Charlie Higson
A shape-shifting British comic who co-created the anarchic 'The Fast Show' before terrifying a new generation with zombie novels.
Born 1958 (age 68)·British actor, comedian and author·Birthday: July 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charlie Higson’s career is a lesson in successful creative pivots. He first crashed into public consciousness as one of the manic minds behind 'The Fast Show,' a groundbreaking British sketch program known for its rapid-fire characters and catchphrases. As a performer, writer, and producer, he helped define 1990s comedy with its uniquely British absurdity. Then, in a move that surprised many, Higson stepped away from the screen and into the world of children’s literature, tasked with reviving Ian Fleming’s James Bond for a young audience. His 'Young Bond' series was a critical and commercial hit, praised for its fidelity to Fleming’s spirit. Not content to be pigeonholed, he then unleashed 'The Enemy,' a visceral post-apocalyptic horror series for young adults where everyone over the age of 14 is turned into a flesh-eating monster. Higson moves between comedy, adventure, and horror with ease, proving that a sharp mind for character and story can thrive in any genre.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Charlie was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charlie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Charlie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-created and starred in the influential BBC sketch comedy series 'The Fast Show.'
- Authored the first five books in the bestselling 'Young Bond' series, reviving the character for a new generation.
- Wrote the award-winning young adult horror series 'The Enemy,' set in a zombie-infested London.
- Was a lead writer and producer for the satirical show 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme.'
Did You Know?
He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band The Higsons in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He is a longtime friend and collaborator of Paul Whitehouse, with whom he created 'The Fast Show.'
He made a cameo appearance as a zombie in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.'
Before comedy, he worked as a painter and decorator and even a plasterer's mate.
“The Fast Show was about the joy of being stupid, of celebrating idiots.”
