Simon Bird – a 40-year old comedian, actor, and director, best recognized for his roles in popular series The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner – was raised in Guildford, Surrey. He shares two children, aged eight and six, with his wife Lisa Owens, a writer. The family resides in London.
Simon’s acting career has taken his life’s journey through fascinating turns and hilarious situations. From filming the first Inbetweeners in Magaluf, Spain during off-season, to staying at a two-star hotel that was a mere eight euros for a night, every moment was an adventure. The crew and cast stayed together, forming a tight-knit circle, with the actress Jessica Knappett’s room functioning as the common hub. Even though the town was deserted, his experiences of filming felt like a grand vacation, mirroring the plot of the film which is about a chaotic guys’ trip to Malia, Crete.
For the shooting of the second Inbetweeners movie in Australia, the setup saw an upgrade. They were accommodated at the luxurious Lord Byron Hotel in Byron Bay over the Christmas week, encompassing private beaches, infinity pools, subtropical rainforests – an absolute fairy-tale setting.
However, it wasn’t always smooth-sailing. Traveling with young kids often led to unforeseen challenges. On a trip to Sagres, Portugal, Simon and his wife had to quietly spend their evenings on the hotel balcony to avoid waking up their early-to-bed children. A dinner of room-service pizzas turned into a catastrophe when they discovered the delivery guy had carried them vertically, ruining their shape.
One memory that particularly stands out from the family’s trip to California is his kids waking up at their usual UK time of 5:30 AM due to the 8-hour time difference, causing him to wake up just half an hour after he had fallen asleep. This resulted in the couple deciding to undergo a temporary travel ban, a break that lasted a couple of years and was widely regarded as their best decision.
Simon and Lisa finally recommenced their travels by planning a trip to Faro – a small island off the coast of Sweden often referred to as Bergman Island as the renowned Swedish director Ingmar Bergman resided there. They lived in the cottage where Bergman filmed his acclaimed series Scenes from a Marriage, which added an exciting dimension to their visit, given his wife’s occupation as a writer. Their children thoroughly enjoyed the beaches and unique rocky landscape, and both parents developed a fascination for the exquisite architecture and ingenious designs typical to Scandinavia.
Post their Sweden encounter, the family embarked on a thrilling road trip across the Soca Valley in Slovenia. They indulged in the adventurous sport of canyoning that involved jumping into a fast-flowing mountain stream and letting the currents carry them downstream.
Born and brought up in Guildford, Surrey, Simon did not celebrate a birthday in the UK until his early twenties as his family would spend every summer in America. His parents, university lecturers, would spend the vacation while his father taught summer school at a university near Boston. As a teenager, Simon worked as a camp counselor at a summer camp in Lexington, Massachusetts despite a shaky tennis skill-set.
For Simon Bird, memories of joy, laughter, and unexpected lessons from travels hold a special place in his heart. The experience of constantly meeting new people, exploring different landscapes, and living through adventures have left with him telling tales to remember.
