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Mark Billingham

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Mark Billingham
BornMark Philip David Billingham
(1961-07-02)2 July 1961(age 63)
Solihull,Warwickshire,England
OccupationNovelist, comedian, actor
NationalityBritish
Period1987–present
GenreCrime fiction
Notable worksThe Tom Thorne novels
Children2
Website
www.markbillingham.com

Mark Philip David Billingham(born 2 July 1961)[1]is an English novelist, actor, television screenwriter and comedian known for the "Tom Thorne"crime novelseries.

Early years[edit]

Billingham was born inSolihull,Warwickshireand grew up inMoseley,Birmingham.He attended theKing Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boysin nearbyKing's Heath,and lived in that general area "right the way through university" while attending the nearby University of Birmingham.[2][3]

After graduating with a degree in drama from the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, he helped form a socialist theatre company, Bread & Circuses, in Birmingham. Bread & Circuses toured with shows in schools, colleges, arts centres and the street.[3]In the mid-1980s he moved to London as a "jobbing actor", taking minor roles in episodes of TV showsDempsey and Makepeace,Juliet Bravo,Boon,andThe Bill.[2][4]After playing a variety of "bad guy roles such as a soccer hooligan, drug addict, a nasty copper, a racist copper or a bent copper", he claimed that he had become disenchanted with acting and that the emphasis was not on talent, but on looks.[3]

Around 1987 he decided to pursue a career in comedy, stating: "[The] one great advantage of stand-up comedy [is that] nobody gives a stuff about what you look like – as long as you're funny, and if you can do it, and people laugh, then you'll get bookings."[3]Billingham cites his breaking into stand-up as a simple progression from 5-minute, unpaid "try-out" spots to 10-, 20- and 30-minute paid slots.[3]Billingham has headlined atthe Comedy Store,where he also appears regularly as aMaster of Ceremonies.[3]

Billingham was the human face on the puppet-representation-of-celebrities seriesSpitting Image,and "the taller half" of the top double act the "Tracy Brothers" with Mike Mole from Bread & Circuses days (now guitarist with British comedy punk bandPunks Not Dad), appearing regularly on the radio version ofThe Mary Whitehouse Experience.In 1988, he appeared in the children's comedy seriesNews at Twelve.[5]

Maid Marian and her Merry Men[edit]

Main article:Maid Marian and her Merry Men

InMaid Marian and her Merry Men,Billingham played Gary, a dim-but-lovable guard in the employ of theSheriff of Nottingham(Tony Robinson), as part of a double-act with Graeme (David Lloyd).

After three award-winning series, Billingham and Lloyd helped creator-writer Robinson with plot and script ideas and gained co-writer credits on the first episode of series 4, "Tunnel Vision".

Robinson, Lloyd and Billingham remain friends, and Robinson is partially credited for Billingham's literary career on the DVD release ofMaid Marian(Series 3), in which the three discuss writing for the series and in general.[6]The trio announced in 2018 that they were working on a stage production ofMaid Marian and her Merry Men.[7][8]

Writing[edit]

From an early age, Billingham wrote often "funny" stories for popularity and enjoyment. As his interests moved towards crime fiction, he set an early novel (the unpublishedThe Mechanic) in his native Birmingham. Inspired by the comic-crime work ofCarl Hiaasenand other authors, he attempted to use his experience as a stand-up comedian and crime fan to write a similarly comic novel.[2]Ultimately he abandoned the unfinished novel and the comic-crime genre to focus on another book that would becomeSleepyhead.

Billingham has stated in interviews that he treats comedy, and stand-up in particular, and writing as parts of a whole, as they use "the same 'Tricks'... [in particular] a strong opening."[3] He also cites the big ending, and "pullback and reveal", whereby the audience or reader is led along a specific path and lulled into thinking that they can guess the twist, before "boom! it hits them from over there". In comedy, he says, it is a punchline; in crime "something a whole lot darker... [but] essentially it's a similar kind of [misdirection] technique."[3]

Billingham also writes comedy scripts for television. He and David Lloyd wrote and acted in the children's TV seriesHarry's Mad,based on the book byDick King-Smith), and wrote and presented two series of BBC'sWhat's That Noise?.[9]Between 1997 and 1998, he and friend Peter Cocks wrote and co-starred inGranada TV'sKnight School,for which they also produced a novelisation. He claims to be less interested in scriptwriting than novel writing.[3]

In 2002, he was "in the middle of writing a screenplay for anAndrew Lloyd Webbermusical and about to write a screenplay for a cult children's show, "a sci-fi drama for the BBC, but turned to writing novels.[3][9]

Novels[edit]

In 2001, Billingham's first crime novel,Sleepyhead,was published in the UK byLittle, Brown and Company.He is a self-confessed fan ofcrime fiction,"as well as a really serious collector"[3]and has stated that the expense of collecting books inspired him to get into interviewing and reviewing books, partly for the complimentary copies. Starting with a local newspaper, he progressed to providing reviews and interviews forSHOTS,and then to magazines, includingTime Out,where he interviewedMichael Connellyand others.[3]

Billingham became the first crime writer to win theTheakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Awardtwice when his novelDeath Messagewon in 2009,[10]againstReginald Hill,Val McDermid,Ian RankinandLee Child.

