Tim Dawson

Dawson grew up in Oxford and moved to Manchester during his late teenage years. He was educated at Abingdon School from 1999 to 2006.^[3] During his time at school, Dawson won the North Drama Prize and he was the comedy actor in school productions of Here to Entertain You and The Comedians. He also wrote, produced and directed Bang Goes Douglas Smith.^[4]

Dawson began his career in 2007 when his original sitcom, Coming of Age, was piloted by BBC Three.^[5] The show ran for three series^[6][7][8] to mixed reviews.^[9] Exteriors for the fictional Wooton College were filmed near his hometown in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, while interiors were recorded at BBC Television Centre using a multi-camera setup with a live studio audience.^[10]

He also wrote on Series 7 and 8 of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.^[11] Dawson was identified as a "Broadcast Hot Shot" in a 2008 edition of the industry magazine Broadcast.^[12]

In 2018, Dawson is recorded as writer of episode 1.3 of Lady Christina, (Portrait of a Lady) a series of audio dramas spun-off from Doctor Who and made by Big Finish Productions.^[13] The episode was described as "a James Bond homage that's more Roger Moore and less Daniel Craig" featuring Lady Christina and UNIT's Sam Bishop.^[14]

Not for Turning, a radio drama by Dawson, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2020.^[15]

Dawson has written for a number of comedians, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen K. Amos, Dick and Dom, Joe Pasquale, and Jon Culshaw.^[2]

In 2026, Dawson released his latest work, The Red Prince, directed by Susan Nickson. The one-person show, performed by Benjamin May, follows fictional Labour MP Craig Kitman across an hour-long monologue set in his constituency office. The production received a positive review from Everything Theatre. ^[16]

In addition to his drama and comedy writing, Dawson has written articles for The Daily Telegraph,^[17] The Spectator,^[18] The Critic,^[19] Spiked,^[20] and the British Comedy Guide.^[21]

Dawson stood as a Conservative council candidate for the ward of Hulme in the 2018 Manchester City Council elections. He received 182 votes and came 6th in the election.^[22] An avid supporter of the arts and creative industries, Dawson described himself as a mainstream Conservative in an article published later that year.^[23]

In 2019, The Guardian reported that Dawson was a member of the pro-Brexit organisation Britain's Future, which spent £340,000 on campaign advertisements,^[24] more than anyone else spent on political advertising on Facebook.^[25] Dawson declared the source of the funds were "small donations from fellow Brexiteers".^[26]

Dawson was listed as editor on Britain’s Future’s website.^[27]

• List of Old Abingdonians