Man behind Mr Men earns biography

Some 85 million Mr Men and Little Miss books were sold

The creator of the Mr Men and the man behind the BBC's Magic Roundabout are among new entries in the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Roger Hargreaves' doodle of a man with exceptionally long arms became the first Mr Men character - he went on to sell 85 million books worldwide.

Eric Thompson wrote and narrated the BBC adaptation of France's original Magic Roundabout - Le Manege Enchante.

The website, at www.oxforddnb.com, hosts more than 55,000 biographies.

It is updated three times a year, with many of the 98 new entries this time themed around children and childhood.

Hargreaves, who wrote 43 Mr Men and 30 Little Miss books, died in 1988.

'Made earlier'

Thompson, the father of actress Emma Thompson, chose not to translate the original French Magic Roundabout scripts but made up his own to match the action. He died in 1982.

Original Blue Peter presenter Christopher Trace, who died in 1992, is also honoured with an entry.

Trace is credited with Blue Peter catchphrases, "Here's one I made earlier" and, "And now for something completely different" - later adopted by Monty Python.

Charles Darwin's children Annie and William, who were the focus of their father's research into human development, also join the ranks of the site.