One hundred years ago, William Brown — better known as Just William — made his debut in Richmal Crompton’s first short story in 1922. In the decades that followed he has entertained generations of children and their parents.

Mischievous schoolboy William has always been a much-loved icon in children’s stories but the actor and director, Martin Jarvis, can be credited with a resurgence of interest in the schoolboy and his gang of Outlaws, through his award-winning broadcasts and audio recordings.

To celebrate the genius of Crompton and the Just William stories, Jarvis has recorded a special Christmas reading of ‘The Christmas Truce’ for Mail Plus. Listen to the first part here and read along in the Mail On Sunday.