"I think it's fantastic that young deaf children can now enjoy a wealth of stories told in their own language – this is something that didn't exist when I was growing up! My baby daughter is hearing, but looks at the website with fascination and we believe it's encouraged her to pick up a range of signs she uses every day"

Charlie Swinbourne is a partially deaf film-maker and writer, who creates comedy dramas in sign language inspired by his background growing up in a deaf family. His early short films 'Coming Out' and 'Four Deaf Yorkshiremen' have become huge internet hits. He has gone on to write 'Departure Lounge' – a 30 minute drama about two deaf men in hospital, who discuss what a ‘deaf heaven’ would be like and the mini-series The Fingerspellers.