricted by what you could achieve in real time before an audience, I was thinking big. I was imagining all the incredible things you could achieve on TV; grand sequences, elaborate sets but in reality a lot of this simply wasn't possible. I learnt that TV allows you to use your imagination but you have to be very economical with what you're proposing. Episode time is limited, shooting time is limited, budgets are limited, there are so many things to consider. That's not to say fantastic things weren't possible, they were, it's just that you had learn what you could afford to include.

The length of scripts was also a good test. My initial treatments were far too long and tried to incorporate mountainous storylines into a tiny Twenty-minute window. No good. Not only is twenty minutes exceedingly small when it's broken down but the tempo and pacing of a show that's for 2 - 4 yr olds has to be delivered on their terms. You cant try to cram too much in and whip it along too fast because they wont be able to take it in. But at the same time, it's got to be punchy and keep them engaged, less they switch off.

Complexity was another issue to be tamed. I found myself overcompensating with the narrative, as if there wasn't going to be enough of interest to hold the audience. Everything had to be simplified. Audiences of 2 - 4 years don't need subplots and cliff-hangers, they need a good story, told simply and clearly. This process of boiling things down was really useful in hindsight. It helped to really get to the core of what the episode was about and what your were trying to convey with the time you had.

What's more we were figuring it out as we went along. This was a new series. From the moment that the production started, the format continued to be revised and developed. Essentially the show only existed in our minds and a few illustrations from the art department. We were still establishing so many fundamental aspects for the show. It took a time to get the feel for the show, what the nursery was like inside and how the characters engaged with it.

Testing times. Lots of going back to the drawing board but it was all good and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to be involved in the process from start to finish. Key things that I've taken it from it are...

- Know the main selling point of your idea inside and out.

- Know your audience and how your idea will connect with them.

- Keep it simple, clear and reduce things down to their essence.

- Research & develop your idea with your audience wherever possible.

- Allow for the audience to feedback into your work and your ideas.

- Be prepared for things to take time. Don't force it.

Ben Faulks is the creator and writer of Mr Bloom's Nursery, he also stars in the show as Mr Bloom.

Read a script from Mr Bloom's Nursery in our script archive.

Our Get a Squiggle On competition gives you the chance to write for CBeebies. Find out how to enter.