Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television and is the author of the ''

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

'' book series, as well as the first five novels in the ''

Young Bond Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

'' series.

Early life

Born in

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, Higson was educated at Sevenoaks School,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

(UEA) in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

(where his brother taught from 1986 to 2008, latterly as Professor of Film Studies). At UEA, Higson met

Paul Whitehouse Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series '' The Fast Show'', and has also starred with Harry Enfield in the shows ''Harry & Paul'' and ''Harr ...

, David Cummings and

Terry Edwards Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards. Biography Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...

. 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 The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynv ...

' 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 Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

in London and became a decorator, including decorating the house of

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

and

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in ...

Career

Higson started writing for

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and ''Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...

with

and performing comedy. He came to public attention as one of the main writers and performers of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

sketch show '' The Fast Show'' (1994–2000). He also worked with Whitehouse on the radio comedy '' Down the Line''. In 1994 Higson co-wrote (with

Lise Mayer Lise Mayer (born November 1959) is an American television and film writer, best known as, alongside Rik Mayall and Ben Elton, a creator and co-writer of the BBC comedy series '' The Young Ones''. Background and work Mayer was born in Chicago, I ...

) the screenplay for the film thriller Suite 16. 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 BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

's ''Fast Show'' spin-off sitcom '' Swiss Toni''. He has starred in '' Tittybangbang'' on

and 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 Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

's '' A Caribbean Mystery'' for ITV's ''

Agatha Christie's Marple ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first ...

'' series. In an addition to the plot,

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

attends a talk given by the ornithologist

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

(played by Higson himself): there she meets

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...

, who is inspired to borrow the speaker's name for the protagonist of his new novel, '' Casino Royale''. In 2015 Higson reimagined the novel ''

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

for

ITV Studios ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...

into a ten part adventure series, set in the 1930s titled ''

Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

''. In 2017, Higson appeared as Ian Winterman in series three of ''

Broadchurch ''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes and produced by Kudos in asso ...

'' and as Ronnie Maguire in series three of ''

Grantchester Grantchester is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge. Name The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Grantesete'' and ''Graunts ...

''. 2020 saw Higson compete on '' Richard Osman's House of Games''. alongside

Chizzy Akudolu Andrea Chizoba "Chizzy" Akudolu (born 7 October 1973) is a British actress. Career In 2002, Akudolu was one of eight new comedy performers who won the BBC Talent Initiative, The Urban Sketch Showcase. All eight performed a comedy sketch sho ...

, Kate Williams and Tom Allen. Higson has also starred in ''Lobby Land'', a radio sitcom on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

, as Tom Shriver MP.

Books

Higson published many novels through the early to mid-1990s which take a slightly

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

n look at everyday life and have a considerably more adult tone than his other work, with characters on the margins of society finding themselves spiralling out of control. This has led ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...

'' to describe him as "The missing link between

Dick Emery Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981. Life and career Richard Gilbert Emery was ...

and

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...

". Higson wrote a series of five ''

'' novels, aimed at younger readers and concentrating on the

'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 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...

. Higson wrote a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

zombie A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...

- horror series of books for young adults. The eponymous first book in the series, titled '' The Enemy'', was released in 2009. At a school event at

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

on 14 September 2011, Charlie told children: "Originally it was going to be three books and then my publisher,

Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

, 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 ''Fighting Fantasy'' is a series of single-player role-playing gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volume in the series was published in paperback by Puffin in 1982. The series distinguished itself by mixing Choos ...

'' 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 Sir Ian Livingstone (born 29 December 1949) is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. Along with Steve Jackson, he is the co-founder of a series of role-playing gamebooks, ''Fighting Fantasy'', and the author of many books within that s ...

gamebook ''Blood of the Zombies''.

Personal life

Higson lives in London with his wife and three sons.

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Novels

*''King of the Ants ''(1992) * ''Happy Now ''(1993) * ''Full Whack'' (1995), *''Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen'' (1996) *''Monstroso'' (2010)

The Enemy

The Enemy novels

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

The Enemy short story

*''Geeks vs. Zombies'' (2012) (This companion book in the series, released by

Disney Hyperion Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

, portrays an exclusive scene from ''The Fear'', on World Book Day.)

Young Bond

#'' 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)

Fighting Fantasy

* ''The Gates of Death'' (2018)

Non-fiction

*''The 'Fast Show' Book'' (0006), (with Paul Whitehouse)

Short stories

*"The Red Line" in ''The 'Time Out' Book of Short Stories'', edited by Maria Lexton (1993),

References

External links

*
BBC Talent Guide profile

Another BBC profile of HigsonHigson profile at MI6.co.uk – interview series and biography
* * *
Charlie Higson Archive, University of East Anglia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higson, Charlie 1958 births Living people People from Frome People educated at Sevenoaks School Alumni of the University of East Anglia English male television actors English male comedians English male singers English children's writers English comedy writers English television writers 21st-century English writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century British novelists Musicians from Somerset Male actors from Somerset Musicians from Kent Male actors from Kent Squatters British sketch comedians The Fast Show British male television writers