From ‘Paddington’ and ‘Wonka’ to ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’: Inside the Silly, Surreal — and Rather Successful — World of Simon Farnaby

He’s helped write movies that are widely adored and have collectively earned more than $1 billion. He’s co-created a sitcom that has become one of the BBC’s most successful exports, with a U.S. adaptation now onto its sixth season. And yet, Simon Farnaby is perhaps most recognizable for mugging his rather expressive and jovial face,…