Higgins was born May 9, 1947 in East Northamptonshire, England to parents who had emigrated from Ireland just before World War II in search of economic opportunity. His parents lived in London during the Blitz. Eventually, they left London for Northamptonshire so that his father could obtain work as a builder for American army bases. Young Anthony completed his studies at a state school and then intended to be a journalist. He worked as a butcher in Bedford and then as a "navvy," a builder's helper, in the small town of Grendon, near Northampton. At the age of 16, he obtained a job on a local paper but, by law, he had to be over 17 before he could work so he spent the time learning shorthand and typing.
John Bown was born on July 1, 1934 in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, UK. He is an actor and director, known for A Performance of Macbeth (1979), Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Stop! (1967). He has been married to Sibylla Kay since 1960.
