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DIALOGUE Issue #5 2020
THE BIG INTERVIEW
SIMON BIRD By Philippa Green
Simon Bird OG 2003, star of The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner, talks about his film directorial debut, Days of the Bagnold Summer, and shares his thoughts on life at the RGS, comedy, acting and the world of film.
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fter leaving the RGS, Simon gained a double 1st in English from Queens’ College, Cambridge and went on to complete an MA in Cultural and Critical studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. At Cambridge he was president of the Footlights comedy society, where he met future co-star Joe Thomas. They subsequently took a number of shows to the Edinburgh Festival and were eventually cast in The Inbetweeners. For his performance as Will McKenzie, Simon won British Comedy Awards for Best Actor and Best Newcomer and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Comedy Actor. He has also starred in six series of Friday Night Dinner. As a writer Simon created The King Is Dead for the BBC and co-created Chickens, which was nominated for Best Sitcom at the Broadcast Awards. He recently set up his own production company with Studiocanal and has a number of TV shows and films in development. Simon spoke at the RGS Senior Prizegiving Ceremony in 2010 and narrated the original RGS promotional film, Always Part of the RGS. ➧
