Simon Hall is an author of crime fiction, and a former BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent.
He has been a broadcaster for twenty five years, covering some of the biggest stories Britain has seen.
His books - the tvdetective series - are about a television reporter who covers crimes and gets so involved in the cases he helps the police to solve them. Seven have been published, and are currently in the process of being updated for a new publisher.
Simon has also contributed articles and short stories to a range of newspapers and magazines, written plays, and even a pantomime.
Alongside his novels and stories, Simon is a tutor in creative writing and media skills, teaching at popular writers’ schools, to writers’ groups, on cruise ships and overseas.
His teaching style in highly interactive, and has been described as “very much show not tell, incredibly insightful and great fun”. He has been credited by many former students with helping them to get published.
He also teaches writing and storytelling, how to handle the media, and social media to prominent politicians and civil servants.
Simon has become sought after as a speaker, appearing at a variety of prestigious literary festivals. His talks combine an insight into his writing work, along with some extraordinary anecdotes from the life of a television reporter, including the now notorious story of What to do when you really need a dead otter.
He is married to Jess, Director of Libraries at the University of Cambridge, and has an adopted daughter, Niamh. She’s an army officer, which makes her father both very proud and very nervous.
Simon lectures on social and conventional media, and careers in the media at Cambridge University, as well as in schools and colleges. He is also committed to widening participation in higher education, frequently working with the Speakers for Schools charity.
He teaches because one of his proudest and most fulfilling achievements is the number of young people he has helped into jobs in broadcasting, and aspiring writers into publication.