No Strings began life with a puppet called Seamus, a simple, quirky-looking but loveable character who accompanied Johnie McGlade in his work in different parts of the world, from Herat in Afghanistan, where he can be seen drawing crowds in the photograph above, to what was then southern Sudan.

It was in southern Sudan that Johnie realised Seamus might be more than a bit of fun. Colleagues were struggling to share vital information with people arriving at an emergency camp, many of whom had walked for days to escape conflict and were in urgent need of help. When Johnie took Seamus to work one day, the puppet was so unexpected that it stopped people in their tracks. In all its strangeness, it seemed to carry a fragment of comfort and familiarity, disarming crowds not just of children but adults too. People gathered, listened and took in information about the camp’s layout, routines and the support available to them.

When Seamus fell apart in Johnie’s washing machine back in London, his flatmate mentioned that her aunt and uncle were part of Jim Henson’s core creative team on the original Muppet Show, with extraordinary credits to their names. Johnie flew to New York to meet Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith. They were intrigued, the creative connection was immediate, and No Strings was born.