Biography

After 26 years in the civil service, Mike Payne broke free and became a renowned international award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. Mike is now one of the UK’s leading and most respected experts in the world of commercial humour, greeting card design, illustrative art, books and gift concept development. Images and creations from the many characters he has created have an immediate and instinctive appeal, and it is estimated that greetings cards featuring his creations have sold in excess of ten hundred million worldwide.

Mike was asked to create a bear with a great depth of feeling for the then newly formed company Carte Blanche Greetings in 1987, and working under his pen name of “Miranda”, Mike created a phenomenon.

Mike’s ‘Tatty Teddy’ character for the ‘Me to You’ concept (the charcoal bear with the blue nose), together with other unique creations, have won numerous awards in the USA, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and, of course, the UK. Mike has travelled the world doing many “signings” and after seventeen years of drawing the teddy bear, in 2004, decided the time was right to move on to pastures new.

Mike was Sky News cartoonist in 1998 – 2000 where he drew cartoons of the week’s news live on television. This was the perfect environment to entertain and promote the art of cartooning, for which he is globally renowned.

In 2006 Mike created “Charlie’s Ark” about a five-year old boy who brings the stuffed animals in his toy-box ark to life by uttering a magic “Wordspell”. Two audio CD’s “Charlie’s Ark – The First Collection” and “Charlie’s Ark – The Second Collection” were recorded for Andrews UK Ltd.

During “Lockdown” in 2020 Mike decided to write “Charlie’s Ark”  a story book for children containing twenty five stories together with heartfelt illustrations. This was launched at The Ritz in London on 19^th September 2021. The illustrations for the book were done in concert by Mike and his good friend and talented illustrator Adam Pescott.

The book attracted a great deal of interest and plans are afoot to make a global children’s television series. Mike wrote a sequel to Charlie’s Ark with yet more adventures with Charlie and his magical plush animals called “Charlie’s Ark – The Greatest Gift”. This was published on 26^th April 2024.

Mike has developed several new concepts. He has had published a picture storybook for children called “Milo’s Luck Sneeze” and is busy with two spot cartoon series called “Little Else” and “The Cones”, These are gathering much momentum on social media.

A lecturer at schools and colleges, with many TV appearances to his name and a passion for professional acting, Mike is a sought after and original public speaker. 

Mike is still creating, writing, drawing and painting.