William Nicholson

William Benedict Nicholson, OBE, FRSL (born 12 January 1948) is a British screenwriter, playwright, and novelist who has been nominated twice for an Oscar. Early life A native of Lewes, Sussex, William Nicholson was raised in a Roman Catholic family in Gloucestershire. By the time he reached his tenth birthday he had decided to become a writer. He was educated at Downside School, Somerset, and Christ's College, Cambridge. Career At the start of his career Nicholson worked for the BBC as a director of documentary films with numerous works to his credit between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. He gained renown as a novelist and playwright when the first book of his popular Wind On Fire trilogy won the Blue Peter best book award and the Smarties Gold Award for Best Children's Book. He has written several novels and fantasy books. He married author Virginia Nicholson (née Bell) in 1988.