fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Video interview: BAFTA-winning 'Wishbone' writer Stephanie Simpson

Newsweek · · 346 words · By Zak Wojnar
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Video interview: BAFTA-winning 'Wishbone' writer Stephanie Simpson

If you're a child of the 90s, you surely have fond memories of "Wishbone," the PBS series about a group of schoolchildren and their dog, the eponymous Jack Russell Terrier with a large imagination.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

If you're a child of the 90s, you surely have fond memories of "Wishbone," the PBS series about a group of schoolchildren and their dog, the eponymous Jack Russell Terrier with a large imagination.

Why it matters

Each half-hour episode had the kids in one situation, while Wishbone himself would star in an adaptation of a classic story with themes relevant to the situation at hand.

Common ground

"The Prince and the Pauper," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "The Three Musketeers" are just a few of the stories that were adapted over the course of two seasons and fifty episodes (plus a made-for-Showtime finale movie, "Wishbone's Dog Days of the West")…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/movies/video-interview-bafta-winning-wish…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 1
report Misleading 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
Claim 1: “"Wishbone" is back in the form of a documentary, "What's the Story, Wishbone?"”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the existence of a documentary titled 'What's the Story, Wishbone?'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Wishbone is an American live-action children's television series that aired from 1995 to 1997 and originally broadcast on PBS. It is about a Jack Russell Terrier dog named Wishbone who daydreams about…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone_(TV_series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — About the film. What’s the Story, Wishbone? goes behind-the-scenes of the beloved PBS series that turned classic literature into adventure, starring one unforgettable little dog with a very big imagin…
https://www.whatsthestorywishbone.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — What’s the Story, Wishbone? is the documentary that generation has been waiting for. Funny, nostalgic, and deeply human, it celebrates not just the show but the people who made it and the children it …
https://thegameofnerds.com/2026/05/12/whats-the-story-wishbo…
info
Claim 2: “is directed by Joey Stewart, a veteran of the classic series”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for Joey Stewart only references the TV show 'Joey' or 'JOEY Restaurants', not a director named Joey Stewart associated with the Wishbone documentary.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Joey is an American sitcom created by Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan. It is a spin-off sequel to Friends, with Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_(TV_series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Joey: Created by Shana Goldberg-Meehan, Scott Silveri. With Matt LeBlanc, Paulo Costanzo, Drea de Matteo, Andrea Anders. In this spin-off of Friends (1994), Joey Tribbiani moves to Los Angeles to purs…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375355/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With restaurants across Canada and the US, each JOEY Restaurant is unique, but they all have plenty in common showcasing unparalleled excellence in restaurant design and a world-class hospitality expe…
https://joeyrestaurants.com/
check_circle
Claim 3: “she would eventually become the head writer on "Arthur," the animated series based on the line of children's books by Marc Brown”
CORROBORATED
Web search results and Wikipedia mention Stephanie Simpson as a writer for 'Arthur', and one source explicitly refers to her as a writer for the series based on Marc Brown's books.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Aaron Burr" is a television advertisement for milk, created in 1993. Directed by Michael Bay and starring Sean Whalen, it was the first commercial in the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign. The ad depi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr_(advertisement)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The tenth season of the television series Arthur was originally produced in 2005 and broadcast on PBS Kids Go! in the United States from May 15 to May 26, 2006, and contains 10 episodes. The DVD set f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_season_10
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The eighth season of the television series Arthur was originally broadcast on PBS Kids in the United States from September 15 to December 26, 2003, and contains 10 episodes. It is the last season feat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_season_8
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 4: “two seasons and fifty episodes (plus a made-for-Showtime finale movie, "Wishbone's Dog Days of the West")”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the show had two seasons and 50 episodes, and that 'Wishbone's Dog Days of the West' was a finale movie that aired on Showtime.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Soccer (May 16, 1988 – June 26, 2001) was a Jack Russell Terrier and animal actor. A veteran of many television commercials for such companies as Nike Athletics and Mighty Dog Dog Food, he became famo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_(dog)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wishbone's Dog Days of the West is a live-action family adventure western telefilm that first aired on Showtime on March 13, 1998. The film was released to video on June 9, 1998. It served as the seri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone's_Dog_Days_of_the_Wes…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wishbone is an American live-action children's television series that aired from 1995 to 1997 and originally broadcast on PBS. It is about a Jack Russell Terrier dog named Wishbone who daydreams about…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone_(TV_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
report
Claim 5: “Her work on that show would win her a BAFTA”
MISLEADING
While Stephanie Simpson did win a BAFTA, the evidence shows she won it for the series 'Hilda' (2019), not for 'Arthur'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Awards and nominations ; 2019 · 2019 BAFTA Children's Awards · Animation, Luke Pearson, Stephanie Simpson, Kurt Mueller, and Bella Ramsey, Won ; 2020, 2020 ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_(TV_series)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... IMDbPro · Won 1 BAFTA Award. 7 wins & 12 nominations total. Known for. Ameerah Falzon, Bella Ramsey, and Oliver Nelson in Hilda (2018). Hilda. 8.6. TV Series.
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0801215/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Four executive producers of Arthur hold the Daytime Emmy Award the show received in 2007. ... Hirsch (head writer) Stephanie Simpson (writer) Peter Egan (writer) ...
https://arthur.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nomination…
check_circle
Claim 6: “"The Prince and the Pauper," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "The Three Musketeers" are just a few of the stories that were adapted”
CORROBORATED
Web search results and interview transcripts confirm the series adapted 'The Prince and the Pauper', 'The Count of Monte Cristo', and 'The Three Musketeers'.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of children's books based on the TV series Wishbone. All were published by the series' producer, Lyrick Studios, under the imprint name Big Red Chair Books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wishbone_books
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper has been adapted for the screen and television a number of times:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_adaptations_of_The_Pri…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_and_the_Pauper
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: “25 years after the passing of the show's canine star, Soccer the dog”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms the dog Soccer died on June 26, 2001. Given the article date in the evidence (May/June 2026), this is exactly 25 years later.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of episodes of Wishbone, which first aired on PBS Kids from October 8, 1995, to December 7, 1997.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wishbone_episodes
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) Agrodome is a sports arena located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was built in 1963 and holds 5,000 people or 3,260 when configured to use the hockey …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNE_Agrodome
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from Augu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hound_of_the_Baskervilles
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 8: “"What's the Story, Wishbone?" can be viewed on various Public Television Stations before making its debut on digital platforms on June 10, 2026”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found regarding the specific digital release date of June 10, 2026.
verified
Claim 9: “"Wishbone," the PBS series about a group of schoolchildren and their dog, the eponymous Jack Russell Terrier”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple Wikipedia entries and web search results confirm Wishbone was a PBS series featuring a Jack Russell Terrier.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Larry Wayne Brantley is an American voice actor and a former stand-up comedian and radio spokesman, best known as the voice of Wishbone, a Jack Russell Terrier who was featured in a PBS children's tel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brantley
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Soccer (May 16, 1988 – June 26, 2001) was a Jack Russell Terrier and animal actor. A veteran of many television commercials for such companies as Nike Athletics and Mighty Dog Dog Food, he became famo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_(dog)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wishbone is an American live-action children's television series that aired from 1995 to 1997 and originally broadcast on PBS. It is about a Jack Russell Terrier dog named Wishbone who daydreams about…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone_(TV_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.