Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham

Mark Billingham (Mark Philip David Billingham) was born on July 2nd, 1961 and is currently 64 years old. Mark Billingham was born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England. Billingham attended The University of Birmingham where he received a B.A. Drama.

Mark Billingham is known for writing in the Mystery, Thriller, and Crime Fiction genres.

Mark Billingham is the author of the Tom Thorne series which currently consists of 20 novels. The Tom Thorne series started in 2001 with the novel Sleepyhead. The most recently released novel in the Tom Thorne series was What the Night Brings which was released in 2025. There are no upcoming novels for the Tom Thorne series.

In 2003, Mark Billingham received the Sherlock Award which is an award for the best detective in a fiction series. This was awarded for the Detective Inspector Tom Thorne series. Specifically, the In the Dark novel won this award.

Along with being an author, Mark is also a stand-up comedian. He began his role in stand-up comedy in the late 1980s.

Following his earning a degree, Mark helped create Bread & Circuses, which was a socialist theatre company.

Mark has played many theatre roles, and also played a character in the UK TV show Maid Marian and her Merry Men.

Mark received some interesting inspiration for his novel Scaredy Cat, as him and his friend Peter Cocks were actually kidnapped in a hotel room, where they were tied up and gagged and had everything stolen from them.

Mark has been involved heavily in the TV industry, and the TV show Whats That Noise which he presented as well as wrote, was the winner of the Best Entertainment Programme awards in 1995.

Mark was shortlisted for the 2015 Dead Good Reader Award in The Patricia Highsmith Award for Most Exotic Location category for the location, Bardsey Island, in his novel The Bones Beneath.

Mark Billingham: Awards & Accolades

Mark Billingham has won multiple awards including: Theakston's Old Peculier, Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction, in 2020 and the Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2022. Mark Billingham was also nominated for multiple awards including: The Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2004, , Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2005, , Crime Thriller Awards, The Bestseller Dagger, in 2011, , Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2015, and the Crime Writer's Association Award, Dagger in the Library Award, in 2019.

Billingham's books have also won multiple awards, Lazybones won Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year, in 2005. Death Message won Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year, in 2009. Time of Death won The Dead Good Reader Award, The Val McDermid Award for Fiendish Forensics, in 2015.

The following novels by Mark Billingham were also nominated for these awards:

• Scaredy Cat: Crime Writer's Association Award, Gold Dagger Award (2002). Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2003).
• Lazybones: Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2004).
• The Burning Girl: Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2005).
• Lifeless: Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2006). British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (2006).
• Buried: Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2008).
• In the Dark: CrimeFest, Sounds of Crime Award (2009). Crime Writer's Association Award, Gold Dagger Award (2009). Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2010).
• From The Dead: Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2011).
• Rush of Blood: Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2013).
• Time of Death: Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2016).
• Die of Shame: The Dead Good Reader Award, The Dead Good Recommends Award for Most Recommended Book (2016).
• The Last Dance: Theakston's Old Peculier, Crime Novel of the Year (2024). CrimeFest, Last Laugh Award (2024).

Mark Billingham: Lists & Other Mentions

• Cry Baby was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club July 2020 Pick.
• The Bones Beneath was a Dead Good Books: 100 Best Crime Books Of All Time Selection in 2020.

Mark Billingham: TV/Movies Based on Books

An adaptation of the Tom Thorne series was made for Sky1 in the UK. It aired for one series in 2010 and was called Thorne. There were six episodes with the first half of the series being based on the novel Sleepyhead, and the second half of the series is based on Scaredycat. Actor David Morrissey played the role of DI Tom Thorne, and it also featured Aidan Gillen and Eddie Marsan. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins.

His novel In the Dark, which was a standalone novel, was made into a 4 episode UK TV series for the BBC in 2017. Parts of the novel Time of Death were also adapted for this show and it was written by Danny Brocklehurst. The lead character, DI Helen Weeks, was played by actor MyAnna Buring.

Related Authors

Fans of Mark Billingham also enjoy these authors:

1. Jonathan Kellerman, author of the Alex Delaware Series.
2. Adrian McKinty, author of the Detective Sean Duffy Series.
3. J.T. Ellison, author of: Lie to Me.
4. Robert Bryndza, author of the Detective Erika Foster Series.
5. Angela Marsons, author of the D.I. Kim Stone Series.
6. Patricia Gibney, author of the D.I. Lottie Parker Series.
7. Mo Hayder, author of the Jack Caffery Series.
8. Søren Sveistrup, author of: The Chestnut Man / Oktober.
9. Caroline Mitchell, author of the DI Amy Winter Series.
10. Karin Slaughter, author of the Will Trent Series.

Mark Billingham: F.A.Q