Beryl Bainbridge's black comedy takes as its setting a noisy, argumentative working class family in Liverpool, getting ready to see a pantomime based on Peter Pan. The ever-youthful Peter Pan and Charlie - the father of the family, suffering from what appears to be indigestion - provide the basic ingredients.

Beryl Bainbridge is something of a doyenne of British letters. Born in Liverpool herself, and coming from a difficult and unhappy childhood, many of her stories and novels are based in or around Liverpool. She writes about one novel a year and has been nominated for the Booker Prize five times. In 2002 she was recognised in the Queen's Honours List and made a Dame.

Downloads

• Short story 84k Complete text of 'Clap hands, here comes Charlie'

• Introduction for teachers 24k

• Characterisation 262k Character based activities

• Context 963k Background information and exercises

• Word Work 322k Language activities

• After reading exercises 285k Follow-up and consolidation

• Answer key 224k Teacher's notes for activities

Beryl Bainbridge