Colette Thomson

Author facts:
I remember being about five or six, lying in the bottom half of the bunk bed, reading First Words in French. As I stared at the pages, I wondered, Who decides that a door is “une porte” and that “un papillon” is a butterfly? That was the moment that sparked the beginning of my adventure into languages.

At school, my French teachers assumed, based on my name, that I must be part French. I am in fact half Irish – with a touch of a Greek pirate thrown in for good measure (but that’s a story for another time). Perhaps my christening at Notre Dame de France in Leicester Square counts as a French connection? Regardless, my passion for languages grew thanks to fabulous teachers and BBC language programs.

It didn’t matter what language was being taught, I was hooked. Sunday mornings found me glued to the TV, watching repeats of Téléjournal, hosted by Chantal Cuer, which broke down TF1’s Tuesday night news into manageable pieces. I loved learning phrases like en flagrant délit (‘caught red-handed’) – essential vocabulary for a bank robbery report! I wanted to be Chantal Cuer, and in some ways, I’ve achieved that, creating resources to help people improve their English using the news – and I’m the voice!

More about Colette
Colette’s career began in BBC local radio, where she produced short reports and documentaries for syndication across the UK. She was soon invited to join the BBC Open University team to work on one of its earliest language projects, Franc Exchange – a title that hints at how long ago it was!

From there, she transitioned to BBC Schools Radio, producing French and Spanish programs. A career highlight was interviewing the widow of renowned French writer Marcel Pagnol. Her creativity and talent quickly caught the attention of BBC TV production teams, and she became one of the early recruits to Bi-Media production. Starting as an audio producer, Colette honed her directorial skills on the celebrated series Sueños. Her journey continued with BBC School TV, where she created Revista for KS3 Spanish and produced programs outside the realm of languages.

In 1991, Colette took a leap and founded her own production company, Footstep Productions – creating “footsteps for others to follow.” With Footstep, she produced Voices Españolas and Work Talk for the BBC, as well as a host of programs for WDR Germany, including the fun bilingual soap opera Flirt English.

Colette’s love for audio has remained a cornerstone of her work, enabling her to create content for courses in a host of different languages. This passion brought her into contact with Brilliant Publications, where alongside producing audio she began writing and composing songs for language learning.

Over the years, Colette has acquired varying levels of proficiency in seven languages and worked on projects in many more. Her work has connected her with countless young people, many of whom fondly call themselves the “Footstep Family.” As she reflects on her incredible journey, she says, “The adventures in languages continue.”