Philippa Gregory – English novelist, broadcaster and newspaper reviewer, was born 9th January 1954 in Kenya (a bit far from the UK we know!) Her family moved to England when she was two years old. As a young adult, Philippa attended the University of Sussex, and afterwards worked with BBC radio for two years, until going on to study for her doctorate in 17th-century literature at the University of Edinburgh.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Mark Billingham did not choose just one career path, he’s currently on several! Originally working for some years as an actor, Mark then became known as a TV writer and stand-up comedian in 1987. Since then he has been a guest on over 30 TV and radio shows, and played at every comedy club in the UK, still often performing at the Comedy Store in London.
William Shakespeare
Later this month, German-born film director Ronald Emmerich will release his latest and most controversial offering: Anonymous, a historical drama which brings the authorship of William Shakespeare’s plays into question. There’s plenty of books on the subject too: try Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare by James Shapiro. This is not a new theory, but the movie has once again fuelled the debate as to who wrote the legendary plays.
Michelle Magorian was born 6th November 1947 in Southsea, Portsmouth. Always aspiring to be an actress, Michelle studied for three years at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama. Following this, she then spent a year at Marcel Marceau’s L’école Internationale de Mime in Paris. Her career as an actress saw her working in repertory theatre companies across the UK performing in plays from Goethe and Shakespeare to Noel Coward and Ayckbourn and in musicals from Cole Porter to Julian Slade.
Katrina Amy Alexandria Alexis Infeld (or as we know her Katie Price A.K.A Jordan)- glamour model, media and television personality, author and singer, was born 22nd May 1978 in Brighton. One of two siblings, Katie attended Blatchington Mill School, where she often swam for Sussex regional competitions. At this young age Katie developed a keen passion for horse riding, a passion she later channelled into her children’s book series Perfect Ponies.