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Author Lee Child has shared why his best-known character wasn't a Brummie. Internationally famous writer Child grew up in Birmingham , attending King Edward's School and supporting Aston Villa. In fact, it has become known that he has hidden references to Villans of the past in his prose. Read more: Moment protesters halt Birmingham meeting However, he stopped short of making his best-known role Jack Reacher a Brummie. Why? Well, it is all because of space. "I would have liked it but the problem is for that character to work, for that story - the mythical wanderer, you need a vast open space," he told BirminghamLive. "Britain is too crowded, too close together - everyone knows their business." Born James Grant in Handsworth Wood, Lee Child rose from local beginnings to global fame with his blockbuster Reacher novels, which inspired Hollywood films starring Tom Cruise He said there were no shortages of Birmingham references in his books. On a visit to Grand Central, he said: "I can't tell whether anybody has noticed or not but there is a lot of little references - mostly to do with the Villa. "I have used a lot of players' names - either as characters or sometimes towns or something like that." Child was in Birmingham for a Central BID free exhibition celebrating legendary creation Jack Reacher. Lee Child: Creating Reacher gave fans an exclusive look inside the mind of one of the world’s best-selling writers. Commissioned by Central BID Birmingham and curated by art historian Ruth Millington, the exhibition showcased rare, never-before-seen material from Child’s personal archive and the Lee Child Archive. Highlights include handwritten drafts, private photographs, book covers and fan mail, all with the author’s direct involvement. Child’s 30th novel, Exit Strategy, launched on the same day the exhibition opened. “This exhibition comes at a turning point for Lee as he passes the Reacher legacy to his brother Andrew,” said curator Ruth Millington. “It’s a celebration of a Midlands-made hero and the Birmingham boy behind him, inspired by local libraries, theatre, football and the city’s outsider spirit. "As Brummies, we should shout more loudly about our world-class talent, and this is our chance.”