Tom Thorne[edit]

Billingham's detective character Inspector Tom Thorne first appeared in his 2001 debut novelSleepyhead.The character has since appeared in the majority of his works, exceptIn the Dark,Rush of Blood,andDie of Shame(May 2016), in which Thorne has minor roles. Billingham claims to have imbued Thorne with many of his own characteristics, such as a birthday, a locale (London), and a "love of country music both alt and cheesy".[3][11]

In talking about the creation and development of Thorne, Billingham details his difficulty in trying to create a character different from those in other, popular works:

[You] worry that you will be entering that world of the strange cliche-ed cop, but you soon realise that you have to get comfortable in that world. You think "Hang on, some of the clichés are part of that territory". It would like writing a Western and going "Oh no I've given him a horse! What a terrible cliché!" It's not a cliché – It's part and parcel of the genre – cowboys have six-guns, horses and stetsons and detectives have [a] past... problems [and] flaws, because if they don't, then there is nothing to read about.[3]

Sleepyheadwas released in August 2001 and made it onto theSunday Times"Top Ten Bestseller" list.[12]In December 2009 it was listed as one of the 100 novels that shaped the decade and was chosen as one of the titles for World Book Night in 2011.[citation needed]

Billingham offers the first chapter of each Tom Thorne book on his website.[13]

Scaredy Catinspiration[edit]

In 1997, Billingham and his writing partner Peter Cocks were kidnapped and held hostage in aManchesterhotel room.[citation needed]The two were bound and gagged in their hotel room by a trio of masked men who robbed them. Billingham recalls being terrified by the audacity of the criminals, and later used the event as inspiration for his second Thorne novel,Scaredy Cat.[3][14]

The general theme ofScaredy Catis really the power of fear, and that fear is a very powerful weapon, and if you are prepared to instil it, you have a very powerful weapon that is every bit as dangerous as a gun or a knife. Also what happened to me in that hotel room fed directly into a sub-plot inScaredy Catwith some very nasty crimes carried out in hotel rooms.[3]

Television adaptations[edit]

Sky1'sThorne adaptationstarted broadcasting in October 2010, with actorDavid Morrisseystarring as Tom Thorne. The first three episodes were an adaptation ofSleepyheadand were directed byStephen Hopkins(24,Californication,The Life and Death of Peter Sellers). The final three episodes were an adaptation ofScaredy Cat,and guest-starred Canadian actressSandra Oh.

His standalone novelIn The Darkwas adapted as aminiseries of the same nameby the BBC in 2017. An adaptation of another standalone novel,Rush of Blood,is being developed for US television.[15]

Awards and nominations[edit]

TV[edit]

Billingham has received nominations and awards related to all aspects of his various careers.What's That Noise(which he wrote and presented) won the 1995Royal Television Societyaward for "Best Entertainment Programme",[9]whileKnight Schoolwas nominated for the RTS's "Best Children's Drama" award two years running.

Novels[edit]

Scaredy Cat(2002) won the Sherlock Award for "Best Detective Novel Created by a UK Author", and was also nominated for theCrime Writers AssociationGold Daggerfor "Best Crime Novel of the Year".[16] Lifeless(2005) was nominated forBCA "Crime Thriller of the Year" Awardin 2006.[17]

Billingham's novelLazyboneswon theTheakston's Old PeculierCrime Novel of the Year Award 2004 and he won the same award in 2009 for his novelDeath Message.[10]In The Darkwas nominated for theCrime Writers AssociationGold Daggerat the 2009Crime Thriller Awards.[18]In 2011, Billingham was inducted into the ITV3Crime Thriller AwardsHall of Fame.

Billingham was shortlisted for the 2015Dagger in the LibraryUK Crime Writers' Association award for an author's body of work in British libraries. He was shortlisted again in 2019 and won the award in 2022.[19]

The Other Half[edit]

In 2015, Billingham collaborated on a musical project calledThe Other HalfwithMy Darling Clementine,reading an original story alongside a soundtrack by theAmericanaband.

Podcasts[edit]

In September 2015 Billingham and co-host Michael Carlson released the six-part podcastThe Crime Vault Live,[20]with the last episode released in January 2016.

Billingham currently hostsUKTV's crime podcastA Stab in the Dark.[21]Each episode includes a discussion on a particular theme from crime fiction and crime drama, and has featured guests includingDavid Morrissey,Val McDermid,Michael ConnellyandAnn Cleeves.

