Simon Brett

The son of a chartered surveyor, Simon was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he got a first-class honours degree in English. He then joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television before devoting most of his time to writing from the late 1970s. He is married with three children and lives in Arundel, West Sussex, England.

He has been the president of the Detection Club since 2000, and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to literature.

While with the BBC, he produced the first episode of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', as well as many episodes of cult comedy series 'The Burkiss Way', the comedy series 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' and the comedy panel game 'Just a Minute'. In the mid-1990s, he wrote and hosted 'Foul Play', a radio panel game in which well-known writers of detective fiction were challenged to solve a dramatised mystery. Moving into television, Simon was responsible for producing 'End of Part One' and the television revival of 'The Glums' for LWT.

Simon wrote several sitcoms, most notably BBC Radio 4's 'After Henry', 'No Commitments' and 'Smelling of Roses'. 'After Henry' was later produced on television for ITV. He has written episodes of the BBC radio detective drama 'Baldi' (2000).

In 1987 the Nigel Molesworth character created by Geoffrey Willans was reprised for a four-part BBC Radio 4 series 'Molesworth'. Written by Simon, the series portrayed Molesworth in middle age, still surrounded by many of the characters from his youth. Molesworth was played by Willie Rushton, with Penelope Nice as his wife Louise, and Clive Swift as the now aged ex-headmaster Grimes.

Simon has written four series of detective novels (Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering, and Blotto & Twinks). Most of these novels are in the ‘Golden Age’ tradition of detective fiction, entertaining the reader through humour, eccentric characters and intricate plot twists. He has also written several mystery plays and some non-series novels, of which 'A Shock to the System' is probably best known due to the filmed version starring Michael Caine as the business executive who takes revenge after being passed over for promotion. 

Writer's Website

•  www.simonbrett.com

Titles We Represent

• Murder With Ghosts (Full Length, Comedy)
• Quirks (One Act, Comedic Drama)
• Sat Love (One Act, Comedic Drama)
• Stake Out (One Act, Comedic Drama)
• Vegetable (One Act, Comedic Drama)

• After Henry: the musical (written with Chris Summerfield)