Gareth Sibson
Encyclopedia
Gareth JH Sibson is a writer and broadcaster. His debut novel
, Single White Failure was a frank look at relationships in London. The book drew on his own experiences of dating in London and analysed the women of a generation inspired by Bridget Jones
and Sex and the City
. Before becoming a writer and broadcaster, Sibson practised as a lawyer in The City
. He comments on a variety of social and legal issues.
and continues to have strong ties to the county. Prior to University, Sibson was a Sir Peter Kirk scholar and remains actively involved with the Trust. He also worked as a pupil Attorney
in Barbados at the Chambers of Mia Amor Mottley, head of the Barbados Labour Party
. He went up to University College, Durham
to read law and later went on to qualify with the leading London law firm, Lovells. He specialised in property law
but left private practice in 2005 to focus on his writing and broadcasting career.
At this time Sibson was offered an apprenticeship with the enfant terrible of the journalist world, Toby Young
(How To Lose Friends & Alienate People
). During his time with Young, Sibson helped him stage the play Who’s The Daddy?. a sex farce about the David Blunkett
/Kimberley Quinn scandal and the "Sextator" affairs of Boris Johnson
and Rod Liddle
. It was named Best New Comedy at the 2006 Theatregoers' Choice Awards.
At the same time he began the internationally successful blog ChasingBridget.com – his satirical quest to track down the perfect Bridget Jones. 15,000 woman a day were logging on, claiming to be the real Bridget, from Birmingham
to Bangalore
. Reports on Sibson appeared around the globe
.
Sibson is a media commentator. He appears on TV and radio with credits including NBC
’s Today Programme
, Sky One
’s Taste, UKTV Style
’s How To Find a Husband. He has written for the Daily Mail
and The Sun
online and is often asked to comment on stories by the likes of The Sunday Times
. He is also the resident relationships expert at Colourful Radio.
The Sunday Times dubbed Sibson 'The Dr Dolittle of Relationships'. And The Evening Standard said, 'If you've lost your faith in men he might just restore it'.
In 2008 and 2009 he opened the London Book Fair
with fellow writers Joanna Trollope
and Adele Parks.
He appears on radio talking about the book world, relationships, the modern woman and gender issues.
In the past he has been involved with various TV production companies as a presenter. Most recently he has been involved with the BBC
in developing a legal affairs program.
. He has a passion for Regency architecture
. He spends part of his time working for charities such as the educational trust, The Sir Peter Kirk Fund. He is also a supporter of the women’s charity The Fawcett Society.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, Single White Failure was a frank look at relationships in London. The book drew on his own experiences of dating in London and analysed the women of a generation inspired by Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
and Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
. Before becoming a writer and broadcaster, Sibson practised as a lawyer in The City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. He comments on a variety of social and legal issues.
Early life
Sibson originally hails from Holt, NorfolkHolt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
and continues to have strong ties to the county. Prior to University, Sibson was a Sir Peter Kirk scholar and remains actively involved with the Trust. He also worked as a pupil Attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Barbados at the Chambers of Mia Amor Mottley, head of the Barbados Labour Party
Barbados Labour Party
The Barbados Labour Party is the main opposition party of Barbados. Led by Rt. Hon.Owen Arthur, the BLP holds 9 out of 30 seats in the House of Assembly as of January 2008...
. He went up to University College, Durham
University College, Durham
University College, commonly known as Castle, is a college of the University of Durham in England. Centred around Durham Castle on Palace Green, it was founded in 1832 and is the oldest of Durham's colleges. As with all of Durham's colleges, it is, independently of the University, a listed body...
to read law and later went on to qualify with the leading London law firm, Lovells. He specialised in property law
Property law
Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property and in personal property, within the common law legal system. In the civil law system, there is a division between movable and immovable property...
but left private practice in 2005 to focus on his writing and broadcasting career.
At this time Sibson was offered an apprenticeship with the enfant terrible of the journalist world, Toby Young
Toby Young
Toby Young, MA, FRSA is a British journalist and the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, the tale of his stint in New York as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine...
(How To Lose Friends & Alienate People
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (memoir)
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is a memoir by Toby Young about his failed five-year effort to make it in the U.S. as a contributing editor at Condé Nast Publications' Vanity Fair magazine...
). During his time with Young, Sibson helped him stage the play Who’s The Daddy?. a sex farce about the David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
/Kimberley Quinn scandal and the "Sextator" affairs of Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
and Rod Liddle
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. L. Liddle is an English print, radio, and television journalist.He is an associate editor of The Spectator, and former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he is the author of Too Beautiful for You , Love Will Destroy Everything , and co-author of The Best of Liddle Britain...
. It was named Best New Comedy at the 2006 Theatregoers' Choice Awards.
Writer and broadcaster
At the end of 2005, Sibson had his debut novel published, Single White Failure. He wrote the real life story because he felt men were misrepresented in contemporary fiction. It was a thinking man’s retort to Chic Lit such as Bridget Jones and Sex and the City. He wanted to write about real women and the things they do in relationships, writing against the popular myths that he saw in the media and elsewhere.At the same time he began the internationally successful blog ChasingBridget.com – his satirical quest to track down the perfect Bridget Jones. 15,000 woman a day were logging on, claiming to be the real Bridget, from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. Reports on Sibson appeared around the globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
.
Sibson is a media commentator. He appears on TV and radio with credits including NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s Today Programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
, Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
’s Taste, UKTV Style
UKTV Style
Home is an interior home and garden-oriented lifestyle television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom, as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 1 November 1997 and relaunched in it's current format on 30 April 2009...
’s How To Find a Husband. He has written for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
and The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
online and is often asked to comment on stories by the likes of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. He is also the resident relationships expert at Colourful Radio.
The Sunday Times dubbed Sibson 'The Dr Dolittle of Relationships'. And The Evening Standard said, 'If you've lost your faith in men he might just restore it'.
In 2008 and 2009 he opened the London Book Fair
London Book Fair
The London Book Fair is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. The London Book Fair has grown in size and importance in recent years, and 23,000 publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, media and industry suppliers from over 100...
with fellow writers Joanna Trollope
Joanna Trollope
Joanna Trollope OBE , is an English novelist.-Life:Joanna Trollope was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh's College, Oxford. From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office...
and Adele Parks.
He appears on radio talking about the book world, relationships, the modern woman and gender issues.
In the past he has been involved with various TV production companies as a presenter. Most recently he has been involved with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in developing a legal affairs program.
Personal
Sibson lives in South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. He has a passion for Regency architecture
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
. He spends part of his time working for charities such as the educational trust, The Sir Peter Kirk Fund. He is also a supporter of the women’s charity The Fawcett Society.