Personal life[edit]

Billingham lives in North London with his wife Claire and their two children. He supportsWolverhampton Wanderers,although his protagonist Thorne supportsTottenham Hotspur.[22]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Knight School(with Peter Cocks) (Hodder & Stoughton,1998),ISBN0-340-74338-7

As "Will Peterson" (with Peter Cocks)[edit]

  • Triskellion(Walker Books Ltd, February 2008),ISBN1-4063-0709-2
  • Triskellion 2: The Burning(Walker Books, February 2009),ISBN978-1-4063-0710-8
  • Triskellion 3: The Gathering(Walker Books, February 2010)

Tom Thorne[edit]

  1. Sleepyhead(Little, Brown & Company,August 2001),ISBN0-316-85697-5;William MorrowUS, July 2002,ISBN0-06-621299-5
  2. Scaredy Cat(Little, Brown & Company, July 2002),ISBN0-316-85954-0;Time Warner UK, November 2002,ISBN0-356-23206-9;William Morrow US, June 2003,ISBN0-06-621300-2
  3. Lazybones(Little, Brown & Company, July 2003),ISBN0-316-72493-9;ISBN0-316-72494-7;William Morrow US (June 2004),ISBN0-06-056085-1
  4. The Burning Girl(Little, Brown & Company, July 2004),ISBN0-316-72574-9;William Morrow US (June 2005),ISBN0-06-074526-6
  5. Lifeless(Little, Brown & Company, May 2005),ISBN0-316-72752-0;Scorpion Press,June 2005,ISBN1-873567-70-7;William Morrow US, September 2006,ISBN0-06-084166-4
  6. Buried(Little, Brown & Company, May 2006),ISBN0-316-73050-5;Orbit, May 2006,ISBN0-356-24410-5;(HarperCollins,August 2007),ISBN0-06-125569-6
  7. Death Message(Little, Brown & Company, August 2007),ISBN0-316-73052-1
  8. Bloodline(Little, Brown & Company, August 2009),ISBN978-1-4087-0067-9
  9. From the Dead(Little, Brown & Company, August 2010),ISBN978-1-4087-0075-4
  10. Good as Dead(Little, Brown & Company, August 2011),ISBN978-1-84744-419-6.Retitled USThe Demands(Mulholland Books, June 2012),ISBN978-0-316-12663-2
  11. The Dying Hours(2013)
  12. The Bones Beneath(2014)
  13. Time of Death(2015)
  14. Love Like Blood(2017)
  15. The Killing Habit(2018)
  16. Their Little Secret(2019)
  17. Cry Baby (prequel to Sleepyhead)(2020)
  18. The Murder Book(2022)

Declan Miller[edit]

  1. The Last Dance(Sphere, May 2023),ISBN9781408717127
  2. The Wrong Hands(Sphere, May 2024),ISBN9781408717134

Other Crime[edit]

Partial screenography[edit]

Writer[edit]

Actor[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"BILLINGHAM, Mark Philip David"inWho's Who 2009(London: A & C Black, 2008); online ed. (Oxford: OUP, 2008). Accessed 4 January 2009.
  2. ^abcMark Billingham, writing on his ForumArchived28 September 2011 at theWayback Machine.Accessed 9 February 2008.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnop'Laugh? I almost died': Crime Novelist Mark Billingham talks to Ali Karim ofShots: The Crime and Mystery MagazineArchived30 January 2008 at theWayback Machine.Accessed 9 February 2008.
  4. ^Mark Billingham at the IMDb.Accessed 9 February 2008.
  5. ^News at Twelveat the IMDb.Accessed 9 February 2008.
  6. ^Maid Marian and her Merry Men Series 3(Tony Robinson, Mark Billingham and David Lloyd on 'creative writing'). David Bell. UK: Eureka. 2006 [1993]. EKA40224.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^"Maid Marian live stage show in development".British Comedy Guide.25 January 2018.
  8. ^Butner, Mark (26 January 2018)."Maid Marian and her Merry Men live show in the works".i.
  9. ^abcMark Billingham at HaHaHeeHee.Accessed 9 February 2008Archived13 December 2007 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^ab"Nominations for Theakston's Crime Novel of the year Award 2009".digyorkshire.com. 2 June 2009.Retrieved17 June2009.
  11. ^Mark Billingham's "Top 10 fictional detectives" at Guardian Unlimited.Accessed 9 February 2008.
  12. ^SleepyheadInformation.Accessed 10 February 2008.
  13. ^The "Tom Thorne Novels",Mark Billingham website.
  14. ^"Learning the unpleasant differences between crime fact and crime fiction...".Article by Billingham forThe Sunday Times.Accessed 10 February 2008.
  15. ^Tartaglione, Nancy (22 September 2015)."BBC One Orders Dramas From Matt Charman, Peter Moffat & More; Sets 'To Sir With Love' Movie".Deadline Hollywood.
  16. ^Scaredy CatInformation.Accessed 10 February 2008.
  17. ^Mark Billingham atFantastic Fiction.Accessed 10 February 2008.
  18. ^Allen, Kate (7 September 2009)."Coben, Cole, Atkinson vie for crime awards".The Bookseller.Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2009.Retrieved7 September2009.
  19. ^"Dagger in the Library".Dead Good Books.Retrieved8 June2015.
  20. ^"Crime Vault Live".
  21. ^"A Stab in the Dark".
  22. ^"Meet Tom Thorne: Scars".Accessed 9 February 2008.

External links[edit]

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