- Acclaimed English writer noted for his works on London and Charles Dickens.
- He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to Literature.
- Was raised by his mother, Audrey Whiteside, and his grandmother on a council estate near Wormwood Scrubs prison.
- In the Independent of Sunday 2006 Pink List - a list of the most influential gay men and women - he came no. 11, up from no. 13.
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