Charlie Higson

Higson worked across actor, comedian, writer, novelist and screenwriter and 8 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in pop music. This article rests on 7 catalogued compositions, 3 published texts, 3 issued recordings and 3 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Birth Name — Charles Murray Higson • Born — 3 July 1958 • Birthplace — Frome, Somerset, England • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • author • Years Active — 1980–present • Children — 3

Born in Frome, Somerset, Higson was educated at Sevenoaks School, Kent and at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich (where his brother Andrew taught from 1986 to 2008, latterly as Professor of Film Studies). At UEA, Higson met Paul Whitehouse, David Cummings and Terry Edwards. Higson, Cummings and Edwards formed the band The Higsons, of which Higson was the lead singer from 1980 to 1986. They released two singles on the Specials' 2 Tone Records label. This was after he had formed the punk band The Right Hand Lovers, wherein he performed as "Switch". Higson then started squatting in London and became a decorator, coincidentally decorating the house of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

Higson started writing for Harry Enfield with Paul Whitehouse and performing comedy. He came to public attention as one of the main writers and performers of the BBC Two sketch show The Fast Show (1994–2000). He also worked with Whitehouse on the radio comedy Down the Line. In 1994 Higson co-wrote the screenplay for the thriller film Suite 16 with Lise Mayer. He worked as producer, writer, director and occasional guest star on Randall & Hopkirk from 2000 to 2001. Subsequent television work has included writing and starring in BBC Three's Fast Show spin-off sitcom Swiss Toni. He first appeared as a panellist on QI in 2007. In 2010 he co-directed and starred in the series Bellamy's People. In 2013 Higson adapted Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery for ITV's Agatha Christie's Marple series. In 2015 Higson reimagined the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson for ITV Studios into a ten part adventure series, set in the 1930s titled Jekyll and Hyde. In 2017, Higson appeared as Ian Winterman in series three of Broadchurch and as Ronnie Maguire in series three of Grantchester. 2020 saw Higson compete on Richard Osman's House of Games. alongside Chizzy Akudolu, Kate Williams and Tom Allen. Higson has also starred in Lobby Land, a radio sitcom on BBC Radio 4, as Tom Shriver MP.

Higson lives in London with his wife and three sons.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1990 — The Craig Ferguson Show — Various characters — Television film, also writer • 1990–1991 — Vic Reeves Big Night Out — Various characters — 9 episodes • 1990–1992 — Harry Enfield's Television Programme — Various characters — 4 episodes, also writer • 1993–1995 — The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer — Robert De Niro Swiss Toni Various characters — 10 episodes • 1994–2014 — The Fast Show — Swiss Toni Various characters — 25 episodes, also writer • 1997 — It's Ulrika! — Various characters — Television film • 1998 — Ted & Ralph — Ralph Mayhew Aunt Cecilia Ralph's Father — Television film • 1999 — Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer — Various characters — 6 episodes • You Ain't Seen All These, Right? — Various characters — Television film • 2000–2001 — Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) — Various characters — 12 episodes, also writer • 2001 — Fun at the Funeral Parlour — Nutkins — 1.04 "The Mountains of Doom" • Happiness — Bryan the Counsellor — 1.04 "Desperate Dan" • 2003 — The Fast Show Farewell Tour — Various characters — Television film, also writer • 2003–2004 — Swiss Toni — Swiss Toni — 16 episodes, also writer • 2004 — Catterick — Pat — Television miniseries • 2006 — Dick & Dom in da Bungalow — Himself — Celebrity 'Bungalow Head' • 2010 — Bellamy's People — Various characters — 1.01 "Episode One" • 2010–2012 — Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul — Bunny — 5 episodes • 2011 — The Fast Show Faster — Swiss Toni / Various characters — 3 episodes • 2013 — Marple — James Bond — 6.01 "A Caribbean Mystery", also writer • 2014 — The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm — The Mayor — Television film, also writer • 2015 — Professor Branestawm Returns — Mayor — Television film, also writer • Jekyll and Hyde — 10 episodes. Creator, showrunner • 2017 — Broadchurch — Ian Winterman — 7 episodes • Grantchester — Ronnie Maguire — 2 episodes • 2023 — Mog's Christmas — Jolly Uncle (voice) — Animated television film

• King of the Ants (1992) • Happy Now (1993) • Full Whack (1995), • Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen (1996) • Monstroso (2010) • Whatever Gets You Through the Night (2022) ISBN 9781408714287

• The Enemy (2009) • The Dead (2010) • The Fear (2011) • The Sacrifice (2012) • The Fallen (2013) • The Hunted (2014) • The End (2015) ASIN B00Z8PHRKS

• Geeks vs. Zombies (2012) (This companion book in the series, released by Disney Hyperion, portrays an exclusive scene from The Fear, on World Book Day.)

• SilverFin (2005), • Blood Fever (2006), • Double or Die (2007), • Hurricane Gold (2007), • By Royal Command (2008), • SilverFin: The Graphic Novel (2008), (with Kev Walker) • Danger Society: The Young Bond Dossier (2009), (authored short story included in book)

• The Gates of Death (2018)

• On His Majesty's Secret Service (2023),

• The 'Fast Show' Book (1996), (with Paul Whitehouse)

• "The Red Line" in The 'Time Out' Book of Short Stories, edited by Maria Lexton (1993), • "The Beast of Babylon" in Doctor Who: 11 Doctors, 11 Stories: 11 Doctors, 11 Stories, with Neil Gaiman, Richelle Mead, Eoin Colfer, Marcus Sedgwick, Michael Scott, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Derek Landy (2013), ISBN 978-0-14-134894-0

Charlie Higson was born on 3 July 1958 in Frome. Higson held the nationality of United Kingdom. Higson was educated at University of East Anglia and Sevenoaks School. Higson worked as actor, comedian, writer and novelist, and the authority record catalogues a further 9 occupations under the same name, among them screenwriter, singer, television actor, film producer, television producer and film actor. Higson was active from 1980. Higson worked in Greater London. The fields Higson worked in include pop music. Higson played the voice. Higson worked in English.

Higson wrote as well as composed, and is recorded as writer and novelist. 17 books and published texts survive in the institutional catalogues, spanning 2005 to 2024. Among them are SilverFin (2005), Blood Fever (2006), Double or Die (2007), Hurricane Gold (2007), By Royal Command (2008) and Danger Society (2009). The whole run is set out in the catalogue below.

Time Out has described Higson as "The missing link between Dick Emery and Bret Easton Ellis". Higson wrote a series of five Young Bond novels, aimed at younger readers and concentrating on James Bond's school-days at Eton starting with SilverFin, released in 2005, and ending with By Royal Command (2008). Higson had been at school with Jonathan Evans, former Director General of MI5. Higson wrote a post-apocalyptic, zombie-horror series of books for young adults. The first book in the series, titled The Enemy, was released in 2009. At a school event at Abingdon School on 14 September 2011, Charlie told children: "Originally it was going to be three books and then my publisher, Puffin, said make it five, and now we're up to it being seven." The seventh novel, The End, was published in 2015. In 2018 Higson wrote a Fighting Fantasy gamebook titled The Gates of Death, which was published by Scholastic books as part of their campaign to relaunch the Fighting Fantasy franchise. He is a long term FF enthusiast, having attended Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 in London the previous year and also made a cameo appearance in the Ian Livingstone gamebook Blood of the Zombies. In May 2023 Higson released his first adult Bond novel, On His Majesty's Secret Service, to mark the Coronation of King Charles III and support the National Literacy Trust.